Review Fix Exclusive: Sara Farber Talks ‘Schmovie’

Review Fix chats with “Schmovie” co-creator Sara Farber who discusses the game and how she created it with her husband.

About Schmovie:

The object of Schmovie is to come up with funny titles for made-up movies based on a film genre (determined by the roll of a die) combined with an outlandish premise (generated by flipping two cards). Collect Schquid trophies for winning titles as you laugh yourself silly. What would you call an action film about a killer sandwich? Rye Hard … Beauty and the Beef … Despicable Meatballs. What would you call a sci-fi movie about a crazy farm animal? Goatbusters … Jurassic Pork … you get the point. Have more than six players? Break into teams. Who needs movie night … when you’ve got Schmovie night? Inside each box of Schmovie Family Edition: 85 What cards, 85 Who cards, 19 Schquid trophies, 1 genre die, 5 erasable title boards, 1 rule sheet, 5 erasable markers, 19 trophy bases and unlimited awesomeness. Schmovie Family Edition, rated ages 8+, is available at independent retailers nationwide, select Barnes & Noble stores, and on Amazon. It retails for $19.95.

For more information, visit www.schmovie.com

Review Fix: How was this game created?

Sara Farber: Schmovie actually started as a film-themed spin-off of another game were working on in which players had to come up with names for outlandish inventions. We ended up liking the movie version better and it ultimately evolved until it became what we now know and love as Schmovie. We did a lot of play testing along the way, and also received excellent feedback from industry experts. Creating a game from scratch is a massive undertaking. You have to sort out the game concept, the mechanics, theme, rules, design, name, manufacturing, warehousing, shipping, and fulfillment. Then the game is finished and sitting in your warehouse, and you realize you’re not finished… you’re just getting started! You have to get it into stores, promote it, and get people talking about it. You have to sell it! We’ve put a tremendous amount of love (and endless hours) into developing Schmovie, and we spend time building our brand every single day.

Review Fix: How do you think being married helps you guys as creators?

Farber: Having a business with your spouse essentially means that your business takes over your life. We talk about Galactic Sneeze projects over morning coffee, when we’re running errands, and when we’re brushing our teeth at night. That means our projects are thought about and talked about a lot. It feels extra special creating something with your spouse since it comes from this place of shared passion. The positive moments are extra positive because they’re shared with your family. We joke that we have 2 children: our four-year-old daughter, and Schmovie. The difference is that Schmovie always goes to bed on time.

Review Fix: What’s the funniest moment you’ve ever had playing the game?

Farber: One of the coolest things about Schmovie is that when we run into people who have played it, they’re always excited to tell us the funniest titles they came up when they played. It could be from a game they played two weeks ago, or six months ago, but they always remember some specific titles. We love that Schmovie creates lasting memories. Funny ones.

One of our favorite moments was when we were play-testing Schmovie with a bunch of friends while it was still in development. The premise for a particular round was an adult film about a mafia-connected plumber. Our friend Will wrote, “The Wadfather.” People were crying from laughing so hard… and I think one person may have fallen off his chair. It was awesome. There may have been alcohol involved. But it was still awesome. It was then we knew we had to make this game.

Review Fix: You guys have a ton of experience with great brands. How has that helped get this product off the ground?

Farber: Bryan’s background is as an art director/creative director from the world of advertising, and my (Sara’s) experience is in developing play patterns and content for toys and games. So on practical level, it’s helpful since Bryan does all of our design work, and I write the copy, rules, etc. On a broader level, we both understand that there’s a lot more to making a successful game than just creating a great game. It has to resonate with consumers in multiple ways… it has to have a fun name, catch your eye on the store shelf, and stick in your mind even when the game’s over. Between Bryan’s branding expertise and my toy/game industry experience, we have a deeper understanding of what needs to happen to make a product a household name.

Review Fix: What do you think makes it special?

Farber: We love Schmovie for so many reasons. One of our favorite things is that it’s awesome for kids as young as 8, but can also be played as an adults-only game. It’s perfect for family game night… or a boozy night with friends. We originally launched Schmovie back in 2013 for ages 13+/Adult. When we hosted a Schmovie booth for 2 days at Chicago Toy and Game Fair, we were swarmed by 8, 9, and 10 year olds for 2 days straight. If you ask an 8-year-old what they’d call an action movie about a smelly ninja… they’re excited to give you as many titles as they can think of! So due to popular demand, we just relaunched the game this fall for ages 8+/Family. However, players can still incorporate adult themes into the game via the “question mark” side of the genre die, and blank premise cards. We’re excited to be reaching a broader audience with our new edition of the game.

Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy it the most?

Farber: We have some key fan groups: movie lovers, film industry folks, funny people, comedy nerds, pop culture geeks, punsters, and of course… kids! There don’t seem to be enough family-friendly games out there that are all about creativity, imagination, and laughter.

Review Fix: Bottom line, why should someone play it?

Farber: The first player to collect 4 Schquid Trophies wins the game. However, we can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard that players just play and play and stop keeping track of Schquids. We love that Schmovie is about the play itself, not about winning. It’s about the humor, the laughs, the creativity. You have to think to play Schmovie. It’s not a game where you just throw down some funny cards and whoever has the funniest hand wins. You have to create the humor… but that makes the payoff even more rewarding.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Farber: We may be launching a 17+ expansion pack for Schmovie if we think there’s enough interest. We have another family game that we invented coming out next fall with a big publisher. And, we’re currently working on an adult game that we’ll probably bring to market ourselves. We’re always developing fun new ideas over here at Galactic Sneeze HQ.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Farber: Come join Schmovie on social media. We host popular hashtag games on Twitter every Monday at 11am EDT, which typically trend in the US, Canada, and the UK. We also play rounds of the game on Facebook, and post all sorts of fun stuff to Instagram and Pinterest. We love when players share pics of their Schmovie titles/game nights with us, so please feel free to tag Schmovie on social media.