Beta Test (film)

Last updated

Beta Test
Beta Test theatrical release poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNicholas Gyeney
Written byNicholas Gyeney
Andre Kirkman [1]
Produced byNicholas Gyeney
Andre Kirkman [1]
Starring Larenz Tate
Manu Bennett
Linden Ashby
Kevon Stover
Yuji Okumoto
CinematographyMichael Boydstun
Edited byJay Somsen
Music by Julien-K
Production
company
Mirror Images LTD
Release date
  • July 22, 2016 (2016-07-22)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget< $2 million [2]
Box office$10,104 [3]

Beta Test is a 2016 American science fiction action-thriller film written, produced, and directed by Nicholas Gyeney. Gyeney described the film as a cross between Die Hard , Gamer , and The Firm . [4] The film stars Larenz Tate, Manu Bennett, Linden Ashby, and Yuji Okumoto. The film was released on July 22, 2016. [5]

Contents

Plot

Opening scene a man was enjoying himself with his girlfriend, when all of a sudden some gang of men came and took them away

Cast

Production

Development

Gyeney started developing Beta Test in the summer of 2014. [6] [ permanent dead link ]

Gyeney provided information on the film stating "this film has 127 scenes and with [my] Type-A personality, I have a very specific vision." [2]

Casting

Gyeney stated, "I'm not Steven Spielberg", while indicating that there would be no auditions or screen tests for the film. Scripts were sent out to actors whom Gyeney was familiar with, and those of whom liked the script with interest of being in the film were cast. [2]

Larenz Tate was cast as the protagonist, Max. Manu Bennett as the hero video game character, Orson Creed. And, Linden Ashby as Kincaid, the primary villain of the film. [7]

Filming

Principal photography was conducted in Seattle, Washington. [7] It took place over 19 days [2] starting November 7. 2014 [6] and finishing on November 26, 2014. [8]

Seattle was chosen as the place to shoot the film because it is Gyeney's hometown and he believed "shooting such a movie in the Northwest will diversify the local film community, which is mostly dominated by indie dramas. It could lead to an entire wave of action-oriented material being shot here, which would bring tons of work to local stunt teams and stuff that is totally nonexistent right now." [7]

Gyeney stated, "the longest long-take fight sequence currently on record is three-and-a-half minutes, and it's held by the Korean movie 'Oldboy.' Our goal is to destroy that record." [7] [9] [ better source needed ]

Animation

Video game footage was needed to be developed for the film after principal photography was completed. It began in December 2014 starting with the character, Creed. [10] [ better source needed ]

Release

The film was released on July 22, 2016. In their review for The Hollywood Reporter , Frank Scheck praised the film for being "impressively choreographed and filmed", though criticized the film for choosing technology over realism, as well as exploiting real life tragedies such as 9/11. He also criticized the "outdated visual style" of the graphics, which would be noticed by hardcore gamers, whom this film is targeted towards. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Citizen Kane</i> 1941 drama film by Orson Welles

Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film directed by, produced by, and starring Orson Welles. Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay. The picture was Welles's first feature film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Macchio</span> American actor (born 1961)

Ralph George Macchio Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in four Karate Kid films, as well as in Cobra Kai (2018–present), a sequel television series on YouTube Premium and Netflix. Macchio also played Johnny Cade in The Outsiders (1983), Jeremy Andretti in the television series Eight Is Enough, William Gambini in My Cousin Vinny (1992), Eugene Martone in Crossroads (1986), and Archie Rodriguez in the television series Ugly Betty. He also had a recurring role as Officer Haddix in the television series The Deuce.

Larenz Tate is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as O-Dog in Menace II Society, Anthony Curtis in Dead Presidents, and as Councilman Rashad Tate in Power. Tate's other films and television series include the films The Inkwell, Love Jones, A Man Apart, Crash, Waist Deep, Ray and the television series Rush and Game of Silence.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (1995 film) 1995 film by Paul W. S. Anderson

Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American martial arts fantasy film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. Based on the video game franchise of the same name, it is the first installment in the Mortal Kombat film series. Starring Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Robin Shou, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto, and Christopher Lambert, the film follows a group of heroes who participate in the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament to protect Earth from being conquered by malevolent forces. Its story primarily adapts the original 1992 game, while also using elements from the game Mortal Kombat II (1993).

