SXSW Preview: Reformat The Planet Trailer

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on February 8, 2008

It is time to continue to rock and roll as we work our way toward the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 7. We will be there in full force from March 7-16 in sunny Austin, Texas, taking in the sun, the dry heat and plenty of delicious Texas BBQ. We also intend to take in a few films while we are there. There will be big ones like Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and 21, but there will also be some little surprises along the way.

One film that I am looking to possibly add to my “surprises” list is Reformat the Planet, a documentary about the underground movement known as chiptunes. For those not familiar with chiptunes (which is probably all or most of you), it is a vibrant underground community of people who create new, original music with the use of old video game hardware. Using old school units like the Nintendo Game Boy and the NES, these artists create hypnotic beats that keep the dance floor’s full. It is a concept that reminds me of docs like Air Guitar Nation or The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters — it’s silly, but you feel obligated to take it seriously.

Check out the film’s trailer below and learn more at its official website.

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