I appears the original D&D Documentary producers have split up, and the new film is by the producers who split off from the first and they are covering a lot of the same ground but from a different perspective.  Sounds like there was a difference in opinion and now another film is being made....the producers do reveal this in a section of the project description:

Risks and challenges
With any endeavor like this, there are setbacks and pitfalls. In fact, we know this first-hand.

Some of you may know James and myself from a different D&D documentary project that was started on Kickstarter a couple of years ago. As projects like this go and part of the nature of filmmaking, there were creative differences that opened our eyes to another perspective of the story and ultimately led to our new direction and separation from the previous project.

We started from scratch, raising private funds and some of our own to get us to this point. We knew there was an amazing story to tell. And like any complicated story, there will always be room for different interpretations.

So, to those who helped support the previous documentary, James and I would like to offer a digital, downloadable copy of THE GREAT KINGDOM for FREE. It's our small way of thanking you for your support and patience. All you need to do is email us (TheMostEpicGame@gmail.com) and there will be a copy waiting for you when the film is done.

And to those who are just tuning in, rest assured that we are now more more focused and excited to finish. We've learned from our mistakes and have great mentors to steer the way for us. We anticipate setbacks, that's just the nature of film-making. But we're confident that we can meet our goals and deadlines. And if we don't, you'll be the first to know why and our plan to fix it.

Our goal is to finish. We've worked too hard not to.

It's good they do reveal this to potential backers.  The trailer looked interesting and it was fun seeing some familar faces!

I thought the Zep music was perfect....anyone who played D&D in the 70s knows that Led Zepplin music was a touchpoint for nearly every group playing around the kitchen table....

Mike B.

after reading and re-reading through the two kickstarters and both companies website/blogs (unless I'm missing something on someone's fb posts, etc), I honestly think this was a bad move on the part of the two producers. I can completely see that they have production and editing chops and can put together a decent looking trailer, but I think this really raises many questions.

I realize there are creative differences in putting together any kind of film -- this literally happens all the time and is nothing new -- but I think that they should have figured out how to finish that first project with that crew with the funds they raised on it. When filmmakers go out and shoot documentaries, even though they have a plan, those plans change as more and more footage is shot. (again, nothing new) Projects that are not scripted are always like this. You never really know what you're going to get until you start interviewing. Most documentaries are made in the post process where the story is really cobbled together. I'd say the turnaround time from start to finish for a feature-length indie film is in the 3-6yr range. 1 1/2 to 2yrs, if the indie filmmaker(s) and crew are very disciplined.

Otherwise, if things truly were so abyssmal, some kind of notification needed to be made to all the backers on the first kickstarter film project, and I didn't see anything posted about this. So, it seems there was a major conflict of interest going on.

some quotes from the first Kickstarter

With almost 40 years of film making experience between the three of us, we know where to cut corners and shave time without ruining the integrity of the film. We're filling in where we need to and putting on different hats. With just the three of us, we have to. But now, we need your support to elevate this project to a new level. That means hiring a small crew and paying them slightly more than indentured servant wages.

That's where you come in. We need your support. It's an expensive project and yes, we are asking for a lot of money. But rest assured, transparency will be our focus and our mission. We will be updating our blog, sharing on our social media sites, sending out reports and making sure that every dollar we spend is accounted for. You will be with us the entire way, at every interview, during the edit and at the mastering. We will need your support making decisions, helping us spread the word and see us through the moments of despair.

First, they were a part of the group soliciting funds/claiming that they required $150k just to complete filming on the first project. Don't they have an obligation to fulfill that? As producers, were they tasked with keeping that production running and hitting certain benchmarks? How was the money spent on it?
Are people to assume that they gathered the same amount of funds among themselves+their family's/friends' pocketbooks in order to complete their second, competing film project? How were they able to do that feat without a different kickstarter? Are people to assume that the $150k (actually $200k raised) on the first project was far more than what was needed?

