Dream Arcades documentary

[DreamArcades]

We recently had a small video production company come out and do a documentary on  Dream Arcades.

http://current.com/items/88855233_ware_s_80s
 
It doesn't really show a lot of video of the inside the shop, but it is interesting and I thought some BYOAC member might like it.

If you like it be sure to vote for it. If you do like it and it gets enough votes then they'll put in on Current TV. Beside publicity for Dream arcades the guy's whose company shot it is a struggling producer who could use the exposure. 

Pass it along to anyone who you think might be interested. 

-Mike

[ChadTower]

Okay - I tried to watch it.  I really did.  Two minutes in when all they've talked about is dude being laid off I axed it.  That's too much time to watch someone get redeployed.

[Dazz]

First off I can see why the producer is struggling...  The whole video sounds cheap.  The music used through the whole video is that of a music box.  Then the cuts to Dragon's Lair has nothing to do with what the narrator is talking about and feel like they are entered completely randomly.  With the exception of your wife talking and Daphne screaming "Save Me". 

Other then that I'm a bit confused as to what the documentary is actually about...  Is it about the layoff and outsourcing, or is it about your opening of your business? 

Even after watching the whole video I am still as confused as just watching the opening.  I would like to say that I feel for and your situation man...  I am currently going through the same thing, but for a MAJOR ONLINE TRAVEL company.   I will not state the name but it starts with a T and ends with city.com.  They are out sourcing our group to Montevideo, Uruguay and we are expected to train our replacements...  I am currently looking for a new position either within the company or outside.   We have been given until the end of 08, but not a really fun place to be in at this time. 

[rooter]

The announcer sounds like he is talking to a 5 year old.  The music goes with that.

I did like getting a peek at how you produce your machines.  Thanks

[padstack]

Gotta echo a few sentiments.  I certainly feel for you and wish you the best of luck in your own business.

In a 7 minute video though, there isn't enough time for multiple storylines.  If you wanted to call this "my wife and I in a nutshell" then it might work, but you'd need a few more hours of tape.  One minute it's about the gaming industry, the next it's about Bush's comments on jobs.  JMO.  You seem like a cool guy.  Your machines look good too.

On a related note, I'm often confused about why people get so mad at the people overseas who are so upset about people taking their jobs.  Do they feel bad if they take a job over another applicant?  IMO, it's not really that different.  If you owned your own business, would you make sure you only bought USA made components instead of maximizing profit?  (OP, I'm certainly not posing this question @ you.  Just thinking out loud.  I think if I owned my own business I would go for profit every time.)

You know what, I'll just cut this off b/c I think I'm screwing with your thread.  Best of luck though!

[quarterback]

I agree that the end about Bush, outsourcing etc seems tacked on, but overall I think it's an okay little piece.

But it was shot 16x9 and is squished to 4x3 on that site.  Somebody from "Fire Productions" should fix that.

[quarterback]

I agree that the end about Bush, outsourcing etc seems tacked on, but overall I think it's an okay little piece.

But it was shot 16x9 and is squished to 4x3 on that site.  Somebody from "Fire Productions" should fix that.

This is what Mike really looks like:



Not like this:

[Havok]

Just checked it out - at the very least re-do the music...

I did enjoy the small peek at your facilities and how the games are made however...

[johnperkins21]

Sorry, I couldn't get past three minutes. It's a very bad Michael Moore imitation. And Morgan Spurlock did a much, much better job with the whole Outsourcing Sucks thing:
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/30days/main.html

However, I didn't really mind the music all that much.

[rlemmon]

I liked the bit about how the arcades are made but that's all.  I would love to see one were you go in depth about how you started and run your company and how the machines are made.

[DreamArcades]

Actually I don't normally look so pale and tired, the video was taken shortly after the holiday rush, plus I had a bad case of Bronchitis. I normally have at least a little color.

Anyway, I did figure some BYOAC members wouldn't much care for the political stuff, but there is some shots of the shop and arcades so I figured I would post it anyway.

I think the producer wanted to make it somewhat political as Current TV is owned by Al Gore.

[quarterback]

Actually I don't normally look so pale and tired, the video was taken shortly after the holiday rush, plus I had a bad case of Bronchitis. I normally have at least a little color.

