Would you & your group roleplay on camera?

[Nellisir]

Sure, why not? I actually taped a session of my game once in college -- the only person who cared made sure to sit directly underneath (and out of sight of) the camera.

I honestly only watched it once, and it's gone now. But the creepiest thing about watching it wasn't seeing myself DMing -- it was the way I (the viewer) kept snapping to attention everytime someone on the tape tried to get my (the DM) attention. Even when I knew it was coming, my subconcious was so trained, it kept looking for the person in the room with me (heck, I replied at least 3 times before catching myself).

Cheers
Nell.

 

[alsih2o]

Oh, yeah!

It would be fun!

 

[Greylock]

Oh, yeah!

It would be fun!

Urp.

 

[talien]

So: would you be OK with roleplaying on camera, for something that would be released to the public? Do you think others in your group would? What concerns would you expect to come up, and if you decided to go ahead with it, what consequences or side-effects would you look out for?

It's funny...lots of folks bemoan the fate of D&D and how we can't get new gamers into the fold, but then an opportunity like this pops up and oh the SHAME! Oh the HUMANITY!

Next thing you know dealerships will offer test drives for cars before you buy them.

Anyway, yes I would. But then, I'm media trained and part of my job involves getting up in front of 500 people and telling them to sit the hell down. I also have incorporated geekdom into my personal identity. It's a running joke and I'm not offended (actually, it's a badge of pride) to be a geek. I have also been prosecuted in school and by potential dates for said geekdom and survived, so I'm something of a gaming activist (okay, a lazy gaming activist, but still).

Would the others in our group do it?
* Our DM: Maybe, but I think he'd be uncomfortable.
* My wife: Hell no.
* The other gamers: Yes, no, and maybe respectively.

 

[Brennin Magalus]

If you consented to be videotaped during your gaming session, you could be as cool and famous as these people

 

[Brennin Magalus]

I have also been prosecuted in school and by potential dates for said geekdom and survived...

You must have had a good defense lawyer then.

 

[Piratecat]

Only if we didn't have to wear pants.

 

[Humanophile]

I'd say yes, with a big but. I'd insist that I knew the fimmaker and editor well (even if they were likely to be the same person), and that I got to see the finished product before it was actually aired.

The reason why is simple enough. There will be a lot of geeking out and gamespeak at the table. It can be edited to make us look like semi-normal people having some geeky fun, or it could be edited to make us look like absolute dorks with no connection to real people. I wouldn't mind being known to the world as "that D&D guy", even if it carried enough connotations of geekiness to forever kill my chances with the beautiful people. I'd be quite peeved to know that I was "that gamespeak geek" because only my least flattering moments were caught.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I would welcome it, and use my domineering personality to force it on any reluctant members of my group.

I for one wouldn't play all that differently, aside from memorizing my notes more thoroughly so I could face the camera rather than my notes when I wasn't addressing one of the players.

I wouldn't do it if I expected it to be cut in such a way as to be used against me personally or the hobby in general, but would welcome the publicity for both. As a safeguard against that, I would insist on an unedited copy of the tape and make it very clear that I would sue the ever-loving donkey off of the filmmaker if he tried something like that.

However, the publicity (both personal and for roleplaying) would be very welcome.

The best way to do it for the sake of the hobby would be to run a "two-shot" adventure:

One session off-camera to introduce the players to the setting (which should be simple and accessible, like Star Wars or a very Tolkienesque fantasy) and the core concepts, such as very clear alignment, no evil PCs, and only rules we all understand extremely well - core only or splats we've used before. We could also handle lighting and seating arrangements ahead of time. I personally would paint minatures for every PC between sessions, but that's because I'm both a good and fast painter.

The second session would be the same as any other one-off, save for a camera facing the GM.

I would encourage your filmmaker to interview you and any players you trust to give a good account of themselves, too, and add that to the final cut.

 

[Zappo]

It depends on the purpose and context. Are they going to film us for a documentary on roleplaying? For a RPG-related commercial? I think that's OK.

Is it for a documentary on geeks? For a mockery or parody? Hell no.