Quote:
Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis
Given that, what I think this especially needs is a TIMELINE graphic. On the graphic, have large moments, UB creation, AP/UB merge, UIEGA, Black Friday, etc. Also have all the smaller moments, Potripper starts cheating, Potripper caught, Nionio suspected cheating, Refunds begin, Refunds end, Fosco releases new names etc etc. Then in the doc, you zoom into and out of this graphic when you are dealing with timeline jumps, and where everything fits together becomes clearer.This graphic could be shown 20/30 times at various points.
EG, you've heard from me separately from this thread, but this^^^ is a great suggestion, so much so that I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis
Another thing that would be handy is a KEY PLAYERS graphic, that you can also zoom into and out of with Russ, Nielson Leggett etc. and quick bullet points about their involvement that you can highlight as you discuss that point. Early on you have clips from Russ and Nielson that are interesting on second look, but when first watching I wasn't sure how important they were going to be because there's a lot of throwing names out there.
I assume you mean Pierson, not Nielsen.
Scott mentioned in his 2+2 PokerCast interview that this entire project was originally intended to be a book, not a film, and that it probably is still better suited to be a book. This is one of those examples -- in a book, it's easy to provide an appendix that lists all of the major players, who they are, and what their role is/was. If UltimateBeat had been a book, we would be able to reference a similar appendix throughout.
Anyway, another good suggestion although probably tougher to execute. The cast of characters is far more multidimensional than a timeline. I think I might have been the person who suggested adding photos to the transferees because I wanted to be able to match a face with a name (or SN) whenever it was mentioned.
By the way, I'm glad you gave it a second look, and I urge others to do the same. The first time I saw this film, I admit I felt pretty overwhelmed by the sheer amount of info contained in it and the long roster of characters to keep track of. Tuesday's release marked the fourth time I had seen it (although the first time in its current edit). I can honestly say it has gotten more enjoyable to watch each time because the names and faces become more familiar.
EG said in the interview something I wanted to say in this thread: UltimateBeat is more of a document than a documentary. It presents a case more than it tells a story. It makes for a challenging watch, particularly the first time through, but on balance I'm glad EG took the route he did. Had he made a glossy overview (what the
The Smartest Guys In The Room film was to the book), I probably would have felt cheated, so to speak. Plus, it would not have done justice to the tremendous amount of research Scott and his team have completed.
Finally, has Haley Hintze seen it? Curious to know what she thinks, one way or another.