KICKSTART THIS

Kickstart This: Vidgame Doc 'Man vs Snake' on 1st Billion Point Score

by Ben Pearson
August 24, 2013

Welcome back to another edition of Kickstart This, FirstShowing's weekly column dedicated to spreading the word about cool and interesting crowdfunded projects that need your help to become a reality. Today, we're heading back into the world of documentaries and shining a light on Man vs. Snake: The Long and Twisted Tale of Nibbler. It tells the story of the video game called Nibbler, the first billion-point video game score, and the man who remarkably reached that milestone who's named Tim McVey (no, not that one). Take a look at the pitch below, leave us a comment with your thoughts, and don't forget to donate.

Though this documentary shares some obvious similarities to Seth Gordon's terrific The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (including an appearance by one of that film's subjects, Billy Mitchell), this one isn't just a faceoff between two middle-aged gamers to capture (and recapture) the world record for Nibbler - which is essentially Snake, that game we all used to play on cell phones and calculators about ten years ago. There's a third player in the mix, and he's intense: he wears masks, has dreadlocks, and swears constantly. Things get pretty heated. These guys have to play for over forty continuous hours to achieve the record.

Filmmakers Andrew Seklir & Tim Kinzy are leading the charge here, and these guys discovered Nibbler while killing time between editing sessions on "Battlestar Galactica" on the Universal Studios lot. When they discovered someone had actually scored a billion points, they knew they'd found an idea for a documentary. If they can raise the funds they're looking for, they'll be able to incorporate some stop-motion animation into the movie and recreate some of the most memorable moments in this story's history.

In addition to all of that, they also have an awesome movie poster created by animation legend Don Bluth (Pete's Dragon, Robin Hood, The Rescuers), and they're giving away original artwork from the man as part of their rewards. If you're a diehard "Battlestar" fan and you have an extra $2,000 laying around, you can also eat dinner with Edward James Olmos as one of the higher tier rewards. Check out their pitch video:

For more information on Andrew Seklir & Tim Kinzy's Man vs. Snake: The Long and Twisted Tale of Nibbler, and to help support the project, visit its Kickstarter page. The filmmakers are hoping to raise a total of $53,470 by Saturday, September 21st, and they need your help to complete this documentary. If you'd like to support this detailed look at a milestone in video gaming, please donate and spread the word about this project on Facebook, Twitter, and anywhere else you can.

That's all for this week's edition of Kickstart This. E-mail me at BenPears85@gmail.com if you find a cool film-related project that needs some extra attention to meet its goal. My inbox is always open, and if you send in any Kickstarter or IndieGoGo film project, I can't promise we'll feature it, but I will always at least take a look at it. Thanks for your continued suggestions, and as always, thanks so much for your support of these independent projects because they couldn't be completed without the help of film lovers like you. Feel free to browse our full archives and donate to any other projects we've featured that still need some help.

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