Roshambo, The movie

[jebsenrab]

Hi all,

I'm a film student and recently made a short film that involves Rock, Paper, Scissors.

It's only 3 minutes long so check it out on youtube and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkKa0hzhOps

Thanks

[srn347]

Great movie, but I think it doesn't so much involve rps that much in the plot since after 5 ties they just flip a coin.

Welcome, seeker

srn347

[jebsenrab]

I didn't say it was strictly about Roshambo, but it does feature Roshambo being played (hence the term 'involves'). I get your point though.

Glad you liked it.

What do you mean by welcome seeker?

[martinburley]

That was a well-filmed piece, and it's always good to see RPS on screen in whatever role. The moral of the story for me is that coin-tossing is dangerous stuff. 

Actually, I have to say I rather like how this film portrays RPS. Although at first glance it seems to be equating it with coin-tossing, just a way to decide something 'by chance', in fact it is doing the opposite. Consider: if the main character always ties with 'the other him' when playing RPS, it must be because they are the same person so they think the same way, so their repeated stalemates support the argument that RPS choices are ultimately a matter of psychology, not chance. So, to determine whether his luck has changed, they have to resort to another method (coin-tossing) where chance really is the deciding factor.

[jebsenrab]

Dude! You got it. I couldn't have put it better myself. Glad you liked it!

[srn347]

welcome seeker is a formal greeting in the rps world. Rosh thinks it means give me all your money. I use it as my signature(in addition to my other signature).

Welcome, seeker

srn347

[Franklint]

I must say I agree with martinburley in many ways, and I too understood and liked the fact that the character tied against another version of him, and how this interlinked with the idea of psychology instead of luck being the main factor in the sport. I would very much play against another living, breathing incarnation of myself, as I imagine it would be similar to training against a mirror (which is a good method for experiencing Mirror Play). Namely, a whole lotta stalemates, despite knowing precisely what your opponent is going to come out with. Wouldn't it be odd knowing that the more you think about it, the more your opponent is thinking about it, to exactly the same level!?

WARNING: Spoilers below. Watch the video first if the ending being revealed bothers you.

This was a nicely done piece. The only (constructive, mind) criticism that I have is that I felt the words between the coin flip and the final scene & credits seemed severely out of place, and interrupted the flow as well as in some ways spoiling the meaning of the ending. I'm not entirely sure the best way to get around it, but maybe have them instead as a kind of epilogue or explanation at the end. So, the coin is flipped, the guy goes to shoot himself, it's out of ammo, he says "maybe my luck has changed", and then your words come on. Perhaps even get rid of them entirely. Remember, this is my view, and others will probably not agree. Just something to think about.

Great work!

Cheers,
Franklint

[rhymeswithsausage]

Very nice work!  You had some nice pacing and a clever concept.  And being the dork that I am, I really liked your end-credit sequence, too.

Thanks so much for sharing your video, and welcome to the world of World RPS.

[srn347]

Flipping a coin is an unfair game, as it has no ties so some side has a forced win(though it must be brutal to calculate it or something) whereas rps would be a draw with mutual perfect play. This video demonstrates this by showing how any fair game can go on forever, but any unfair game... well, is just unfair.

Welcome, seekers

srn347

[Jef Hallestone]

Count me as a fan of this work. Nicely executed, good length.

Even after the discussion I am not sure if sms747 gets it though.

I do agree that the supers at the end force feed the point, I personally prefer to discover the point myself and not have it spoon fed.

[jebsenrab]

Thanks a bundle for all the positive feedback. It's much appreciated.

Glad you liked the credits rhymeswithsausage. I went through three different versions before coming up with that.

I fully understand the problem some of you seem to have with the text near the end of the film. I debated for quite a while with friends on weather or not to include this. Finally I decided to, my idea being that when the first part comes up people would believe it was the end of the film. That way the actual ending would be more surprising.

[srn347]

It's srn347, Jef. Bad enough people thought I was sm347 on that other board *mumbles something about revenge* Anyway, I do get it.

Welcome, seekers

srn347

[R Cohrs]

jebsenrab,
   Thanks for posting your film.  Not the most cheery one I've seen, but I liked it for sure.  Soundtrack was very fitting, mood was dark but explained well enough to feel sympathy for the guy.  Like the others the RPS mirror match culminating in a coin flip spoke volumes about the difference in luck and skill.  The message to me was that the guy could've been really skilled in life but still screwed because of luck.  Great job, looking forward to more.

[yanis]

Great Short.