  But I still would bet money that pic #1 is closer to what your world looks like than the squeezed version in the video.

One other note, at first I thought that the aspect ratio problem was related to uploading it to that site however, that doesn't seem to be the case.  Whoever edited this screwed it up.   The graphics in the video are correct when shown 4:3, but all the actual video footage is not.  In other words, they edited this by intercutting anamorphic/UNletterboxed 16:9 footage with 4:3 graphics. 

My honest hope is that you didn't pay for this 'documentary' to be made because it's clear that "Fire Productions" has very limited knowledge of what they're doing.  It would be like your company making a custom CP for somebody, but drilling 2" holes for all the buttons because you thought that was the correct diameter and proudly showing the CP to the world as an example of your work. 


If you did pay for it, please don't tell us how much.   

[Goshen]

This video reminded me of those old projector films that we used to watch in elementary school that were made 30 years earlier about "good manners" and, the "life of a working man".

"This is sid...sid is a ditch digger...sid works hard..."

But seriously...I love that you are following your dream!  Everyone should be doing something they love, and stop being a corporate tool.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Being in the TV business for 15 years, I tend to be a little pickier than the norm.  I myself am a producer for the History Channel and A&E and I've seen hundreds of shows produced.  That said:

I think the promotional video idea is a good one, but not by this producer.  He lacks the professional and polished look that is so deserving of a documentary in general.

A few problems that I saw right off the bat:

• The writing needs some polishing.  The story was focused on his being layed off.  Although that is an interesting point to make in the documentary, it should only be a highlight towards the creation of his business, not the main point to focus on.  For example, it should have focused on the positive aspects of the business first, and then maybe a comment or two on the layoffs later and how it was fortunate that it happened and what it led to.  The point is to draw people into watching the piece within the first :30 seconds with a positive light on the company, not to have them tune out on a depressing story.
• The music was terrible.  Not only did it not fit the piece (more like a depressing version of Jeopardy), but it was repeated, over and over and over.  There is no excuse for this.  Royalty free music is available everywhere on the internet for free download.

• The narration was awful.  The narrator's voice was not a documentary type voice.  Even so, it could have worked had the audio be mixed properly to allow his voice to stand out.  It was hard to hear at times as it was overpowered by the background music.  Also, he spoke a little too fast at times with drawn out sentences.  Again, the writing needs to be worked on.
• I'm sure the Aspect ratio was something that could not be helped due to the formatting of the current.com site.  However, the video could have been submitted with the included black bars on the top and bottom to avoid the picture squishing when it gets "downconverted" to 4:3

Although a great idea to begin with, the final product suffered as a result of poor planning.  This would definitely fail our technical evaluation standard and practices here at THC and not even make it to air.

Again, the producer is to blame.

~ DeLuSioNaL

[quarterback]

• I'm sure the Aspect ratio was something that could not be helped due to the formatting of the current.com site.  However, the video could have been submitted with the included black bars on the top and bottom to avoid the picture squishing when it gets "downconverted" to 4:3

But that was the point of my last post, I dont' think that it is current.com that was the problem.  I believe that problem lies within the project itself because the editor intercut 16:9 footage with 4:3 graphic elements, but put them both into the same sized frame (either squeezing one or stretching the other)

If the entire project were stretched out to 16:9 (which is what it would take to get the interview stuff looking correct), then the webpage graphic would look like this:



Instead of like this:



I guess it's possible that the 16:9 version is what that webpage is supposed to look like, but the 4:3 version looks correct to me.

[ids]

Oh look - one can get DA to respond to this thread, but not email.  Interesting.

[DreamArcades]

Oh look - one can get DA to respond to this thread, but not email.  Interesting.

I'm not sure what you are referring to. Dream Arcades gets 100's of e-mails everyday and we respond to over 90% in less than 1 business day.

However, if you've had some issue getting support for a product you've purchased through us or a similar issue, you can e-mail me directly at: Mike@dreamarcades.com

Be sure to include as much information as possible.
Regards,
Mike

Dream Arcades stands behind every arcade we sell.

[CheffoJeffo]

Oh look - one can get DA to respond to this thread, but not email.  Interesting.

