ARCADE

a film by Kurt Vincent and Irene Chin
So, as you may or may not know, NYC Comic Con arrives at the Javits center on Thursday, October 13th.  ARCADE is happy to announce that we were selected to host a panel on Friday October 14th at 11 AM to 12 PM.  The panel will be moderated by Tal Blevins and participants will include: Seth Killian, Henry Cen, Norman Burgess, Jamin Warren, and our very own Kurt Vincent.   If you don’t already know who Seth Killian is, he is the face of CAPCOM and a Street Fighter bawse (no literally, the SFIV boss Seth, is named after him).   Henry Cen is a New York City arcade legend and former manager of Chinatown Fair— he has played in every arcade in the city and lived through the golden age and downfall of arcades.  Against all odds, Henry opened up his own Arcade, Next Level, and he will be discussing the role of arcades past, present, and future.   As arcades were dwindling in number, pockets of gamers were gathering in living rooms and basements.  Norman Burgess’s uptown apartment is Harlem Arcade.  Every Friday night, Norman hosts a gaming night with a dedicated group of gamers.  These nights usually end around 7 am Saturday morning.   Gamers Don’t Read.  This is the misconception Jamin Warren is out to dispel with his groundbreaking quarterly, Kill Screen Magazine.  Jamin was an arts and entertainment reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was a columnist for GOOD magazine, and in addition was also a music critic for Pitchfork.  The director of ARCADE, Kurt Vincent will be answering questions about our film.    See more about our Panel, Meet Me at the Arcade: here.

So, as you may or may not know, NYC Comic Con arrives at the Javits center on Thursday, October 13th.  ARCADE is happy to announce that we were selected to host a panel on Friday October 14th at 11 AM to 12 PM.  The panel will be moderated by Tal Blevins and participants will include: Seth Killian, Henry Cen, Norman Burgess, Jamin Warren, and our very own Kurt Vincent.  

If you don’t already know who Seth Killian is, he is the face of CAPCOM and a Street Fighter bawse (no literally, the SFIV boss Seth, is named after him).  

Henry Cen is a New York City arcade legend and former manager of Chinatown Fair— he has played in every arcade in the city and lived through the golden age and downfall of arcades.  Against all odds, Henry opened up his own Arcade, Next Level, and he will be discussing the role of arcades past, present, and future.  

As arcades were dwindling in number, pockets of gamers were gathering in living rooms and basements.  Norman Burgess’s uptown apartment is Harlem Arcade.  Every Friday night, Norman hosts a gaming night with a dedicated group of gamers.  These nights usually end around 7 am Saturday morning.  

Gamers Don’t Read.  This is the misconception Jamin Warren is out to dispel with his groundbreaking quarterly, Kill Screen Magazine.  Jamin was an arts and entertainment reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was a columnist for GOOD magazine, and in addition was also a music critic for Pitchfork.  The director of ARCADE, Kurt Vincent will be answering questions about our film.   

See more about our Panel, Meet Me at the Arcade: here.

5/25/2011 - Notes From A Kickstarter Project  We have 6 days left until our Kickstarter deadline at 11:59 PM on May 31st.   Some good interviews I did last week should be posted on the net this week.  Hopefully the project will get a few more boosts from the press and we will eclipse 30k.   I just finished my submission to IFP’s Documentary Showcase for this fall.  If we are selected we get to share the movie with a ton of really cool people in the film industry during a week long event at Lincoln Center.  Film festival directors, distributors, tv networks, etc.  Some of my favorite documentary films have gone through the festival. My fingers are crossed.   Last week Irene and I had the pleasure of meeting Matt Hunter and Steve Haske, two of the hosts of the excellent podcast, A Jumps B Shoots.  They were in town from Portland, Oregon to cover Blip Fest 2011 and record some podcasts.  I was honored to geek out with them.  It was a lot of fun talking with them.  I think the podcast should hit itunes next week. Irene and I also met Jamin Warren, the founder of the magazine/blog KILL SCREEN.  It was great meeting him after having communicated via email for the past few months. He was one of the earliest supporters of the movie and has some ideas of how we can work together in the coming months! Very cool ideas.  I was also interviewed by Ben Gilbert, Joystiq’s writer in NYC.  It was great to sit down with him. I think I learned more from him than the other way around!  He is currently writing a feature piece about the movie that will be posted this week. We rocked out at Blip Fest on Thursday night.  My two highlights were TALK TO ANIMALS from Baltimore and NYC’s own ANAMANAGUCHI.  I have listened to “Airbrushed” at least 200 times since the show.  I was moshing and dancing so hard during their set that I got a cramp and had to ease up.  Looking forward to hearing recorded versions of their new songs that they played at the show.   I’ll be posting some more tomorrow.  -K @arcademovie  facebook.com/arcademovie

5/25/2011 - Notes From A Kickstarter Project 

We have 6 days left until our Kickstarter deadline at 11:59 PM on May 31st.   Some good interviews I did last week should be posted on the net this week.  Hopefully the project will get a few more boosts from the press and we will eclipse 30k.  

