Hi European Go friends,

I asked myself a question for some time. The AGA managed to make it´s on Go movie, the documentation "The Sorrounding Game", can the EGF do the same?

I think we would be able, to make it. If we want it in Europe we can, I am sure. Sure for this is money needed, but a crowdfunding campaign could do a lot. Maybe we even could get a sponsoring from companies, like Deep Mind or another one. In the end a documentation don´t have to be too expensive.

What would you think. I mean that idea is really something, to think about. If we works on it, there can be a nice movie like "The Sourrounding Game", for the EGF.

The BBC has some excellent documentaries, esp. with Sir David Attenborough.
You can do it.

The movie was not the product of a national organisation. The EGF would probably be hopeless at creating a movie, but there are individuals in Europe who could make a movie if they wished. For example I believe Frederic Donzet has made some good short features, maybe they're too French New Wave style for the public

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North Lecale

In fact, 2 filmstudent made The Sourrounding Game, but they worked together with the AGA. Could be similiar in the EGF. I think there would be some nice ideas, for main and side plots. The Sourrounding Game followed some players, mainly good players. For example we could pick a tournament Lover in it, when he say it´s ok. Krzysztof Podbiol from Poland is an average player (when it comes to skills), but in the EGD he got more then 500 tournaments. And the EGD just exists since 1996, got nor tournaments from before and just ranked ones. In fact Krzysztof Podbiol even got many more tournaments.

This shows real love for the game.

If the goal is to attract new players, it would make more sense to feature young players going to national or international competitions/go camps, traveling to China, interacting with each other; strong players who do not necessarily want to become professionals but try to win the EYGC; players who are relatively new to the game but who are rapidly improving and try to become strong.

You think too much in one direction. The Surrounding Game had many themes, could be the same here. The strong players, but also the sight of average players, which love the game, would be interesting. Combined with big events and some interesting contacts, maybe also with something about JIGS.

You need a clear narrative to sustain a full length documentary.

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North Lecale

The Pro Quali was in The Sorrounding Game the main plot and with it the clear narrative. Nevertheless, there some sidplots. Like the backround of Go, the view from normal competitors on the US Go Congress, the study in Korea. Talking to Asian Pros, explaining something of the history of AGA and visiting Go Seigen. And it worked, with some sideplots.

In my opinion there needs to be first a clear idea of why would such a movie be wanted. Attract new players? Give something to people who already play go?

I don't really see how making a movie would attract new players. Maybe it could if it comes with a solid plan. For instance working with schools to get the movie played there, etc.
If it's just for members, I have personally no interest in such things.

I may also add that as a long time member of two different european federations, I am increasingly baffled by the way money is spent. I keep hearing left and right that there is not enough money for things that seem essential to me (helping clubs run their activities for instance, giving something back to the many people doing voluntary work, etc.), so I'd be annoyed to see money spent on a movie, and even more annoyed if this was done with no intent to make it such that it will bring new members.

You cant just "make a movie" or "make a documentary".. thats not how it works..

Sure, you can force it, but it will create a really crappy documentary..


First question: Do you have a story to tell? What is that story? Is it an interesting story/will it engage people?

Second question: How do you approach telling this story so that you emphasize the the interesting/important/dramatic parts? What side plots do you intend to use? How do they tie to the main story?

Third question, or well, thing.. Write the script, have it reviewed, rewrite it, do this many times over..


Now, material things.. crew, camera rent, light rent, sound rent, costume, set design, make-up, studio rent, post production for picture, sound, etc etc etc. all cost money..
No way does the EGF have money to fund it, unless of course, theres a large ish film school, with both equipment, facilities, and crew to support it for free..

However, all the equipment, crew, facilities, etc, dont save a story that has nothing, or nothing interesting to tell or say.

YMMV.

Short script:

A young student from a European country goes to China, where he applies for the professional exam. He does surprisingly well and is admitted to the prep school. He beats the hell out of his fellow students. When he goes back to Europe to participate in domestic tournaments, his results are so-so. He still finishes in the top, but he occasionally loses to Pavol Lisy, Ali Jabarin, Ilya Shikshine ... This arouses the interest of the Chinese Go association and they send someone to Europe to understand what's going on.

Back in Asia, the student passes his pro exam and rockets up the ranks, arising the interest of both Asian, European and even America press.

Soon, the Chinese investigator finds out what's going on: while the student's play shows a resemblance to AI bot play, he's never found out to replicate either ELF, or LZ, ... but the traces lead to a small startup which has implanted a small device communicating with a server running ELF/LZ based superbot. When playing domestic, he didn't employ the implant, to pretend European Go was closing the gap.

The student is excommunicated from the go world and travels around the world. He ends up in Japan, where he finds peace in martial arts and yoga. He meets a man (who later turns out to be Takemiya Masaki) who revives his interest in Go by urging him to play for fun.

In the meantime, the startup has made tons of money with the implant and has been acquired by Apple. The founders invest in the European community out of gratitude. Several young European pros make it to the top and even win international tournaments. One of the European pros, when participating in the OLympics in Tokyo, meets with a gaijin in a bar who'd like to play. The pro accepts smilingly but is annihilated by the gaijin. At the Olympics, he tells about his encounter. One of the older European pros, Pavol Lisy, suspects who the gaijin may have been (the end).

If the EGF ever get a movie based around them, I hope it isn't anything like the first half of The Surrounding game. I did enjoy the movie as a whole but it was obvious to me that they were being quite rude and unfair towards American go players from the onset. (deliberately portraying go players as crazy or eccentric losers and implying that they need to get a life). One scene in particular comes to my memory where they zoom in on one woman who has a go tattoo on her back. It was obvious that the intent was to make the audience cringe. If the aim is to bring more European players to the world of go, it shouldn't alienate people away from it.

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'The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself'

It wasn't obvious to me.

It wasn't obvious tome either. Still, there were scenes they should not include. They hyped the game and at the end they were like "what is even the point of playing go". That's not rly promotional movie, but something go players can relate to.

I'd like to see more of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUn1l46QFd4 and spread it to different media.

I came at this thread arsy-versy (as usual) and thought the "short script" was possibly a summary of a real-life happening.

But then I read the following and realised instantly it was all fiction: