Man on a Mission

Traditionally, SXSW is divided into three distinct categories: film, interactive and music. But once you’ve seen the epic documentary Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission, you quickly realize that all three genres can exist in one hour-and-a-half experience at the historic Paramount downtown.

Film: Ok, this one’s obvious. Man on a Mission is a film, yes. But what makes this documentary so special is its connection to Austin. The film documents local serial entrepreneur and game developer, Richard Garriott, as he prepares for a ten-day mission aboard the International Space Station. Furthermore, the film was shot by Austin director, Mike Woolf, of Beef & Pie Productions. And perhaps the pinnacle of this hometown hero is that it was completed just in time to premiere right here in Austin for the 2010 SXSW festival in front of the cast and crew’s family and friends.

Interactive: The technology behind the latest social media app at SXSW pales in comparison to the mind-blowing technology that launches Richard Garriott and his fellow cosmonauts into space. As Woolf and team document Garriott’s adventure over the course of his two-year training mission in Star City, Moscow, we get a behind-the-scenes perspective into centrifuge training, protein crystal growth experiments, emergency water rescue training, capsule re-entry and even Russian language classes. While the interactive portion of the festival was impressive, it certainly, as Garriott illustrates, isn’t rocket science.

Music: Close to 1,800 bands traveled from across the country and the world to showcase their musical prowess. However, one of the most magical selections of music was the original score of Man on a Mission. Composers Brian Satterwhite and John Constant musically capture the intensity of the training mission in Russia, while building up to the airy mystery of outer space with heroic proportions. Austin band, Candi and the Strangers, contribute with futuristic pieces that allude to the unknown, almost serving as the soundtrack to Garriott’s own fantastical, mysterious alter gaming-ego, Lord British.

So, while SXSW is officially over, the experience truly lives on in this incredibly well-documented and edited film with an equally as profound storyline and score – not bad for a bunch of dreamers from Austin.