The Brony Documentary Discussion

[Lady Rarity Pony 4,892]

I think it was mostly just the one kid from the boonies that did that, I don't remember hearing more then a couple time in the beginning. 

I don't think so. The claims were dispersed throughout the documentary, but they were noticeable to me at least. There were certainly a hand full of explicit statements regarding it, and several other allusions to it.

[FoxyCryptid 4,327]

I don't think so. The claims were dispersed throughout the documentary, but they were noticeable to me at least. There were certainly a hand full of explicit statements regarding it, and several other allusions to it.

 

If it was from the shrinks, I didn't notice, they were saying so many stupid things in their mercifully brief apearences I stopped paying attention to them after a while.  

[Yellow Diamond 7,561]

I have yet to see the documentary, though I paid good, hard cash to get the autographed Blu-ray! (Well, with the assistance of some friends. We'll still need to hash out the details of who keeps the swag.)

 

I am on the fence about watching the documentary. I will likely do so simply because I dropped money to help fund it, insignificant as that donation may have been in the ocean of money thrown into the production. My main source of trepidation is that, as @AtomicBassCannon mentioned, it is difficult to confront the fact that I lack the artistic skills which are so strongly associated with the fandom. I am not a singer, actor, or an artist; I do not possess a particular approach which I think would inject new ideas into the fandom. The sight of so many talented people leaves me not so much jealous but rather feeling impotent. How can I count myself in the company of such wonderfully talented people? I'm not quite certain if I can.

 

I do remember quite fondly Lauren Faust's panel from BronyCon 2012. That was a wonderfully moving experience. I'm glad they put that on the DVD; it is probably the height of any love-in I've witnessed involving Bronies. She deserved the adulation.

[Antismurf9001 1,271]

I am on the fence about watching the documentary. I will likely do so simply because I dropped money to help fund it, insignificant as that donation may have been in the ocean of money thrown into the production. My main source of trepidation is that, as @AtomicBassCannon mentioned, it is difficult to confront the fact that I lack the artistic skills which are so strongly associated with the fandom. I am not a singer, actor, or an artist; I do not possess a particular approach which I think would inject new ideas into the fandom. The sight of so many talented people leaves me not so much jealous but rather feeling impotent. How can I count myself in the company of such wonderfully talented people? I'm not quite certain if I can.\

 

Other people, correct me if I'm wrong, but they don't really go in-depth with the art aspect.  They have a segment that follows The Living Tombstone and Laser Pon3, as well as a brief blurb about a girl in... crap, was it the Netherlands? (am I even close?)  Oh well, it was a girl in Europe who made figurines.  In any case, I know very much how you feel, and I think that the documentary does a fairly good job of proving that you don't have to be the talented artist to contribute to the fandom.  Just being a part of the fandom and accepting the deviation from social norms is plenty enough.  

 

Then again, this could just be me.

[~Master~ Button Mash 2,307]

Other people, correct me if I'm wrong, but they don't really go in-depth with the art aspect.  They have a segment that follows The Living Tombstone and Laser Pon3, as well as a brief blurb about a girl in... crap, was it the Netherlands? (am I even close?)  Oh well, it was a girl in Europe who made figurines.  In any case, I know very much how you feel, and I think that the documentary does a fairly good job of proving that you don't have to be the talented artist to contribute to the fandom.  Just being a part of the fandom and accepting the deviation from social norms is plenty enough.  

 

Then again, this could just be me.

 

 

I have yet to see the documentary, though I paid good, hard cash to get the autographed Blu-ray! (Well, with the assistance of some friends. We'll still need to hash out the details of who keeps the swag.)

 

I am on the fence about watching the documentary. I will likely do so simply because I dropped money to help fund it, insignificant as that donation may have been in the ocean of money thrown into the production. My main source of trepidation is that, as @AtomicBassCannon mentioned, it is difficult to confront the fact that I lack the artistic skills which are so strongly associated with the fandom. I am not a singer, actor, or an artist; I do not possess a particular approach which I think would inject new ideas into the fandom. The sight of so many talented people leaves me not so much jealous but rather feeling impotent. How can I count myself in the company of such wonderfully talented people? I'm not quite certain if I can.