I just finished my submission to IFP’s Documentary Showcase for this fall.  If we are selected we get to share the movie with a ton of really cool people in the film industry during a week long event at Lincoln Center.  Film festival directors, distributors, tv networks, etc.  Some of my favorite documentary films have gone through the festival. My fingers are crossed.  

Last week Irene and I had the pleasure of meeting Matt Hunter and Steve Haske, two of the hosts of the excellent podcast, A Jumps B Shoots.  They were in town from Portland, Oregon to cover Blip Fest 2011 and record some podcasts.  I was honored to geek out with them.  It was a lot of fun talking with them.  I think the podcast should hit itunes next week.

Irene and I also met Jamin Warren, the founder of the magazine/blog KILL SCREEN.  It was great meeting him after having communicated via email for the past few months. He was one of the earliest supporters of the movie and has some ideas of how we can work together in the coming months! Very cool ideas. 

I was also interviewed by Ben Gilbert, Joystiq’s writer in NYC.  It was great to sit down with him. I think I learned more from him than the other way around!  He is currently writing a feature piece about the movie that will be posted this week.

We rocked out at Blip Fest on Thursday night.  My two highlights were TALK TO ANIMALS from Baltimore and NYC’s own ANAMANAGUCHI.  I have listened to “Airbrushed” at least 200 times since the show.  I was moshing and dancing so hard during their set that I got a cramp and had to ease up.  Looking forward to hearing recorded versions of their new songs that they played at the show.  

I’ll be posting some more tomorrow. 

-K

@arcademovie 

facebook.com/arcademovie

Anthony Cali, the traveller

       
I saw one of my favorite documentary filmmakers speak once.  An audience member asked if he had ever become friends with subjects in his films.  His reply, in short,  was that he was not there to make friends.  He was there to make movies.  I get what he was saying, yet my experience thus far has been so different.  Not necessarily by choice.  It’s just a product of who I am.  You can’t prevent forming friendships when a real connection between two people is made.  And why would you want to?  
 
I met Anthony Cali Jr. while I was filming at the arcade.  Right away we hit it off and next thing I knew he began to help Irene and I with the movie.   Anthony grew up in the Lower East Side and was a longtime CF regular.  His pops, Anthony Sr., first took him there as a 7 year old.  His roots run deep under Manhattan.  Anthony’s photographs of the arcade can be seen on our Kickstarter page.  He is a big camera nerd, and I have yet to hang with him, without hearing about some new lens or obscure Japanese digital SLR model.  Anthony is a real wise guy. It’s in his blood.       

 
 
Anthony left NYC this week to visit Japan.
 
Two nights before his flight to Japan, Anthony told me that when he saw me with my camera at Chinatown Fair he could tell right away I wasn’t from NYC, but instead of passing judgement he decided to see what I was about.  He saw in my eyes that I was genuine and truly excited to be filming at CF.  So he introduced himself.  I remember the exact moment we met.  I was filming the crew playing 3rd Strike.  I was drawn to the 3rd Strike cabinet.  There was lots of trash talking, beer drinking, and a real sense of camaraderie.   Moments after meeting I began filming Anthony.  That’s when I captured the clip of Anthony that’s in the trailer.  He says, “This place should be a landmark if anything, its so fucked up.  You got so many different types of people coming here.  This is the only place you can really be yourself in.”  Anthony is about as eloquent and introspective as they come.  His musings have already had a big effect on the direction of the documentary.  
 
I knew he would become an integral part of the movie after that night.  What I didn’t realize was that he would become a friend.


     

Anthony has a blog documenting his NYC adventures, The New York Blues, and he is going to keep it going with a new site documenting his adventure across the sea.  I’ll post the new blog up when I got the URL.  

