Attack of the Doc is a documentary looking to explore what happened to the popular nerd/geek television network, G4TV, and some of its most popular shows like, Attack of the Show. This network and its programming became the voice for a generation. It helped nerds and geeks feel like they weren’t alone and it is ok to be who they are. This all came before it was cool to be a collector, before YouTube and streaming. Actually, G4TV influenced so many out there to start creating their own content and find their own audiences. It allowed so many to find their voice, be themselves and actually be able to make a living off of that. (Which is so cool!)
This is why the director and creator of Attack of the Doc, Chris Gore, decided it was time to get back in touch with the fans and launch a Kickstarter campaign last year. Unfortunately, that one did not succeed but Chris didn’t give up. He retooled and relaunched the campaign recently. This seems to have worked and he was able to find more than enough fans so far that the Kickstarter funded within 2 weeks of launching and now they’re on to their second stretch goal in the last few days left before the campaign ends.
I had a chance to sit down with Chris and find out what happened with the first campaign, why he felt compelled to relaunch it and what the overall plan is to create such a niche documentary.
Entertainment Earth: Tell us about this newly launched Kickstarter and why you decided to relaunch it?
Chris Gore: Well, I think the way to have a successful Kickstarter is to first do one that is unsuccessful. Truthfully, if you do one that fails, you have the opportunity to identify exactly what made it fail to plan better the next time. I learned that summer is the worst time to launch a crowdfunding campaign.
I actually never stopped working on the project, I just did things that didn’t cost money like organize and log footage and media onto hard drives. We actually started shooting at San Diego Comic-Con in July and, if we reach our stretch goals, we plan to do our first screening of Attack of the Doc to backers at SDCC in July 2020. We’ll use that feedback to make final edits and then determine exactly how to release the film.
EE: What spawned this project in the first place?
CG: Well, the project came about when I was working on a completely separate documentary which also involved logging footage. I kept running across photos and footage that I shot while I worked on Attack of the Show. And some of it was shot on an old Moto Q! Does anyone even remember that camera? Even though the show is from our recent past, what struck me was how different that time period was. We were collectively excited about new technology, video games, movies, and comics and if someone didn’t like the same things you did, you didn’t consider unfriending that person. I think social media has fractured fandom and the Attack of the Show community was the last time I remember feeling part of a group that enjoyed things together. While the film will lean into the nostalgia people have for the show, I’ll also explore how things have changed since then and how fandom has evolved.
EE: What is the bigger goal of this project?
CG: Well, I hope the documentary reminds people that we don’t have to all love the same things to be friends in the collective geek community. In a way, I hope the nerd tribe that was united in watching Attack of the Show reunites to continue the kinds of conversations we had back then. Which was not even that long ago!
EE: We saw you recently have gotten funded and the campaign ends November 12, 2019. That’s amazing… What’s the plan now?
CG: The initial funding goal was intended to get us enough of a budget to begin shooting in Los Angeles. Then our first stretch goal, which just got funded as well, will allow us to travel all over the US to get interviews with the cast and crew, not in LA and to produce a special edition Blu-ray release, which is what our backers asked for. In the last few days left of the campaign, we are focusing on our next stretch goals, which will include a screening at SDCC and money for a limited theatrical release. Ultimately though, we are striving to find as many fans as possible. What we are really after is getting at least 1,000 backers to unite the AOTS Army! With that many fans on our side, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.
EE: What do you miss most about working on G4TV and Attack of the Show?
CG: I miss so many of the people I worked with there. And I especially miss those conversations we had when we were not working. Kevin Pereira was the best person I ever worked with in television, he was constantly disrupting things to create truly organic moments. And I mean, every time I ran into Adam Sessler, we got into intense conversations about geek stuff – I’d want to chat with him about video games and he’d want to talk to me about movies. The same with Blair Butler, we’d talk comics and film constantly. I really wish we had recorded some of these conversations, it would have made for a great podcast. But that’s one of the unique things about the approach for this documentary. I’ll be interviewing each person for an hour or so, and we may only use a few minutes in the doc, but backers will be able to hear the interviews in their entirety.
The whole point of this is to make a documentary that the backers and fans participate in. So, before I interview someone, I’ll ask backers what questions they want me to ask. It’s going to be a crazy ride and I hope people choose to back the campaign to join us.
Thanks again for talking to me!
Don’t miss your chance to get in on the action and donate to the Attack of the Doc Kickstarter. The campaign closes on November 12, 2019!
You can get more updates from AttackoftheDoc.com and follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to keep updated on the status and also see some great AOTS Memories and exclusive footage already being shot for the documentary.