 

I do remember quite fondly Lauren Faust's panel from BronyCon 2012. That was a wonderfully moving experience. I'm glad they put that on the DVD; it is probably the height of any love-in I've witnessed involving Bronies. She deserved the adulation.

Sprocket from "Real Men Watch My Little Pony" on Facebook did a pretty good muse about the inspirational effects of MLP:FiM, or as he called it "ponyjoy."

 

I'll put most of it in spoilers to save space:

 

 

 

Ponyjoy. I think the most amazing thing about it is that it's not just a feeling, it's an energy source.

 

It inspires us to spend countless hours making PMV's, writing music, fanfiction, art, and every craft imaginable from wallets to cakes. It is a feeling so powerful that it isn't enough to just watch ponies and smile, it makes you want to spread those smiles around like Pinkie Pie does.

 

I'm not going to attempt to speak for everypony, but for me, when I see those smiles spreading around, when I see bronies raising over $100,000 in a single year to help those in need, I feel like Equestria is growing, making a difference not just in my internal life, but in the whole wide world.

 

Isn't that what everyone wants? Their inner life to be in harmony with that which goes on without? To feel like what they are doing actually means something?

 

Now obviously the brony community can't be all the meaning in your whole life, but still, it's darn good to know that you're part of something that is a force for good in the world.

 

However, there is a problem: there are some bronies who look around at all this beauty going on in the community, and feel left out. They lament because they think they have nothing of value to contribute.

 

Not true.

 

Even if you haven't found your special talent, or if that talent hasn't manifested in a way that will garnish much attention, you're still here.

 

One thing that everypony reading this has in common is that you all, at some point, felt motivated to come online and participate in the brony community in some way. You could have watched the show on your own and not participated in fan activity, but you decided to come here and talk about your love of ponies. To share it. To be social.

 

To make friends.

 

That's a noble endeavor in and of itself - making friends. It was Twilight's sacred mission, and it saved Equestria on more than one occasion. It's why we are here.

 

So treat your ponyjoy like a tool - a weapon of peace and smiles and cupcakes. Use it to make friends, to brighten your life, and to brighten the lives of others. That's magic, and the great thing about being a brony is that magic is the ultimate renewable energy source.

 

-Sprocket

 

 

However, he did make a special note to bronies who feel discouraged because they feel like they're not contributing to the community. I wonder if he saw this thread.

 

However, there is a problem: there are some bronies who look around at all this beauty going on in the community, and feel left out. They lament because they think they have nothing of value to contribute.

 

Not true.

 

Even if you haven't found your special talent, or if that talent hasn't manifested in a way that will garnish much attention, you're still here.

 

One thing that everypony reading this has in common is that you all, at some point, felt motivated to come online and participate in the brony community in some way. You could have watched the show on your own and not participated in fan activity, but you decided to come here and talk about your love of ponies. To share it. To be social.

 

To make friends.

 

That's a noble endeavor in and of itself - making friends. It was Twilight's sacred mission, and it saved Equestria on more than one occasion. It's why we are here.

 

So treat your ponyjoy like a tool - a weapon of peace and smiles and cupcakes. Use it to make friends, to brighten your life, and to brighten the lives of others. That's magic, and the great thing about being a brony is that magic is the ultimate renewable energy source.

 

Wise words. It's not the art, but rather the motivations behind it, that counts.

 

 Even so, I still feel inspired to try to better my creative self. It is a feeling of lamentation at times, but...positive lamentation, if there is such a thing. I know that all the most famous bronies have been refining their arts long before the arrival of MLP* (For example, Mando has been playing string instruments for 9 years), and I've done nothing, but it's still given me the push to get off my lazy flank and flex my right-brain a bit. You have to start somewhere, right? And you can only get better with experience.