<i>Enders Game</i> (film) 2013 American military science-fiction action film by Gavin Hood

Ender's Game is a 2013 American military science-fiction action film based on Orson Scott Card's 1985 novel of the same name. Written and directed by Gavin Hood, the film stars Asa Butterfield as Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, a gifted child sent to an advanced military academy in space to prepare for a future alien invasion. The supporting cast includes Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis, Abigail Breslin, and Ben Kingsley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael B. Jordan</span> American actor (born 1987)

Michael Bakari Jordan II is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his film roles as shooting victim Oscar Grant in the drama Fruitvale Station (2013), boxer Adonis Creed in Creed (2015), and Erik Killmonger in Black Panther (2018), all of which were written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Jordan reprised his role of Creed in Creed II (2018) and Creed III (2023); the latter also marked his directorial debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linden Ashby</span> American actor (born 1960)

Clarence Linden Garnett Ashby III is an American actor. On television, he portrayed Brett Cooper on the final two seasons of the Fox soap opera Melrose Place (1997–1999) and Sheriff Noah Stilinski on all six seasons of the MTV supernatural drama Teen Wolf (2011–2017). He is also known for portraying Johnny Cage in the 1995 film Mortal Kombat, an adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lance Gross</span> American actor

Lance Darnell Gross is an American actor and model. He is known for his role as Calvin Payne on the TBS/BET sitcom Tyler Perry's House of Payne, for which he won four NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manu Bennett</span> Australian-New Zealand actor (born 1969)

Jonathan Manu Bennett is an Australian-New Zealand actor. He is primarily known for portraying characters in epic fantasy works, such as Crixus in the TV series Spartacus, Allanon in The Shannara Chronicles, Slade Wilson / Deathstroke in Arrow, and Azog the Defiler in The Hobbit trilogy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skype Qik</span> Video messaging service from Skype

Skype Qik was a video messaging service by Skype. It was created by the company, Skype Technologies, who acquired Qik. The service, offered for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices, allowed users to exchange video messages between individuals or within a group.

<i>Assassins Creed</i> Video game series

Assassin's Creed is a historical action-adventure video game series and media franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patrice Désilets, Jade Raymond, and Corey May, the Assassin's Creed video game series depicts a fictional millennia-old struggle between the Order of Assassins, who fight for peace and free will, and the Knights Templar, who desire peace through order and control. The series features historical fiction, science fiction, and fictional characters intertwined with real-world historical events and historical figures. In most games, players control a historical Assassin while also playing as an Assassin Initiate or someone caught in the Assassin–Templar conflict in the present-day framing story. Considered a spiritual successor to the Prince of Persia series, Assassin's Creed took inspiration from the novel Alamut by the Slovenian writer Vladimir Bartol, based on the historical Hashashin sect of the medieval Iran (Persia).

<i>Assassins Creed: Brotherhood</i> 2010 video game

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the third major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, and the second chapter in the "Ezio Trilogy", as a direct sequel to 2009's Assassin's Creed II. The game was first released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November and December 2010 and was later made available on Microsoft Windows in March and June 2011. A remastered version of Brotherhood, along with Assassins's Creed II and its sequel, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, was released as part of The Ezio Collection compilation for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 15, 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch on February 17, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desura</span> Digital distribution platform

Desura was a digital distribution platform for the Microsoft Windows, Linux and OS X platforms. The service distributed games and related media online, with a primary focus on small independent game developers rather than larger companies. Desura contained automated game updates, community features, and developer resources. The client allowed users to create and distribute game mods as well.