That's a bit harsh ... 

Did you PM here ? Did you call ?

[ids]

You're right - it comes off harsh - sorry.   I did not mean to imply that DA generally ignores customers.  I had emailed "support" on Feb 25 asking about getting parts shipped to Canada, with no response yet.  Perhaps also their "parts" department may be experiencing some lag due to a maternity leave?  I had assumed, however, that anyone there would be able to respond to an email.  I've moved on to finding other suppliers, or choosing other parts.

Sorry again - my intentions were not to piss on DA.

[CheffoJeffo]

You're right - it comes off harsh - sorry.   I did not mean to imply that DA generally ignores customers.  I had emailed "support" on Feb 25 asking about getting parts shipped to Canada, with no response yet.  Perhaps also their "parts" department may be experiencing some lag due to a maternity leave?  I had assumed, however, that anyone there would be able to respond to an email.  I've moved on to finding other suppliers, or choosing other parts.

Sorry again - my intentions were not to piss on DA.

It's just that the very fact that we all filter for SPAM should indicate to everybody that e-mail isn't a reliable mode of contact, so we should hold off and try things like the the phone and PM before posting negative experiences based solely on a lack of response to email.

I know that I have a tough time getting email through to certain suppliers of arcade parts, but I can get them on the phone easily enough and that typically serves to resolve the problem.

 

[DreamArcades]

I looked into this. We did get your e-mail on Feb. 25th and replied that we do not ship parts internationally. We used to, but we discontinued it due to USPS policies recently put into place.

I'm not sure why you didn't get our e-mail (maybe it got caught in a SPAM filter or something like that). I'm sorry for the inconvenience and appreciate that you took the time to clarify as well.

Thanks,
Mike

PS. BYOAC members can PM as well as e-mail me directly if you ever need to.

You're right - it comes off harsh - sorry.   I did not mean to imply that DA generally ignores customers.  I had emailed "support" on Feb 25 asking about getting parts shipped to Canada, with no response yet.  Perhaps also their "parts" department may be experiencing some lag due to a maternity leave?  I had assumed, however, that anyone there would be able to respond to an email.  I've moved on to finding other suppliers, or choosing other parts.

Sorry again - my intentions were not to piss on DA.

It's just that the very fact that we all filter for SPAM should indicate to everybody that e-mail isn't a reliable mode of contact, so we should hold off and try things like the the phone and PM before posting negative experiences based solely on a lack of response to email.

I know that I have a tough time getting email through to certain suppliers of arcade parts, but I can get them on the phone easily enough and that typically serves to resolve the problem.

 

[ids]

Thanks Mike - I'm feeling like a real jerk right now

I did check my spam folder, but nothing there.  My apologies again.  Plain vanilla text (and too little of it) does not well convey intent (or lake thereof).  Lesson learned for me

All the best to you and your fine company!  (i like the documentary too - not quite 100% on production quality, but plenty good enough)

[DreamArcades]

The producer said he tried different aspect ratios and couldn't get it formatted right. He's going to put it up on YouTube as he says he can get it correct on there.

Also, we didn't pay for this. The guy who did it really just loved classic arcades. He saw a news paper article about us and asked if he could drive down and do a shoot featuring us.

[DreamArcades]

Don't worry about it. I know that I have posted messages not realizing that some people took it wrong. It's really easy to do.
But thanks for the apology anyway.

BTW: I once got in trouble at Intel for replying to messages in red type. They said it made it look like I was mad. I had only chosen red because everyone else was using black or blue. I changed it to purple =-)

Thanks Mike - I'm feeling like a real jerk right now

I did check my spam folder, but nothing there.  My apologies again.  Plain vanilla text (and too little of it) does not well convey intent (or lake thereof).  Lesson learned for me

All the best to you and your fine company!  (i like the documentary too - not quite 100% on production quality, but plenty good enough)

[DaOld Man]

Hey there Mike, I liked the video, however I dont like Micheal Moore, and this kinda reminded me of one of his movies.
But I know outsourcing is a bad thing.
We had a factory here in my home town in kentucky (Red Kap Industries) that shut down after 30-40 years. they laid everyone off and moved the factory to Mexico.
It should be unlawful for a huge company to do that. I understand economics, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. And it's not like the employees made a fortune there. (My sister-in law worked there for about 20 years, so I know what they paid.) I just wonder how bad they are screwing the Mexicans to make it worthwhile to move there.

