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Posts tagged “documentary

Where can I see “The Legacy of Arrow Development” documentary?

You’ve no doubt seen all the promotion and publicity for this coaster documentary. So, where exactly can you see “The Legacy of Arrow Development?”

Well, you can subscribe to American Coaster Enthusiasts on YouTube, and see it here.

– OR –

You can go to www.LegacyOfArrow.com and watch it there.

Either way, enjoy the ride and be sure to share it with all your friends, family, and favorite TV stations and streaming services!

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Legacy of Arrow World Premiere in Downtown San Jose

It’s the day after Christmas – and you didn’t get what you wanted, did you? That ugly sweater, socks or worse – underwear!

Have no fear – we’ve got you covered…

Give the gift of an experience that they won’t soon forget – a ticket to the world premiere of ACE’s “The Legacy of Arrow Development,” presented by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk!

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Tickets are just $10, with a $10 upgrade available if you’d like priority seating, reception and Q&A with the filmmakers. You can purchase your tickets here or at the Montgomery Theater Box Office.

We’ll see you in your best suits and dresses on the evening of January 23rd!


What Happened to Lost Parks of Northern California?

Many of you have been asking, “When will we see another episode of “Lost Parks of Northern California?”

Well, “Lost Parks” has been on a bit of a hiatus this year – but there’s a perfectly good explanation for it:

We’ve been working all year on a documentary on the history and legacy of former amusement ride manufacturer (and Bay Area company) Arrow Development!

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But, don’t worry – the award-winning show will return – just as soon as we recover from the workload of the “Legacy of Arrow Development” project!


Magnum XL-200 Filming for Legacy of Arrow – Throwback Thursday

Today’s Throwback Thursday comes from this past summer, when I had the privilege to cross the country with my good friends Robert Ingle and Nicholas Laschkewitsch to help tell the story of Arrow Development.

The documentary is coming out later this year – so for now, enjoy this great scene of Magnum XL-200 (world’s first hypercoaster) from Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. The fire ants and muffleheads were INSANE!

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As for my hair – I’m pretty sure I was wearing a hat that day…


Fury 325: From Dreams to Screams documentary

I’ve posted in the past how coaster videos are shifting – from just POV to entire documentary-style video productions. One of the artists at that forefront is Devin Olson, whom I have immense respect for.

Yesterday, he debuted his latest film – a project nearly two years in the making…

Do yourself a favor – sit back, relax and enjoy this breathtaking look at the construction of one of the tallest roller coasters in the world today, Fury 325 at Carowinds:


Riding Roller Coasters to Preserve History

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With the exception of wooden roller coasters, most of today’s state of the art thrill rides are designed by European firms. But in the 1960’s, Northern California-based Arrow Development was the company that parks around the world came to for the latest in steel coaster innovation.

Last month, a small crew of volunteers from American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) Worldwide, Inc. crisscrossed the country to tell the story of an American manufacturing legend that entertained millions. The team visited amusement and theme parks with prominent Arrow rides, including: Six Flags Over Texas, Cedar Point, Kennywood, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Lagoon Park and Silverwood Theme Park.

Nicholas Laschkewitsch is the Video Promotions Coordinator for American Coaster Enthusiasts:

“The story of Arrow is the story of the American dream,” said Laschkewitsch. “Four steel workers quit their jobs to form their own company in a car garage and quite literally, turned the world upside down.”

Kris Rowberry is the Executive Producer, as well as the host of “The Lost Parks of Northern California”:

“Everyone knows Silicon Valley as a hotbed for technological innovations,” said Rowberry. “But few know that the valley that gave us Google and iPhones also spawned the world’s first log flume and corkscrew roller coaster. It truly is a forgotten piece of our national history.”

Robert Ingle is a Producer on the film as well as a Photographer:

“This project will literally bring history to life, as well as preserve it for generations to come.”

The public is welcome to join the team on the journey by following American Coaster Enthusiasts on social media or by using the #RideWithACE and #LegacyofArrow hashtags. Fans can also visit: my.aceonline.org/arrow

About ACE: Founded in 1978, ACE is a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation, promotion, appreciation and safe enjoyment of roller coasters. With more than 5,000 members across the globe, ACE is the largest amusement park enthusiast organization in the world. In addition, numerous television outlets such as the Travel Channel have prominently featured ACE and it’s members.


