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"Geekopolis" series exposes geek as the new chic
Posted by Kenton Smith, SCENE Writer | Tuesday March 12, 2013
JimCon participant Kelsie Scott (L) and filmmaker Quinn Greene. (Quinn Greene)
Being swarmed by hordes of the walking dead may have signaled doom in the eyes of another man.
For local filmmaker Quinn Greene, however, having the gored-up participants in Winnipeg's annual Zombie Walk hungrily clamber to get on-camera was an ideal moment for his new series, Geekopolis.
But what exactly qualifies someone as a geek? "Geekdom is about taking an interest to an extreme level," Greene explains. "People who are into cars can be geeks."
That being said, Greene is particularly pleased that an entire episode was devoted to the classic role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Enthusiasts of the similarly spirited Warhammer are also featured.
But Greene also turns his lens on devotees of paintball and radio-controlled enthusiasts.
And it wasn't always easy trying to infiltrate the various parallel dimensions of local geekdom. When establishing contact with various subculture communities, one representative member told Greene: "I know there are some guys who won't want to be on camera at all."
"For many, their pursuits amount to total escapism," Greene explains. "It can be a really important facet of their lives.
"They go to gatherings like conventions to connect with people with similar interests. It's a way to get away what often are, it's true, social and even physical personal obstacles."
He also discovered that many wear their geekery as a badge of honour.
"The Warhammer dudes weren't extremely introverted like the stereotype holds," Greene notes. The featured LARP-ing (live action role play) group was game right away, which surprised Greene, given that they can be "the geeks other geeks make fun of."
Upending unfortunate stereotypes is thus another major theme of the show. And when one considers that an ongoing DnD improv series has become an annual hit at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, it may indeed be the case that "geek is the new chic."
Geekopolis premieres at the Park Theatre at 7 pm on March 12. The series will air as part of Stories From Home on MTS Video on Demand.
For local filmmaker Quinn Greene, however, having the gored-up participants in Winnipeg's annual Zombie Walk hungrily clamber to get on-camera was an ideal moment for his new series, Geekopolis.
But what exactly qualifies someone as a geek? "Geekdom is about taking an interest to an extreme level," Greene explains. "People who are into cars can be geeks."
Lee White performs in DnD Improv (Quinn Greene)
That being said, Greene is particularly pleased that an entire episode was devoted to the classic role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Enthusiasts of the similarly spirited Warhammer are also featured.
But Greene also turns his lens on devotees of paintball and radio-controlled enthusiasts.
And it wasn't always easy trying to infiltrate the various parallel dimensions of local geekdom. When establishing contact with various subculture communities, one representative member told Greene: "I know there are some guys who won't want to be on camera at all."
"For many, their pursuits amount to total escapism," Greene explains. "It can be a really important facet of their lives.
"They go to gatherings like conventions to connect with people with similar interests. It's a way to get away what often are, it's true, social and even physical personal obstacles."
He also discovered that many wear their geekery as a badge of honour.
"The Warhammer dudes weren't extremely introverted like the stereotype holds," Greene notes. The featured LARP-ing (live action role play) group was game right away, which surprised Greene, given that they can be "the geeks other geeks make fun of."
Upending unfortunate stereotypes is thus another major theme of the show. And when one considers that an ongoing DnD improv series has become an annual hit at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, it may indeed be the case that "geek is the new chic."
Geekopolis premieres at the Park Theatre at 7 pm on March 12. The series will air as part of Stories From Home on MTS Video on Demand.
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