 

Moral of the story: Just try. What have you got to lose other than some spare time, a few MBs, or a few inches of pencil lead?

 

I feel blessed to be a brony. I might only be a fledgling artist and primordial musician (if that makes sense), but if it weren't for MLP and the brony community I wouldn't be trying my hoof at the arts at all. And because of that, I am grateful.

 

*Are there any famous bronies who only began their craft after watching MLP?

Edited January 24, 2013 by AtomicBassCannon

[Slendermane 474]

 

 

Sprocket from "Real Men Watch My Little Pony" on Facebook did a pretty good muse about the inspirational effects of MLP:FiM, or as he called it "ponyjoy."

 

I'll put most of it in spoilers to save space:

 

 

 

Ponyjoy. I think the most amazing thing about it is that it's not just a feeling, it's an energy source.

 

It inspires us to spend countless hours making PMV's, writing music, fanfiction, art, and every craft imaginable from wallets to cakes. It is a feeling so powerful that it isn't enough to just watch ponies and smile, it makes you want to spread those smiles around like Pinkie Pie does.

 

I'm not going to attempt to speak for everypony, but for me, when I see those smiles spreading around, when I see bronies raising over $100,000 in a single year to help those in need, I feel like Equestria is growing, making a difference not just in my internal life, but in the whole wide world.

 

Isn't that what everyone wants? Their inner life to be in harmony with that which goes on without? To feel like what they are doing actually means something?

 

Now obviously the brony community can't be all the meaning in your whole life, but still, it's darn good to know that you're part of something that is a force for good in the world.

 

However, there is a problem: there are some bronies who look around at all this beauty going on in the community, and feel left out. They lament because they think they have nothing of value to contribute.

 

Not true.

 

Even if you haven't found your special talent, or if that talent hasn't manifested in a way that will garnish much attention, you're still here.

 

One thing that everypony reading this has in common is that you all, at some point, felt motivated to come online and participate in the brony community in some way. You could have watched the show on your own and not participated in fan activity, but you decided to come here and talk about your love of ponies. To share it. To be social.

 

To make friends.

 

That's a noble endeavor in and of itself - making friends. It was Twilight's sacred mission, and it saved Equestria on more than one occasion. It's why we are here.

 

So treat your ponyjoy like a tool - a weapon of peace and smiles and cupcakes. Use it to make friends, to brighten your life, and to brighten the lives of others. That's magic, and the great thing about being a brony is that magic is the ultimate renewable energy source.

 

-Sprocket

 

 

However, he did make a special note to bronies who feel discouraged because they feel like they're not contributing to the community. I wonder if he saw this thread.

 

 

Wise words. It's not the art, but rather the motivations behind it, that counts.

 

 Even so, I still feel inspired to try to better my creative self. It is a feeling of lamentation at times, but...positive lamentation, if there is such a thing. I know that all the most famous bronies have been refining their arts long before the arrival of MLP* (For example, Mando has been playing string instruments for 9 years), and I've done nothing, but it's still given me the push to get off my lazy flank and flex my right-brain a bit. You have to start somewhere, right? And you can only get better with experience.

 

Moral of the story: Just try. What have you got to lose other than some spare time, a few MBs, or a few inches of pencil lead?

 

I feel blessed to be a brony. I might only be a fledgling artist and primordial musician (if that makes sense), but if it weren't for MLP and the brony community I wouldn't be trying my hoof at the arts at all. And because of that, I am grateful.

 

*Are there any famous bronies who only began their craft after watching MLP?

I know I'm not very artistic, but Vinyl, Octavia, and Octavia's ensemble have inspired me to finally try to learn an instrument. For Christmas this year, I got an electronic Keyboard. Unfortunately, with my work schedule, I have trouble finding the time to learn it. But I'm trying. An hour here, fifteen minutes there. Before you know it, I'll be playing Winter Wrap Up. I doubt it will turn out to be my special talent or anything, but I am becoming a more well rounded individual because of ponies. Now if I can only find more time to read.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Slendermane

[Broccoli 127]

I have only seen the trailer, and just from that I thought the documentary was really great! I also saw the Jananimations  video/song about bronies, which was really good. Hopefully I'll be able to watch the whole documentary soon.

