If you’ve been following Numenera news, you probably know a short film is in the works. We’re really excited about this—it’s big news for Numenera, the game’s fans and players, and, frankly, for gaming in general. Is that last statement a bit too grandiose? Maybe, but perhaps not. Read on.
How We Got Here
First, here’s the full scoop on the movie—why we’re doing it and how it’s come to be:
Cast your mind back to late summer, 2012. The original Numenera Kickstarter campaign was (literally) making headlines as it blew through expectations and records. Heading into its last day, the campaign had crossed the $450,000 mark. Could it reach the unthinkable $500K? And what kind of stretch goal could push it there, given that the campaign had already funded an entire line of books? Thinking about the sort of thing that would be an exciting addition to the brand, a great point of leverage for growing the property in the future, and just a really cool reward, Monte committed to the creation of a short film for Numenera.
Now, committing to a Kickstarter reward without a clear plan for delivery is one of the classic blunders (the first, of course, is never get involved in a land war in Asia). But we are a creative, committed team with good connections and great resources—we knew we could deliver on this. And we knew what we wanted out of a Numenera video production:
- Great imagery of the Ninth World, evoking the setting in a way that’s distinct from the fantasy and science fiction we’ve all seen before.
- One or more characters that seem completely at home in this world, and who represent the archetypes of Numenera (again, as opposed to more stereotypical characters and types).
- A story that’s connected intimately with the Ninth World.
- A touch of that old Numenera weirdness.
And here’s the kicker: All of this needs to be wrapped up in the top-notch production values that characterize all Numenera products. Not just because we take pride in these things, but also because the movie wouldn’t achieve the goals above if it didn’t also draw you in completely. Suspend your disbelief. Make you feel like you were really there.
We make great RPGs, but we aren’t filmmakers, and it was never our intention to make a short film ourselves. The plan was to work with someone whose gifts for filmmaking were on par with our gamemaking skills—someone who could do justice to our vision, and even go beyond it.
Getting Numenera and its early supplements delivered to backers kept us busy pretty much right through 2013. By late in the year, though (and remember, this is back when we’d only put out a couple of print titles, including the corebook), we began reaching out to potential film partners. But the process of making films is very different from making books. Finding someone, and fitting the film into their schedule, was a slow task. We had several really good leads, and we kept multiple irons in the fire, but by mid-2014 we still didn’t have anything completely nailed down.
Then, late in the year, we were contacted by some filmmakers in Sweden—a production company called Valdes/Eriksdotter. The small crew at V/E were Numenera fans, and they’d started work on a Numenera short film. This was completely on their own—they’d come to Numenera recently, and didn’t even know about the Kickstarter commitment. They’d done the principal photography, and even assembled a trailer with complete effects in place.
It knocked our socks off.
It hit all of our objectives. And it was a polished, professional piece with production values equal to any Hollywood blockbuster. That’s no coincidence: These gamers and sci-fi filmmakers, as their day jobs, produce high-end TV commercials for major international clients, many of which are shown on national TV here in the US. These guys know how to put together a well-produced piece with no rough edges. Although the Numenera film was incomplete (only the trailer shows something close to final polish), they had several other short films in their portfolio that really showed off their chops.
We had found the partners we were looking for. And as a bonus, the film was ready to move into post-production, meaning we were months, rather than years, from being able to deliver the Kickstarter promise. We had money set aside to make this happen, and we quickly committed to bringing the film to fruition.
Why It All Matters
So what?
The original Numenera Kickstarter generated no fewer that 56 discrete rewards we needed to deliver—books, PDFs, card decks, wallpapers, dice, T-shirts, donations, and so on. The short film is one of the very last, so it’s great to be nearing the end of the process—to have delivered so many items, to so many people, mostly on schedule and above expectations.
But that’s not what makes this movie so important. Here’s why we’re especially excited it:
- It will pull new players into the Numenera community, as they’re drawn in by this compelling vision of the Ninth World.
- But it also introduces Numenera to folk who aren’t gamers, but might find the Ninth World exciting for other reasons. We’ve been in talks with comic book publishers, for example. As beautiful as the Numenera corebook is, a vivid, compelling film is an even stronger statement to non-gamers looking to understand the property.
- In the realm of film, it may lead to bigger and better things. If it’s successful, another, meatier short film from the same producers is certainly a possibility. But it’s also the thin end of the wedge for moving toward something even grander, such as a feature film.
- Which brings us to a greater ambition: Putting gaming on the cultural map. Gaming IPs are often at least as rich and creative—and usually more expansive—than those of books or comics. Imagine a world in which movies based on tabletop games are as common—and awesome—as those based on comics are now!
Maybe that last point is too crazy. But I was a kid in the ‘70s, when anything with moving pictures based on a comic book was, at best, a super-low-budget animated series running in afternoon syndication. In the years since superheroes have broken out, as have fantasy, and now we have a culture hungry for exciting new ideas and visions.
Why not games?
But Can We Get There From Here?
It’s awesome that we’re within reach of our goal. But remember when I said that making films is very different from making books? Nowhere is that more true than when it comes to budgets. Think about it: The budget for effects-heavy Hollywood productions usually tops a million dollars per minute of movie. Often several million dollars a minute. That’s not just for the effects-heavy scenes—that’s every single minute of the movie.
We could publish an entire book for what we’re putting into this movie’s budget (not that we have the available bandwidth to add another title to our already crazy workload). But that’s not buying us 1% of a Hollywood budget, even on a per-minute basis. Closer to a tenth of a percent. Fortunately, we don’t need a Hollywood budget, but to hit this film’s potential it needs more than what we can offer.
We have the vision. We have the commitment. We have an incredible filmmaking partner with the skills and resources to make it happen. How do we get from here to there?
The filmmaker is running a Kickstarter campaign to raise additional funds. This isn’t to make the movie, per se—our funding will allow the movie to be made. Instead, it’s about bridging the gap between the quality of a decent fan film and that of a top-notch production. Something that will drive this from simply fulfilling a Kickstarter obligation to creating a showpiece for the Ninth World and gaming worlds in general. To, hopefully, open doors for Numenera and our hobby in general.
One internet commenter posted a link to the great short film Ambition. It’s a fantastic work, and frankly could almost stand in for a Numenera movie. Why fund a Numenera film, when you can see Ambition for free? It’s a great question, but consider this: Between YouTube and Vimeo alone, Ambition has had over a million views. Thousands and thousands of shares. Imagine if a gaming movie had that sort of reach. Imagine if it was Numenera.
It can happen. And as long as we’re making the movie, why not take it all the way? Why not make it the movie we really want to see? The gaming movie that will have that sort of reach?
Cast your mind back, once again, to 2012. Numenera was just an idea in Monte’s head. He dreamed, and 5,000 Kickstarter backers joined the dream. We’ve turned one dream into a reality, and already gone way beyond it. Numenera, MCG—look at how much we’ve all made happen!
We’re dreaming again. Are you in?