KION Central Coast News Features “Lost Parks of Northern California”

Not even a day after our story aired on KSBW – leading off the newscast, no less – KION Central Coast News got in on the “Lost Parks” action, with their own report!

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Special thanks to reporter Cassandra Arsenault for coming out and recording us! (And for nerding out briefly on Boston area amusement parks, too!)

On a side note – what is it about Boston area-born reporters and the Bay Area? That’s two now!

Second side note – we’re filmmakers – someone reported it – so it’s official!!!

Jump to the story by clicking the link, below:

http://www.kionrightnow.com/news/local-news/filmmakers-look-to-preserve-santas-village-through-documentary/-/23047192/23650682/-/14uwndb/-/index.html


Lost Parks Featured on KSBW Action News!

Chalk another news outlet onto the list that’s discovered the charm and passion of the “Lost Parks of Northern California” series…KSBW Central Coast News led their newscast with a story on our project!

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Check out the the video, by clicking the link, here:

http://www.ksbw.com/news/central-california/santa-cruz/Documentary-focuses-on-Santa-s-Village-on-Central-Coast/-/5738976/23650724/-/v6cvlh/-/index.html


The People Behind “Lost Parks” and the Manteca Waterslides

Despite how it may look, there are many, MANY people who are involved in the production of “Lost Parks of Northern California.”

Without them, I would not be able to look as good as I do presenting it. With that, here are all the people it took to bring the Manteca Waterslides episode to life:

Al Garcia, Waterworld California: A big thanks goes to my longtime friend Al Garcia, who is the Marketing Sales Coordinator for the park. He gave us his personal stories of Manteca – in addition to allowing us to capture some unbelievable angles of the water slides in his park – including this particularly moist one. Visit his park (when it’s open) at: www.waterworldcalifornia.com

Roger Ross & Ryan Davies, California’s Great AmericaFor allowing us to film inside their Boomerang Bay water park and make that historical connection to the slides in Manteca, I am forever indebted to you both. Here’s hoping that we get to work together again soon, or maybe even catch a Sharks game together this season. Visit their park at: www.cagreatamerica.com

Mike Brown and the Entire Brown Family: Mr. Brown – thank you for giving us the opportunity to share your family story with us – and thank you even more for opening up to us about all the history you hold in your memories. I can always say that I hung out with the owner of the Manteca Waterslides, and bought him lunch, while we shared stories and went through old photo albums. We will wear our Manteca “Anniversary” hats with pride.

Debby Moorhead, Vice Mayor of Manteca: Debby was crucial to us tracking down and getting permission from the current owners of the slides, as well as a great interview and one of the few, genuine politicians we’ve ever met. Sounds like Manteca is THE place to be in the coming years…we can’t wait!

ProAM USA: There is no way we would have been able to capture some of the beautiful shots in this video without winning a Facebook contest from these guys. (Seriously, we actually won a Facebook contest and got a camera crane!) Our new DVC60 camera jib was put through it’s paces this episode and we cannot wait to see what else we create with it.

Oh, and we’d love to model some of your other products, by the way…

Robert Ingle: Those promotional photos of me in the slides “acting” were all captured by Robert – who’s got quite the eye for awesome photos. But, his real skill is to blend in so I don’t even realize he’s taking my picture. I think there’s a career for you at TMZ if you’re interested, Robert.

And for those of you wondering, it’s Robert’s face that closes out the first episode in the credit roll…

Taylor Evans: I’ve never had a script supervisor before – but if I ever can hire one, it would be Taylor. He kept me on track and motivated as best as the Costco hot dog I bought him for lunch. For such complex shots, he was able to let me relax and do my thing, while he made sure the script still made sense. He also was responsible for the “summer winding down” edit that we thankfully caught that day.

And finally, I’ve saved the best for last – and with good reason, too.

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Getting direction from Nicholas, with Taylor holding the sun reflector. (Photo by Robert Ingle)

I first met Nicholas Laschkewitsch a little less than a year ago – and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to partner with on this series.  We’re three episodes into this once “little” project – and he somehow continually finds ways to both amaze and astound me with his work, both as a cinematographer, video editor and field producer.

This, mind you – without any professional training or experience. Nicholas simply has an eye for good work – and I could not be more fortunate to have found him and work with him on this series. He is just as much responsible for the success of this series as I am in front of the camera and doing research. Here’s to many more fun projects with the best producer I could ever have asked for.

If you haven’t seen how all these people came together on this project – look no further!