word wars

In the last few months of 2003, I spent a bunch of nights and weekends working on Word Wars, a documentary directed by my friends Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo. The movie's about a brilliantly weird subculture: the obsessive world of competitive SCRABBLE players. I designed the opening titles and various graphics to illustrate the anagrams, game situations, and moments of wordplay that happen throughout the film.

To my delight, it turned out to be a terrific movie! It's smart, endearing, a little bit seedy, and funny as hell. It sold out when it played at Sundance, and they had to turn away hundreds of people waiting outside in the snow. It got a fantastic review in the Chronicle. At the opening screening in San Francisco, the crowd laughed as loud as they did for Shrek 2.

Of course, this picture does not have an ogre-sized marketing budget, so we're relying on word of mouth to let people know it's out there. That's where you come in! Here's what you can do:

• Find a screening in your town and go see it!

• If it's not playing near you, call your local art theater and ask them to show it!

• Tell your friends!

You won't be disappointed.

-Cassidy