[johnperkins21]

Hey there Mike, I liked the video, however I dont like Micheal Moore, and this kinda reminded me of one of his movies.
But I know outsourcing is a bad thing.
We had a factory here in my home town in kentucky (Red Kap Industries) that shut down after 30-40 years. they laid everyone off and moved the factory to Mexico.
It should be unlawful for a huge company to do that. I understand economics, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. And it's not like the employees made a fortune there. (My sister-in law worked there for about 20 years, so I know what they paid.) I just wonder how bad they are screwing the Mexicans to make it worthwhile to move there.

I know this is off-topic, but you can't be serious. The issue is much more complex than that. Americans in general are constantly looking for the best deal and are usually willing to go where the best price is even if it is detrimental to quality. That's simply the general mindset, so the corporations need to keep costs down and go into developing countries where they can get cheaper labor. This causes many Americans to lose jobs, but allows many other Americans to purchase goods and services at a lower cost which in turn gives them more money to spend in other places that could potentially lead to more jobs for Americans. You also have the economic benefits to the developing countries that could in turn have economic benefits to the corporations here that eventually benefit more Americans.

Simply saying outsourcing is a bad thing and that it should be outlawed greatly simplifies the issue at hand. There are two very good cases on either side of the argument, and "drawing a line" as you say is virtually impossible. Tax breaks for corporations that stay here certainly help, as does buying American, but as long as the general populace goes after the least expensive option in the majority of cases corporations have to continue to cut costs any way they can to be competitive.

Personally, I'd like to see less outsourcing, but it's not inherently bad.

[DreamArcades]

I almost forgot. Here's a YouTube video that shows a little more of the shop and the arcades. Might be of more interest to BYOAC members.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_mnCBZHBOw[/youtube]

[Ummon]

That's a weird video.

[DaOld Man]

Cool man, looks like you guys are doing real good.
Ever think about expanding to Ky?

[Donkey_Kong]

I almost forgot. Here's a YouTube video that shows a little more of the shop and the arcades. Might be of more interest to BYOAC members.

This is the video you should be passing around Mike. It's perfect for getting new people back into arcade games. Too bad you didn't have that reporter to help answer the phone and sell everyday, she's good. Keep up the good work, nice operation. I'll add a link to your website and the video to NiceCarvings.com



 

[ark_ader]

I wonder how Dream Arcades' are doing now with the threat of recession and the slow down of the economy? 

I hope Dream Arcades learnt the valuable lesson on how everything ends and budgeted accordingly. 

Jobs and businesses in the lesiure market are the first to go.

Will we still see Dream Arcades in the next 2 years from now?

I did not like the first video, but the second one was much better.

I saw your arcade cabinets at FAO Schwartz at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace
in Las Vegas.  Unfortunately either there was no roms installed or the staff has disabled the controls. 

Nice cabinet build and the controls were comfortable, but the bartop looked really dorky.

Ooops I just verified if they were indeed your cabinets and nope they are Dream Authentic.  So Dream Authentic if you are reading this thread you cabs are ok but your bartop looks dorky.   

http://www.fao.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=10746&categoryId=574&parentCategoryId=592&name=Katana+Video+Arcade+Cabinet+and+Digital+Jukebox

[quarterback]

I almost forgot. Here's a YouTube video that shows a little more of the shop and the arcades. Might be of more interest to BYOAC members.

Cool coverage and great promo for your company, IMO.  You can't get much more excited than that crazy reporter

[ahofle]

I almost forgot. Here's a YouTube video that shows a little more of the shop and the arcades. Might be of more interest to BYOAC members.

Why did they use the audio from the 2600 version of Pacman for that clip?   

[javeryh]

I almost forgot. Here's a YouTube video that shows a little more of the shop and the arcades. Might be of more interest to BYOAC members.

Why did they use the audio from the 2600 version of Pacman for that clip?   

I was wondering the same thing!  Those sounds are permanently ingrained in my head...