Photo by Vivienne Gucwa Our Kickstarter project took off this week! We surpassed our goal and are now pushing even harder to take it as far as we can.  The more funding we receive the better we can make this movie - we will have access to better equipment, be able to spend more time filming and more time editing, we can work with artists on animated sections (!!!!).  It will really open a door into a whole new world of creative options that Irene and I are giddy just thinking about.  We are so thankful for all the support.  Beyond the funding, all the support has given us the confidence that we can create a truly special film!!  Here are some links to articles written on the movie this past week and a few of our favorite comments! Laughing Squid, the legendary internet entity from the Bay Area, curated us on Kickstarter and blogged about us!!  Which Boing Boing picked up on and posted! This was a personal triumph since I am a huge BoingBoing fan. Then I see that USA Today’s awesome pop-culture blog written by Whitney Matheson, POP CANDY, posted about us!  Whitney wrote, “I think my favorite part of that clip is the final shot, which shows gamers so absorbed they don’t notice the young couple making out in the corner. Ha!” Ben Gilbert of Joystiq wrote a really nice piece about the Kickstarter project that resulted in 53 comments on the blog and a ton of twitter noise! Read it here. Please, keep sharing the Kickstarter project with people! And say hi to us on Facebook and Twitter!

Photo by Vivienne Gucwa

Our Kickstarter project took off this week! We surpassed our goal and are now pushing even harder to take it as far as we can.  The more funding we receive the better we can make this movie - we will have access to better equipment, be able to spend more time filming and more time editing, we can work with artists on animated sections (!!!!).  It will really open a door into a whole new world of creative options that Irene and I are giddy just thinking about.  We are so thankful for all the support.  Beyond the funding, all the support has given us the confidence that we can create a truly special film!! 

Here are some links to articles written on the movie this past week and a few of our favorite comments!

Laughing Squid, the legendary internet entity from the Bay Area, curated us on Kickstarter and blogged about us!!  Which Boing Boing picked up on and posted! This was a personal triumph since I am a huge BoingBoing fan.

Then I see that USA Today’s awesome pop-culture blog written by Whitney Matheson, POP CANDY, posted about us!  Whitney wrote, “I think my favorite part of that clip is the final shot, which shows gamers so absorbed they don’t notice the young couple making out in the corner. Ha!”

Ben Gilbert of Joystiq wrote a really nice piece about the Kickstarter project that resulted in 53 comments on the blog and a ton of twitter noise! Read it here.

Please, keep sharing the Kickstarter project with people! And say hi to us on Facebook and Twitter!


[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Clams Casino

—Motivation [Lil B]

Clams Casino - Motivation (Lil B) Instrumental

This is the second song you hear in the trailer.  Jam on it.

Terminator photo by Vivienne Gucwa

Kickstarter sends out a weekly email showcasing projects they love.  I have been receiving the email ever since my friend Paul Vogeler launched a successful Kickstarter to fund his journey to show his art in Berlin (btw, Paul is still on that journey and producing some incredible art!).   I was surprised to see our project included in this weeks’s email!! Kickstarter has some incredible writers on staff, because the way the described the film is incredible! Read Below: “As video game culture made the move from bustling arcades to private living rooms, Chinatown Fair remained an institution of New York’s gaming community. After over 50 years of continuous operation, the arcade has finally been forced to shutter its doors. Filmmaker Kurt Vincentcaptures its last moments, chronicling the lives of those who grew up in this beloved community spot as they make way for a new era.” Wow, spot on!!!  We are receiving an overwhelming amount of support since the email was sent out!  This movie is happening! -Kurt

Kickstarter sends out a weekly email showcasing projects they love.  I have been receiving the email ever since my friend Paul Vogeler launched a successful Kickstarter to fund his journey to show his art in Berlin (btw, Paul is still on that journey and producing some incredible art!).   I was surprised to see our project included in this weeks’s email!! Kickstarter has some incredible writers on staff, because the way the described the film is incredible! Read Below:

“As video game culture made the move from bustling arcades to private living rooms, Chinatown Fair remained an institution of New York’s gaming community. After over 50 years of continuous operation, the arcade has finally been forced to shutter its doors. Filmmaker Kurt Vincentcaptures its last moments, chronicling the lives of those who grew up in this beloved community spot as they make way for a new era.”

Wow, spot on!!!  We are receiving an overwhelming amount of support since the email was sent out!  This movie is happening!

-Kurt

Interview on Play The Past

                                                                                    photo by Vivienne Gucwa

In the past two weeks I have discovered an entire world of online commentary focused on the various aspects of gaming culture.  I have had the pleasure of having dialogs with a few of them.  Over the weekend I had a lot of fun answering questions posed by Trevor Owens, a contributor to Play the Past (a website “dedicated to thoughtfully exploring and discussing the intersection of cultural heritage (very broadly defined) and games/meaningful play (equally broadly defined)).  Trevor is a digital archivist at the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) in the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the Library of Congress and a doctoral student at GMU.  I think I need to interview him, I’m pretty curious about his line of work and studies.

The interview forced me to put into words a lot of things I have been thinking about.

The Last Night At Chinatown Fair Arcade: Interview with Director Kurt Vincent.

