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Beta Test (film)

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For the 2021 film, see The Beta Test. For other uses, see Beta (disambiguation).

Beta Test
Theatrical release poster
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNicholas Gyeney
Written byNicholas Gyeney
Andre Kirkman[1]
Produced byNicholas Gyeney
Andre Kirkman[1]
StarringLarenz Tate
Manu Bennett
Linden Ashby
Kevon Stover
Yuji Okumoto
CinematographyMichael Boydstun
Edited byJay Somsen
Music byJulien-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]

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

  • Manu Bennett as Orson Creed
  • Larenz Tate as Max Troy
  • Linden Ashby as Andrew Kincaid
  • Kevon Stover as Zane
  • Yuji Okumoto as The Surgeon
  • Brandy Kopp as Tech Support
  • Sara Coates as Abbie Creed, Orson's wife.
  • Edward Michael Scott as The Professional
  • Edi Zanidache as The Runt
  • Bill Sorice as Interviewer
  • Stefan Hajek as Slackjaw
  • Adrien Gamache as Caleb Angelo
  • Mark Riccardi as The 2nd Professional
  • Angela DiMarco as Lillian Brandt
  • Angela Okumoto as Reporter

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]

References

  1. ^ a b "Beta Test". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d 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. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
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