[RockinRarity 1,605]

I just watched it last night with my fiancé and I liked it far more than I expected.

 

It was so cool to see Bronycon again. I was there myself and I did try to see if I could spot myself anywhere (I couldn't, oh well), and it made me wish that I could have been there for longer than 6 hours on Sunday, but man cons can be so magical. I wish that I could go all the way back to Bronycon this year but alas, no money for me... maybe I could go to Canterlot Gardens next year if they decide to have it. It only takes a couple of hours to drive there. But we will see.

[Galex Dj 173]

I actually watched that whole video a while back, and it actually did teach me a lot things that I didn't already know. And I ended up using that video later as a guide for one of my projects that I had to do about MLP and the Bronies.

[Nightfall 3,950]

All I've seen so far is this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV-OF9wZWDs

 

Same. I don't really see myself watching the whole documentary, but I honestly can say that that animation is quite good.

And dat Tara Strong... :3

[Sanic Screwdriver 345]

I didn't see any posts asking peoples opinions on the whole film so I decided to ask! For those of you who have seen them film was getting it worth it? Was it good? On a scale from one to 10 how good was it? Also just whatever else you guys want to add. I want to get the documentary but sadly haven't been able to yet.

[Betez 1,734]

I personally liked the film. People are saying how it's biased towards bronies, which I think is bullshit. it does provide a lot of information, and is overall fun to watch.

[doublechris 20]

I loved it.  I keep hearing that it's supposedly biased towards bronies, but as someone who worked on the documentary explained, that just shows how amazing and accepting the community around the show is.  I think it's worth getting, for fans and non-fans alike really.  I'm actually thinking about showing it to a friend of mine who is a little bit hostile towards the show in order to show him it's not all bad, that it's in fact mostly a very cool and friendly community.

But yeah, check it out.  Entertaining, great music, wonderful narration by John De Lancie, and surprisingly touching.

[An Old Head 4,815]

For the most part, I thought it was very enjoyable. Seeing the sense of community as it happens made me smile; and following the lives of a few select bronies was a good touch without making it become totally centred on them.

 

One thing ruined it for me, though - John de Lancie referencing clop in his song. I don't think I'll be able to show this documentary to my family and friends as a first impression, just because of that. What on earth were they thinking?

[doublechris 20]

For the most part, I thought it was very enjoyable. Seeing the sense of community as it happens made me smile; and following the lives of a few select bronies was a good touch without making it become totally centred on them.

 

One thing ruined it for me, though - John de Lancie referencing clop in his song. I don't think I'll be able to show this documentary to my family and friends as a first impression, just because of that. What on earth were they thinking?

 

I thought it was a funny little joke.  It's acknowledging that it exists without drawing a lot of attention to it.  I doubt anyone who doesn't already know what "clop" is would even really think twice about it.  Even if they did ask, just give 'em a broad idea of what it is, and make sure they know it's a very small minority of the fans.

[VelvetDivan 96]

I've ordered it, and expect it to arrive this week or early next.  I didn't want to be one of those who just watched a leaked/pirated copy, since this is so close to a community I'm part of.  The ones who enjoyed it don't seem too vocal about it; they must have just sighed contently and sat back.  The ones who objected to it are quite vocal indeed.  The complaint I've seen most often is that it was masturbatory.  In other words, pointless and self-congratulatory.  'Look at us.  Aren't we cool?'

 

Guess I'll find out soon enough if the haters are right.  If I like it, I'll have something to show to people who go 'wut' when I mention I like the show.

[Luna4256 110]

I just got my copy today and watched it for the first time and was in awh!   I just got the documentry, "shoulda got the extended interviews also." I'm 120% sure I'll be watching it a second time in a row. Anypony else seen it yet? And  if you have any of your thoughts on it if you have.