This second kickstarter says they only need $50k for music licensing, post, etc and are getting freebies/basement-pricing on all sorts of the post work and archiving. The previous kickstarter claimed they needed $100k. What specifically changed and what are the cost breakdowns of those services they listed and which services are being gifted to the production? Why wasn't this possible with the previous project when they were involved in it? In light of what's going on/why they bailed on their previous project, I think it would be great if they were transparent about this.

They're using songs by Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Do they have a hard number on what the licensing fee is on these songs for their festival run? How about for the dvd/bluray & digital download releases for the pre-orders/sales? Separate licenses are required for those, and I can assure you that $50k isn't going to cover that -- assuming those two bands agree to allow their music to be used at all on the film (this occurs frequently where filmmakers want to use certain/favorite songs and the bands/songwriters have no interest in the subject matter). Are they personal friends of those bands and got a special deal to use those songs in the film? How about in the trailer? How about on their kickstarter page and websites when they're soliciting funds? Or were the songs just put on there without any thought about that?
If they find out they don't have the money for those songs (along with who knows what other songs are on their wish list in the film), do they have an estimate on some composers fees? have they scoped that out?

When did filming on this second project commence? Was it concurrent with any of the first project's? Were these two producers collecting a paycheck on the first project (from the $200k funds) while working on/mining for info/contacts/etc on this second project? Could this same problem of "creative differences" arise on this second kickstarter and they walk away again?

Assuming that they are able to complete this project without any problems, it may seem like GaryCon is far away next year, but they could easily find themselves not being able to deliver by then. Things have a way of taking a long time in post.

I'd love to see a well-put-together film about the gaming industry/history of D&D like you guys, but I think this is a complete crapshoot at this point and I'm sorry to say it looks like really bad form.

So a documentary about the creative differences and possible improprieties that lead to an awesome idea never quite living up to its full potential is at risk of never living up to its full potential, because of creative differences and possible improprieties? I love it.

Kidding aside, mrmanowar read my mind.

Well, I'm rooting for both projects as I believe both stories need to be told.  This one sounds like it will be a heartfelt, compelling, even confessional look into the human costs and celebrations of the struggle to get and keep our favorite game into print.  Very cool.  I know it's easy to get inundated by the data, documents, processes and public vs. private fronts surrounding many of the business dealings and other things that transpired, and I love to see that abstract story-skeleton fleshed out with the human experience.  

That being said, however, I'm nervous about:  the lack of disclosure concerning details about the split; the creative differences which led to the change in direction; the need for additional funding; the apparent surprise expressed by the D&D Documentary crew; the confusion of the D&D Doc Kickstarter backers; the potential licensing issues which may affect funding/features/spending apportionments; the risk of bad blood/factionalism in the fan base arising from potential failure to deliver on either front (or rather, either film); and confusion over the potential for shared footage issues, interview ownership issues, etc.  I wish both teams the best, but as an investor all of this would make me very uncomfortable.     (Disclaimer:  I am not financially backing either project, although I plan to purchase both films in some format upon their respective releases.)

Hopefully the asked-for amount will be sufficient to get the work done ... at the current rate it looks like the project will be funded comfortably. *crosses fingers*

I backed the original D&D Documentary.  We just received the following update:

Hello all,

Will you be at Gen Con 2014? If so, we'd love to see you! We'll be screening a 12 minute excerpt of D&D: A Documentary at 2pm on Saturday, August 16th at the Westin: Capitol I. Please stop by and say hello - we'd love to meet in person and thank you for your ongoing support. Screening details And because you can't have fiction without drama (and generally, you can't have documentaries without drama either), many of you have been asking about what is happening regarding this film, Dungeons & Dragons: A Documentary. and 'another' D&D documentary in the works (being made by two of the executive producers of this film, James Sprattley and Andrew Pascal).

Last year there was a falling out among the producers of this film and now two of the original producers (James Sprattley and Andrew Pascal) have set out to create the own competing documentary. We would never object to competition, our position is that they have wrongfully attempted to use the assets of this film in their own, competing documentary.

