Behind the Scenes on the Set of NOOBZ

*NO SPOILERS*

This past week, Pop Culture Geek was lucky enough to get invited to the set of a new movie currently in production called Noobz. Noobz is a geeky “Buddy Quest” epic that follows four video game players as they travel across the country, taking part in a high stakes Gears of War 3 tournament, culminating in the Cyber Bowl where they hope to take the top prize. This modestly budgeted film ($1-2 million) stars and is directed by Blake Freeman (Gawd Bless America) along with a number of notable faces, Jason Mewes (Clerks, Mallrats), Jon Gries (Napoleon Dynamite, Lost), and Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers).

I got to sit down with Mr Van Dien for a few moments and ask him what his role was in the film and how he became a part of the production. He was notably tight-lipped about his role and his relationship to the main characters, but he did reveal that he plays himself, or at least an “asshole” version of himself, in the film. We both found it funny that despite the considerable number of assholes to be found on Hollywood, that his friend Blake would choose him to take the role. Regardless, he’s thrilled to be a part of the film. So much so that he spent most of the day just hanging out with the cast and crew, even when he didn’t have scenes to shoot. I pretty much did the same. Instead of trying to sneak an interview with various cast members between shots, I kicked back and watched the process unfold as they filmed the final scenes of the movie.

One thing I found very cool was the addition of Zelda Williams to the cast. Zelda, daughter of actor/comedian Robin Williams, plays the leader of the Pixies, a rival all-girl team of gamers that our heroes must face off against, despite the potential romance brewing between her and a member of team “Riegn” (if you go by their sadly misspelled t-shirts). When I saw that she was starring in the film, I realized that she is probably the first person in Hollywood who may have had an edge during casting due to her first name rather than her last name. Besides, if you’re going to make a movie about video games for devoted gaming fans, it doesn’t hurt to have someone named after one of the greatest video game franchises of all time as part of your cast.

From what I’ve seen, this movie fits nicely among other classic “Buddy Quest” films, not unlike the Star Wars geek-out Fanboys. Co-writer Martin Willson made it clear that, like Fanboys, which lovingly but honestly poked fun at the classic tropes of Star Wars fandom, this movie is made out of a love of gaming and the gaming community that they’ve been a part of for years. They’re not out to mock or put down the gamers, but they do poke fun in a way that fans of online games, including Gears of War 3 and shooters like it, should find very familiar and funny.

Here’s a peek at some of what went on during the Noobz shoot:

              

Check out more pictures from the set here.

Look for Noobz on a screen near you in April 2012.