What are your thoughts on "The Surrounding Game: A Documentary Film"?
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/175 ... ntary-film

I am intrigued. I am really intrigued by the AGA Pro. system, too.

• I liked Cho Hunhyun's bit at the end.
• I like the opening eastern-esque music... also played at the end.
• To me, the trailer gives the impression that Go is complex, deep and difficult and played mostly by professionals.
• "It is so simple and yet so deep..." That's better.
• It feels more like an advertisement for the American pro. system than Go itself.
• "Two Americans will be selected" immediately excludes... everyone else.

Now, I understand that this is naught but a teaser but I'd say they need to bump up their act if they want people to back them and, if the finished documentary turns out to be more of the same, I won't be too disappointed to have missed it.

I will watch this space and wish the producers all the best.

(Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the producers and would comment on the Kickstarter page if Kickstarter provided a non-backer comment feed. I am not a backer.)

Looks good, I'll definitely back it. Like you say, it's quite a challenge to portray the right message about Go to so many different people. For instance, kids probably aren't so much concerned with the depth and computational complexity, they want something that is fun and played by other kids. Whereas for an older person, the depth and beauty of Go is more of a draw. I hope they get that right.

I am very impressed with what they have put together so far - and so fast - filming has all been quite recent.

I think it is clear that this documentary will be focused on the new pro system, perhaps because that type of "who will win" story may grab folks attention more than simply an introduction to the game. Hopefully, the new pro system will be a historic event, and having a documentary on the ground is exciting. So the focus of the documentary may not completly suit you.

I love the music and the Cho piece. That being said, this is very much a documentary for America, so I think the makers would be making a mistake to make it too "foriegn".

I agree that one of the biggest mistakes go promoters make with beginners is talking too much about how hard and complex it is. I too like the "It is so simple and yet so deep" quote

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My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle

I made a thread about our project in the announcements sub-forum, but I'm glad you found the kickstarter page separately! As for your concerns about the focus of the film, keep in mind that we made this trailer with not a very large amount of available footage. We'll be conducting plenty of interviews at Congress to get more quotes about how simple it is etc. Also, we haven't even started filming in asia yet, so obviously we couldn't use any of that footage in the trailer. We especially focused on the pro system because it seemed like something exciting that we could follow, but our main interest is exploring the world of go through that lens.

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"There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level." -- Bruce Lee

This got me really excited about the american pro idea. I am very interested in this documentary, if for nothing else, than to support go and hope it gets more westerners interested in the game.

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http://thecephalogue.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/TheCephalogue

They met their goal!

They met the $25,000 goal too, which honestly amazes me. That just speaks to the feasibility of crowd-powered funding, as well as people having an interest in promoting Go internationally. It is a little hazy to me exactly what the focus of the documentary is going to be, as it promises conflicting ideals - is it going to focus more on the game itself and it's history, the work of the AGA, or a mixture of the two? At any rate, looking forward to seeing what the team makes of it.
I also liked the segment of Cho Hunhyun. Saying humanity is essential to playing - or at least appreciating - Go is a very interesting point, especially in light of the hyper-competitive insei leagues and such. Hopefully the AGA's work in this will be a first step towards both opening Go to a wider audience and making it so players can make money from the game without having to be exclusively devoted to it from childhood.

The funny thing is, he never mentions humanity or his teacher in the video. What he actually says (roughly): I came to Japan to become a Meijin, but there was something I had to become before becoming a Meijin...End of Clip.

I wonder who did the subtitles for the video.

We are aware of this, we just chose the clip that best expressed that feeling of the full statement (he does go on to finish the thought in the interview).

As for the focus of the documentary, that's something that can't be fully determined until we finish filming. The pro test hasn't even happened yet!

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"There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level." -- Bruce Lee

I see. Nevertheless, I think that it is poor form for a documentary to create the false impression that those subtitles are the translation of the words that are spoken in that short clip, even if the subtitles translate the unedited clip. It's a matter of creating trust between the viewer and the filmmaker.

That said, I don't mean to knock your project. It seems like a lot of fun and, obviously, this is just a trailer and not the real thing. Hope you guys make a good film.

So how is the film coming along...?

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North Lecale

Last update said most of the team was going to China, and one member staying behind as a liaison.
They also posted a video with Chris Kirschner. It's backer only, though.

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a1h1 [1d]: You just need to curse the gods and defend.
Good Go = Shape.
Associação Portuguesa de Go

I am not affiliated with the project but the team of Will, Cole, Nik and Colin are currently in Beijing after making their way from Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu. They will spend a week here shooting and then will head to Korea.

I think their time in Chengdu was very successful, where they attended the opening banquet of the Ing Cup semi-finals and filmed the matches up close and personal. Also, they met many top pros and go icons there, including Park Jungwan and Nie Weiping. From my conversations with them, they are very motivated by what seems to be an ever-growing international audience for a film they initially intended to be for a general American market.

This week they are filming some competitive scholastic matches, interviewing the Editor in Chief of Weiqi Tiandi magazine, visiting the Zhongguo Qiyuan, and catching up on the amateur go scene in Beijing. When they move on to Korea, they are planning on extensive access to daily life in a top go school.