The Gathering is the Magic

About the film:

The Gathering is the Magic is a feature length documentary about the people who play the collectable card game, Magic: the Gathering, and the community they have built around the game. This film investigates the community of players from their local game stores to giant conventions. 

Through the stories of four very different members of this community you will see why these people love this game, why it is important to them, and see how the obstacles they face in their lives have been overcome with the help of the community of players that they are a part of. The community of Magic players is more than just a bunch of nerds slinging card board in hole in the wall game shops, it is a family that takes care of its own.

What we need to finish the film:

I've been trying to make this film on a shoestring budget, which means other than my wonderful Director of Photography Rebecca Flores and her trusty human Swiss army knife, Daniel McGowan, I've been doing everything else on my own to keep costs down. 

Now I've got a cut of the film I really like, but there are some things I just can't do on my own. Things like color correction, sound design, music, the sound mix and the final output are all very costly steps, and I need a little help to get there. Please, help me finish this film! 

Why we made the film:

I started playing Magic when I was 14 years old way back in the Dark ages (seriously the Dark was on sale back then) and right from the first pack I was hooked. I wasn't the most outgoing of teenagers and had trouble making friends. When I went to my first LGS I was so comfortable being around so many folks who were into the same stuff I was. 

The MTG community felt like this friendly warm blanket, and I felt safe and at home as soon as I walked in the door. I later became a filmmaker and have always wanted to make a film about MTG. Once I started making it, I realized that this film wasn't going to be about the game, it was about the people who play it, and this amazing community of players that made the game fun. 

Exploring the post pandemic state of the community has been amazing. It has grown and changed so much in over 30 years I've been playing. Please help me finish this passion project. We are so close, but I need a bit of a push to get the last few steps complete.

Rewards include these 4 play mats painted by some of the best illustrators in MTG Schmandrewart, Phil Stone, Aaron Miller, and Magic: The Gathering comics alum Jacques Solomon! Plus DVDs, BluRays, as well as private screenings or a credit in the film!

Meet the Crew

Rebecca Flores

Rebecca Flores is a cinematographer, filmmaker, and professional photographer based in Texas. She served as Director of Cinematography on the documentary exploring the world of Magic: The Gathering, crafting a cinematic visual approach to the film’s interviews, gameplay, and the passionate community surrounding the iconic game. Flores studied in the graduate film program at the University of Southern California and brings that storytelling foundation to both her film and photographic work. In addition to her production work, she is the founder and director of Neighborhood Media Arts, a school dedicated to teaching photography and filmmaking through workshops, mentorship, and hands-on creative exploration.

Daniel McGowan

Daniel McGowan is a filmmaker, lighting specialist, and professional photographer based in Texas. On the documentary about the Magic: The Gathering card game, he served as Second Camera and Gaffer, contributing both visual storytelling and lighting design to shape the film’s look and atmosphere. McGowan frequently collaborates on documentary and visual storytelling projects and brings a thoughtful, technically skilled approach to both camera and lighting. He is also the co-director of Neighborhood Media Arts, where he helps lead photography and filmmaking education programs focused on developing creative voice and technical mastery.

Meet the Cast

Taalia Vess is a twitch streamer, and content creator that has exploded onto the MTG community in the past few years. She has served an a brand abasador for Magic: The Gathering and appeared on the biggest MTG commander shows and has made waves with her cosplay at several of the biggest conventions.

Bobbie-Christine Brewer is a trans woman from Dallas, TX. After tranisitioning Bobbie-Chrsitine recconected with MTG and began streaming on twitch and creating content for youtube and other platforms. She is one of the founders of Birds of Paradise an organization with goals to make more MTG spaces and conventions feel more inviting to females and other gender identities. 

Andrew Thompson aka SchmandrewArt is an artist and illustrator. Andrew's lifelong dream has been to illustrate a Magic: The Gathering card, and today he is one of the most up-and-coming artists in the MTG Pantheon of illustrators. He is known for his flashy colors and kinetic style, which has garnered him the nickname the "Color Goblin"

John Carter is a lead event designer and head judge for MTG tournaments. He is a member of the MTG Hall of Fame and has judged and organized the biggest ever Magic events in history. He cares for every player at his events and goes the extra mile so that everyone can enjoy Magic.

Additional Interviewees:

Stretch goals!

Stretch goal #2

We are inside the final 48 hours y'all! Thanks so much to everyone. If you are getting this update I'm eternally grateful to you. As a show of thanks I want to include a new stretch goal, if we can get to 30K I will include this beautiful bonus playmat to every contributor who has pledged over $100! So please get on social media, tell a buddy, or up your contibution and get this sweet dragon playmat by Phil Stone for your collection!

Stretch goal #1

Thank you so much, everyone, for your support so far. Now that we have the funds to finish the post lets think bigger! There are several things I want to do to make the film even better. First off, I'd like to do a series of reenactments so we can have some B-roll that illustrates some of the wonderful stories we have heard during the interviews we have filmed. 

If we can get to $35,000, I will throw in a signed copy of my new comic, Empiria, to any backer who has put in $30.00 or more!

Empiria Synopsis:

In the kingdom of Empiria, modern times have come. Happily ever after is over, but this storybook is just beginning. Now, anyone can have the power of a wizard by using magic crystals. They can power a magic mirror to talk with a friend across the kingdom, tune into your favorite show, or power a magic broom. Princess Mae didn’t spend her entire life studying magic just to be a shill for her father’s crystal business. He gets rich off his people while doing nothing to make their lives better. She made the sacrifice to have real power so she could protect her people, not exploit them. In Dragon City, Randy, a punk rock unicorn, is just trying to take the subway home. There it is. That look. He hates that look. These old timer unicorns were born before the Reformation. They must have had their horns taken by dragons. When they were young, by the look of it. Now they view the youngest generation with both pride and envy. The crops are failing, the cows are skinny, and jobs are scarce. Justin lost his job at the dairy a few months ago. That doesn’t stop his elf neighbor from stopping by every night to drink his beer. Watch his mirror. Burn through his crystals. Then Petra shows up at Justin’s favorite bar. After a brazen kidnapping of Mae's brother at his own birthday party, the princess and her guard dog Dingo race to discover the truth behind her brother's disappearance. Randy hunts down the frogs who took his horn, but discovers an even more heinous crime is being committed. While Justin leads a band of zealots to take over the Capitol.
 

International shipping on all physical items has been enabled!

Please note that shipping costs are NOT included in your pledge and you will pay actual shipping during the post-campaign survey phase. The fulfillment company is based in Portland, Oregon USA, so shipping will vary depending on weight, size, and in the case of international orders, region. 

Please note: We now offer shipping rates for nearly every country that we are able to ship to.  

DVDs and Blu-rays are generally 1/2lbs, while all 4 playmats plus a DVD is 2lbs 6oz. Estimated weight for each reward tier (these numbers could be higher depending on additional items added to an order):

• tier 2&3 -  Up to 2lbs
• tiers 4-7 - Up to 2lbs
• tier  8-10 - Up to 3lbs

Backers are responsible for any VAT, import duties, taxes or other fees and are not included in shipping. We recommend inquiring with your country's customs office to determine whether there will be additional fees.

The shipping table featured above contains preliminary ESTIMATES. Issues with the USPS can impact issues with the Royal Mail, Canadian Mail, and so on, as can the constantly changing rules in the EU and tariffs in the United States.

These countries and regions are currently embargoed by the US and we cannot ship to them: 

• Belarus
• Cuba
• Iran
• North Korea
• Russia
• Sudan
• Syria
• The Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.