Visual Effects

The issue I'm having with the documentary is making it interesting to everyone. I watch all the poker programmes on TV and really enjoy them. I did however notice that my girlfriend and friends do not have the same enthusiasm as me, they did like the really exciting big pots where hundreds of thousands of dollars are won and lost but when they start explaining pot odds and the value of raising or three betting in certain spots or using position to their advantage this is all totally lost on them and frankly bores them because they don't play poker. I want to have these aspects in the documentary but make them more interesting and maybe explain it differently.

The plan is to try and incorporate this aspects of the game in a visual representation. I will try and put some examples up of what I intend to do but the best way to describe it is how on screen maths problems are sometimes shown as a visual representation maybe in text form in front of the person which meant to be a representation of what they see. An example of this the television programme 'Lie To Me' which when someone is lying is often highlighted by a line and text explaining its meaning.

I may have cards coming up in front of the opponent as if I'm seeing a selection of cards I think he could have and why. In a similar fashion show the money in the pot and my odds/percentages as to why I'm folding or betting.

Documentary Drama Part 2

To unforeseen circumstances this project is becoming more and more of a docu-drama, where by interviews will be accompanied by the scenes being acted out. For example Kevin MacDonald's 'Touching the Void' (2003) about two climbers who get into difficulty is visually shown as the two climbers are interviewed about the event. The gambler who was meant to be in the documentary now refuses to be on camera but will allow me to use his stories and although I probably could persuade him he is very difficult and the last few times we met he was totally intoxicated which can sometimes be good for extracted information he was the total opposite and quite aggressive. I quickly running out of time so I'm using an actor to play the gambler and he will do the interviews and re-enacted the scenes. 

The big finale to the documentary was a live heads up match with me playing a successful poker player. It was to be filmed so that cameras saw our cards a bit like a televised poker event. However the player has now decided he does not want to be filmed because it might give away aspects of his game and how he plays. The compromise is that we will play the game which is a £50 freezeout with a minimum of 5 games meaning a £250 starting bankroll is required. I will then re-enact  the scenes with an actor, the poker player is allowing me to use real hands from the game and he will talk to me about why he played a certain way but the audience will never know who he really is. 

The positive of this I can control how the footage looks as I'm using an actor it will be kept honest so if I lose in the real match then I'll lose in the re-enacted game. This does not mean that I can't add a bit of suspense and make it more appealing to the audience. I'm thinking of filming this in the old hall at High Melton using one of the grand looking rooms upstairs, I'm going to give the illusion of a kind of television set up, so the players getting microphones put on them and cameras checking their position. I going to imitate poker programmes on television giving a familiarity to the documentary.

Documentary Drama

After a relentless battle to get hold of the gambler who was to take part in the documentary and get a more detailed interview from him I have had to admit defeat.  I managed to track him down last week as he stopped in Doncaster on his way to London. Only to find him totally inebriated and I mean so drunk he did not recognise me and forgot about the meeting. I had to put him on his train in which he got back of to find out where I was going and then became aggressive and verbally abusive, I left and there has been no further contact. I have left him message saying I'm going to use an actor in his place. He has signed a contract allowing me to use events from his life. I'll change the name and maybe mould the character around the actor. I would have preferred to use the gambler in interviews and then use and actor to play his life.

The documentary may go more in the direction of a docu-drama, the reason is if the gambler becomes a set up then why not all of it. As long as the elements it will give me more scope to make the documentary  interesting.

I may add a live heads up game at the end of the documentary as a build up and I think a live game will be more exciting to watch. I would prefer to set up the situations as I have the choice of the hands that are played. I will be playing a live game over Skype and depending the outcome will be my outcome in the live game. I no this is kind of cheating but I want to really give the exciting parts of poker, if there is such a thing anyone can get a string of good hands and win a heads up game so by setting up and having control of camera shots, the hands played I can build the tension to make it more interesting.