About Us, Meaning the Documentary Team
Mother To Earth: The Untold Story Of Earth Bound is a documentary about the secret history behind one of Nintendo’s biggest cult classics - MOTHER - better known in North America as EarthBound Beginnings. The game was the first installment in a fan favorite series that brought us many memorable characters, such as Ness and Lucas, which many Nintendo fans may recognize from the Super Smash Bros. series.
This film tells the story behind the inception of the MOTHER/EarthBound series and the history of MOTHER's failed initial release in North America. The film will also shed a light on the underground subculture of video game collectors, some of whom leaked a translated version of the game onto the streets decades before its official release. It’s a hidden world of backroom deals, grey markets, and borderline-illegal trades of video games. In this world things are nearly-impossible to track, thanks to cash deals behind closed doors, throw-away usernames, and purposeful obscurification.
This is the first time a film will unveil this utterly fascinating side of video games, a medium known to most as simple entertainment. Yet, it has evolved into a robust hobby with a discreet and lucrative secondary market, tangled in hoarded information and secrecy. This part of the culture, however, is only the tip of the iceberg as we follow EarthBound Beginnings’s incredible journey, from its initial creation to its eventual release. It’s a story with so many twists and turns that it kept even us on the edge of our seats.
Mother To Earth is more than just an interesting story of a game that went missing in action for a few decades. It’s a film that shows that video games aren’t just for fun anymore. We present to you an unbelievable account that appeals to both gamers and non-gamers alike – And the best part is, it’s all true!
J. Bone-Christian - Director
Initially doing the research for the investigation, Josh has contributed a massive amount to knowledge in both the background of the prototypes and the parties involved. Well versed in EarthBound and an animator by trade, he’ll also guide the project’s artistic aesthetics. He is still waiting for his birthday present from Evan.
Evan Butler - Director
Evan could probably be best described as a motivational organizer. His role is to oversee and plan more of the below-the-line elements while still participating in the creative aspects alongside Josh. Evan is also prone to fits of lethargy and might be a secret detective.
Christian Deitering - Producer
As the most experienced filmmaker on the project, Christian has the job of keeping the project realistic and doable. He’ll also be taking care of the production aspects of the documentary and providing the equipment. He is also from Texas. 'Nough said.
Patrick Deasy - Videographer, Editor
Patrick is one of our fantastic interns that has moved on and become a full member of the crew. An excellent recent film school graduate, Patrick is amazing behind the camera as well as making tight edits. He made the trailers for the documentary!
Austin O'Rourke - Composer
Austin O'Rourke studied at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. A long-time composer, he was awarded the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award in 2015. A huge fan of the EarthBound series, Austin composed some original scores inspired by the series for this film. He also loves tummy rubs. His website is here.
Cole Masaitis - Composer
Cole Masaitis studied at the University of Mary Washington where he was a music major aspiring to compose scores and be a sound designer for media. Cole has experience in booking concerts, performing live music, and composing musical works. His piece “Phantoms of Autumn” (available on his Soundcloud) was presented at the 2014 Electroacoustic Barn Dance at the University of Mary Washington. If you spell his name backwards, it’s “Sitiasam”. His website is here!
Alyssa Browning - Lead Artist
Alyssa Browning is a Maryland artist that works in all styles and media, but leans more towards traditional art. She is the in-house artist in this project, Mother To Earth. When she is not working art projects, she is at the gym, spending time with dogs, or working on cookbooks. She is a large advocate for deaf rights and is near deaf herself in both ears. Alyssa is also fluent in dog.