I am excited to meet up with Ben Gilbert, a Brooklyn based writer for Joystiq, to do an interview this week.  He actually lives in the same area as Irene and I.  You can read a post that he made on the movie here.

If you guys haven’t linked up with us on Facebook please do!!

FACEBOOK.COM/ARCADEMOVIE

5.10.2011 - Notes From A Kickstarter Project

The Kiss
A few days into the Arcade project launching on Kickstarter I was going over how many donations we needed to hit everyday if we were going to pass our goal.  I was actually obsessed.  I was constantly checking to see if we had any new backers and when we did I felt a jolt of satisfaction and when we didn’t I felt a sense of failure.  This was no way to spend the next month.  

After talking to my dad about our daily goals and these mathemetical projections I was coming up with, he interjected a piece of advice that has changed my approach to Kickstarter: Concentrate on what you can control.  It sounds obvious, but in the midst of a Kickstarter project that had to raise $20,000 in a short period of time it was revelatory and resulted in a subtle, yet vital change in attitude.

I realized that Irene and I have no control over how much and how many people decide to back our project.  There is no sense in judging our success solely by the percentage of our project that is funded, rather we should judge judge it on a number of factors that are directly related to our day-to-day efforts.  That way at the end of the day I knew we had done all we could do.  Even if we didn’t see a large increase in backers we knew that we put in a good days work and that eventually all the effort will pay off.  

What we have been concentrating on is getting the word about our movie and it’s Kickstarter project by talking with people. Emailing, tweeting, posting on Facebook, talking to the lady next to me in line at the movies.  If someone writes me I try to write them back immediately.  We have been spreading the word about our project in every way we can.  It is really beginning to show positive results.  Passion is contagious and if you show how strongly you feel about your project others will feel it and want to help.  And when they do offer help, it’s an amazing feeling, much better than neurotically checking my email looking for that new backer. 

-Kurt

p.s. Thanks Korey, for the design help!  Anyone need a graphics design edge, please look at http://www.bureaunyc.com/ and tell them Kurt sent ya ;-)

I just came across a blog post that made me smile.

“Every ounce of my being wants this movie to be made. I fell in love with it the moment I read the title and from what I can see from the short video this has the potential to be a real gem. Some of the best memories I have of being a teenager are of all my friends piling into my girlfriends car and spending the 90 dollars I made a week at KFC on arcade games. The Last Night At Chinatown Fair feels like a labor of love and a unique chance to see and share that moment we all have felt when something we love is lost. I know my $10 wont put much of a dent in their $20,000 pledge but its all I got man.”

       -MrsBonBon from http://backstrokeofthewest.blogspot.com/

Thank you, MrsBonBon.  You just reminded me why we are making this movie.  Your $10 is more important than you realize.  Thanks.

Since launching the Kickstarter project, the first thing I do in the morning, even before I brew my customary pot of coffee, I check the Kickstarter status. When Kickstarter.com loaded up today I was pleasantly surprised to see the Arcade project right there on the front page as the selected documentary feature. What a way to start my Monday. It is a strange experience receiving such amazing support from the Kickstarter people. People I have never even met. Not even digitally! At some point I want to thank them for all the help and making this opportunity a reality. I think Irene and I will bake some Pac-Man cookies and bring them by the office. Please keep spreading the word about the project. We are almost at 50% of our funding goal and just broke 100 backers! Over the weekend we met with Henry Cen from Next Level, Pat C, and Suesan from Xcubicle to discuss the Kickstarter backers party at Next Level. If you have donated to the project you are invited to the party at the new arcade in Brooklyn. Free drinks, video games, and music. Plus, I will be showing some footage from the movie. We have a date set for May 25th, so mark your calendars! Like our Facebook page to stay updated. -K

Since launching the Kickstarter project, the first thing I do in the morning, even before I brew my customary pot of coffee, I check the Kickstarter status. When Kickstarter.com loaded up today I was pleasantly surprised to see the Arcade project right there on the front page as the selected documentary feature. What a way to start my Monday.

It is a strange experience receiving such amazing support from the Kickstarter people. People I have never even met. Not even digitally! At some point I want to thank them for all the help and making this opportunity a reality. I think Irene and I will bake some Pac-Man cookies and bring them by the office.

Please keep spreading the word about the project. We are almost at 50% of our funding goal and just broke 100 backers! Over the weekend we met with Henry Cen from Next Level, Pat C, and Suesan from Xcubicle to discuss the Kickstarter backers party at Next Level. If you have donated to the project you are invited to the party at the new arcade in Brooklyn. Free drinks, video games, and music. Plus, I will be showing some footage from the movie. We have a date set for May 25th, so mark your calendars!

Like our Facebook page to stay updated.

-K