Kixeye is a video game company founded in July 2007 and headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The company creates, develops and publishes massively multiplayer online real-time strategy games (MMORTS) for PC and mobile devices. Kixeye gained popularity as a pioneer in midcore action games featuring real-time combat on the social networking website Facebook. Following their initial launch, Kixeye's games generated twenty times more revenue per daily active user than other social games, retaining active users five times longer on average.

<i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> DreamWorks Animation media franchise

How to Train Your Dragon is an American media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the eponymous book series of the same name by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: How to Train Your Dragon (2010), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). The franchise also contains five short films: Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon (2010), Book of Dragons (2011), Gift of the Night Fury (2011), Dawn of the Dragon Racers (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019). A live-action remake of the first film is scheduled for release by Universal Pictures in June 2025.

<i>Teen Wolf</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of Teen Wolf, an American supernatural drama created by Jeff Davis, premiered on June 23, 2014. The series was renewed for a fourth season of 12 episodes on October 12, 2013.

<i>Assassins Creed</i> (film) 2016 film by Justin Kurzel

Assassin's Creed is a 2016 historical science fiction action film based on the video game franchise published by Ubisoft. The film is directed by Justin Kurzel, written by Michael Lesslie, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage, and stars Michael Fassbender, as well as Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling and Michael K. Williams. The film is set in the same universe as the video games but features an original story that expands the series' mythology. The plot revolves around Callum "Cal" Lynch (Fassbender), who is abducted by the Abstergo Foundation because of his heritage. Cal's ancestor, Aguilar de Nerha, was a member of the Assassin Brotherhood—a fictional organization inspired by the real-life Order of Assassins—active during the Spanish Inquisition in the late 15th-century, who swore to protect the Apple of Eden, an artifact believed to contain the key to humanity's free will. Cal must accept his Assassin heritage and stop Abstergo, the Templar Order of the modern-day, from finding the Apple and using it to enslave humanity.

<i>Passengers</i> (2016 film) American science-fiction film

Passengers is a 2016 American science-fiction romantic film directed by Morten Tyldum, written by Jon Spaihts and starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. The supporting cast features Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, and Andy García. The film follows two passengers on an interstellar spacecraft carrying thousands of people to a colony 120-years-traveling-distance from Earth, when the two are awakened 90 years early from their induced hibernation.

<i>Girls Trip</i> 2017 American film by Malcolm D. Lee

Girls Trip is a 2017 American comedy film starring Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah. The film is directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, from a story by the pair and Erica Rivinoja, who based the script off their own experiences with their female friends. The film follows a group of four friends who go to New Orleans to attend the Essence Music Festival in order to reconnect after a long time.

<i>Bronzeville</i> (podcast) Historical fiction podcast

Bronzeville is a historical fiction podcast written by Josh Olson. Set in the eponymous district of Chicago in the 1940s, it mainly follows the members of two families, the Randolphs and the Copelands.

References

  1. 1 2 "Beta Test". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Courtney Riffkin (December 14, 2014). "Northwest Wanderings. Behind the scenes of "Beta Test"". seattletimes.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  3. "Beta Test (2016)". Box Office Mojo .
  4. "Movie Review – Beta Test (2015)". Flickering Myth. July 23, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  5. Murthi, Vikram (June 15, 2016). "'Beta Test' Exclusive Trailer: 'Arrow's' Manu Bennett Stars As a Man Controlled By A Video Game". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Nicholas Gyeney (November 4, 2014). "I guess it's about time I let you all know what we've been up to ..." Facebook . Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Quinn Russel (November 7, 2014). "Mill Creek filmmaker returns home to create his craft". The Herald Business Journal . Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  8. Nicholas Gyeney (November 26, 2014). "That's a wrap on #BetaTest!". Facebook . Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  9. Nicholas Gyeney (December 8, 2014). "A little peek at the "long take". A monumental moment for me, filming what is currently the longest single shot choreographed fight sequence ever". Facebook . Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  10. Nicholas Gyeney (December 2, 2014). "Hanging with the animation team for Beta Test, creating the video game footage for the film..." Facebook . Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  11. "'Beta Test': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. July 25, 2016. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2018.