Filing suit was a last resort for us. We attempted to amicably negotiate with James and Andrew with a mediator and then with the support of legal council. During this time, James and Andrew were taking advantage of our good faith negotiation period to secretively launch their own competing project using the head start we had obtained for this film, including our interview subjects, our contacts, our logo, etc... Only after we reached an agreement to carry forward and make this film, we learned of the competing documentary. Despite our best efforts to resolve this in a collegial manner, it has ended up in court (and if you'd like some fun legal reading, a copy of the complaint can be found here.

We wanted to let you know that the Kickstarter pledges are not being used to fund the legal action. We are funding this lawsuit out of pocket. All the funds from Kickstarter are being used for the film production.

Despite these frustrating delays, we've made great headway with the film. Again, we would like to thank you for believing in the vision of this project, for your patience as we navigate this unexpected and unfortunate twist of events, and for all of your encouragement and words of support as we continue to push through to complete the film that we have envisioned.

Very truly yours, The Westpaw Films team/ Anthony Savini

Looks like the lawsuit was filed back on June 20.  Here's the link to Savini's complaint:  Dropbox - 1 summons complaint(1).pdf

I have no idea who is in the right here.  But the end seems, at this point, both predictable and sad.  It seems unlikely that either documentary will ever be made.  The irony is certainly palpable.  Just as so many ventures in the role playing industry foundered on the rocks of litigation, so too will the movies intended to document their stories.

I had no idea that there were some other documentaries that were produced years ago, until I went back looking through some threads. Unfortunately a lot of the links don't work

D&D Documentaries

darkseraphim wrote in New Dungeons & Dragons Movie: The Great Kingdom:Hopefully the asked-for amount will be sufficient to get the work done ... at the current rate it looks like the project will be funded comfortably. *crosses fingers*

btw, based on the funding so far for this, it doesn't look too good for the kickstarter.

darkseraphim wrote in New Dungeons & Dragons Movie: The Great Kingdom:It's all good, after reading the full complaint I decided to back this Kickstarter instead.

Potato Salad by Zack Danger Brown — Kickstarter

I saw this KS and couldn't stop laughing.  Hysterical.

~throwi

I am Benoist Poiré, co-owner and partner at GP Adventures, co-designer, cartographer on the Hobby Shop Dungeon project. I am speaking on behalf of Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. and myself at GP Adventures.

Right now, The Great Kingdom Kickstarter has just gone past $35,000 in funding. The goal is $50,000, and we have three days to make it happen. It CAN happen.

kickstarter.com/projects/720223857/the- ... at-kingdom

The Great Kingdom is a feature length documentary that tells the story of the inception of the game, the people and families that built it, the rise of TSR, the growth of role-playing games as a hobby, the explosion and phenomenon these games became. It is the story of our passion, its roots, and the amazing lightning in the bottle that revolutionized our media, our games, and our own imaginations over the years. This is an opportunity. We can make it happen.

Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. and I, Rob Kuntz, John Bobek and so many more are supporting this kickstarter. If you want a copy of Sammi-Zowa versus the Dueling Dragons signed by Ernie, if you want John Bobek's book "The Games of War", which talks about the wargaming hobby from where our games come from, plus the actual documentary, plus our digital offerings, you can get all that, and much more, like an exclusive, unpublished story about Murlynd the Magician, Don Kaye's character in the original Lake Geneva games, written by Rob Kuntz.

We think it's an important thing to tell the story of what happened to the masses, and we think this documentary can do the job. These are good people behind it.

Check it out. Pledge if you can and are so inclined. Let's make this happen. Thank you!

The Great Kingdom by The Great Kingdom — Kickstarter

For more info see the Q&A of the guys behind the documentary here: trollandflame.blogspot.ca/2014/07/the-g ... ary-q.html

And the trailer too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhSlQQXbuQQ

Thank you Dark Seraphim! Your support is appreciated! We can make it happen. Together.