[FoxyCryptid 4,327]

We actually have a discussion thread about it somewhere, I personally give it a 4/5 and plan to save up and get at least the base movie itself on disc. I found it really fun and heartwarming, it was almost like being there enjoying the con with everyone, there is some flaws though:

 

The shrinks usually ended up "opening mouth, and inserting foot" The way they put several things legitimately made me cringe.

 

They played up the drama of the kid from the boonies waaaaaaaaay to much, and I shuddered every time they used Redneck as a insult(roughneck probably would've fit better) because I kinda are one to a extent.

 

Even though it wasn't the point, some more history would've been nice.

 

They needed to talk to more writers, artists, ect and show some more art instead of focusing on the music so heavily(but I understand, it's kinda our thing, not many fandoms have fan music to the extent we do)

Edited March 15, 2013 by Shoboni

[Jokuc 8,172]

I thought it was great. Though, it could have been better. I think there should have been more about the fanmade stuff like games, music, art etc. It's a bit sad they didn't have much of that in it. Also, I would have wanted some clips from Bronycon :C

[Bhending the Rules 697]

I've been wanting to pick that up for a while, but haven't actually gotten around to it. Hearing some positive things here definitely moves it up on my to-do list though. Looking forward to seeing it.

[Pony Of The Month 534]

I liked it. I don't understand why everyone is complaining about it being biased. It's supposed to be a positive introduction to bronies, which you won't find on sources like fox news. Everyone already knows that there is a "dark side" to the fandom. They don't need to be reminded, especially when the goal is to get people to understand the idea of being a brony.

[Luna4256 110]

We actually have a discussion thread about it somewhere, I personally give it a 4/5 and plan to save up and get at least the base movie itself on disc. I found it really fun and heartwarming, it was almost like being there enjoying the con with everyone, there is some flaws though:

 

The shrinks usually ended up "opening mouth, and inserting foot" The way they put several things legitimately made me cringe.

 

They played up the drama of the kid from the boonies waaaaaaaaay to much, and I shuddered every time they used Redneck as a insult(roughneck probably would've fit better) because I kinda are one to a extent.

 

Even though it wasn't the point, some more history would've been nice.

 

They needed to talk to more writers, artists, ect and show some more art instead of focusing on the music so heavily(but I understand, it's kinda our thing, not many fandoms have fan music to the extent we do)

I know what your saying. I understand the point of "not evryone will accept you for watching MLP." but yeah they could have approached that a little better.

 

I liked it. I don't understand why everyone is complaining about it being biased. It's supposed to be a positive introduction to bronies, which you won't find on sources like fox news. Everyone already knows that there is a "dark side" to the fandom. They don't need to be reminded, especially when the goal is to get people to understand the idea of being a brony.

Yeah fox news blows this stuff WAY out of context. And I agree it's good and I like how it shows the positive sides of being a brony. :3

[Descant 1,897]

I was reasonably impressed by it. While it didn't focus on a lot of the fandom topics like art and fanfics, it did focus a lot on the life of the everyday brony. Which I thought was fine. I don't get why people complain, I thought it did a good job explaining the fandom. It was about the fandom in general, not about the fandom's artists. 

 

The North Carolina guy who was harrassed for being a brony... That could have been me. I grew up in the Appalachians of NC. Or very very close to them, anyway. Very judgmental area. And it spoke wonders, too, that he was willing to still love the show despite the persecution the community was showing him. 

Edited March 15, 2013 by Flareon

[~Scootaloo 438]

I don't need to buy some random documentary to know the show has a great fanbase. After seeing how many good bronies there are here I don't feel the need to watch it.

[Luna4256 110]

I don't need to buy some random documentary to know the show has a great fanbase. After seeing how many good bronies there are here I don't feel the need to watch it.

I know it has a very strong fanbase, but I also have a thing for documentaries. It's also a nice reminder that bronies are out there. I don't know to many myself. :/