As the age-old adage goes, there’s an app for that. Even for resurrecting short documentaries. Case in point: “Life Is Marbleous!,” a short documentary that would likely be sitting in the storage shed at the production offices of Beef & Pie if not for the app treatment. B&P has captured quirky characters over the years with films like “Something’s Brewin’ in Shiner” and “Growin’ a Beard.” One of its lesser-known creations, the aforementioned doc about the Marble Queen and the lost art of flicking glass spheres, premiered at South by Southwest in 2007 and didn’t go much further. Expecting a spike in publicity with its soon-to-be nationally released full-length doc Man on a Mission, which follows local video-game legend Richard Garriott into space, Beef & Pie decided to use the services of design firm Bohemian Innovation and gussy up the forgotten but charming “Marbleous!” with a 99-cent app that combines the joy of marbles, an Austin-centric soundtrack, and the added incentive of getting a free digital copy of the film with completion of the game. If you can’t finish the task (a feat I couldn’t complete despite 200-odd attempts) you can always purchase the film for another measly buck. That’s a whole lot of media for your smartphone and a local-biz- supporting smorgasbord to boot.
See www.bohemianinnovation.com/marbleous.html for more.
This article appears in December 9 • 2011.
