California Extreme is excited to announce our Speaker and Film Festival line-up for this year. It’s a great line-up with something for everyone.
Saturday
“Video Games Tips and Tricks” – Jonathan Koolpe, Mark Alpiger, Franz Lanzinger, and Desiree McCrorey
11:30 am
Join Jonathan and Mark as they offer a variety of tips, tricks, and strategies on some of your favorite video games. These guys have been playing the classics and honing their skills for over two decades. Several classics will be discussed including Millipede, Marble Madness, Zaxxon, Mr. Do, and some not as well-known (but still fun) classics such as the very cool (but also very rare) Williams Inferno. What secrets might they reveal to help you improve your scores? Join them to find out.
“Pinball Maintenance 101” – Chris Kuntz
12:30 pm
Just start collecting pinballs? Thinking about it? Maybe you'd just like to know the basics on how they work, and how to keep them working. Chris Kuntz, an expert repair technician, will be sharing his experience, teaching the basics, and fielding questions. Come learn from one of the true masters of the trade!
"The Arcade Trivia Challenge” – hosted by Bowen Kerins, David Hammett, and Brian Dominy
3:30 pm
Come and see which team has the best pinball and video game knowledge. How well do you know your PacMan from your VUK? Who will become the Arcade Trivia Wizard? Signups for teams for this competition will be taken until it fills up – sign up early!
“How to Play Pinball” – Bowen Kerins, Jim Belsito, and Keith Elwin
5:00 pm
“How to Play Pinball” – Rick Stetta
7:00 pm
Learn the tricks and techniques - straight from the wizards themselves! Note, this seminar will be held in the lobby!
California Extreme Film Festival
"TILT: The Battle to Save Pinball" – Greg Maletic
1:30 pm
This film tells the story of the extraordinary Pinball 2000(tm) machines built by Williams in an effort to save not just the company, but the product that had defined coin-operated entertainment for eighty years. Greg will be on-hand to discuss the film after its showing and to answer any questions.
“Ball Saved” – Ben Olson
2:25 pm
“Ball Saved” features a rare glimpse behind the scenes at Stern Pinball, an interview with Roger Sharpe, world-class player, historian and pinball transcendentalist and brings you into the world of competitive pinball at the Pinbrawl.
“Pinball 101” – Keith and Randy Elwin
3:05 pm
An extended trailer, this video shows techniques for better play and how to make the ball do what you want. Learn how to "be the ball" - or just OWN it! Keith and Randy will be on-hand to answer any questions after the showing.
“High Score” – Bill Carlton (directed by Jeremy Mack)
5:45 pm
This South By Southwest Film Festival Audience Award winning film, "High Score" is a highly praised documentary about a single man's (Bill Carlton) quest for a high score on Missile Command. “High Score” follows Bill as he attempts to take down the Atari classic Missile Command and its twenty year-old record. To get the 80 million points he'll have to play the game on one quarter for over two days straight. There is no pause button. There will be no sleep. There can be only one victor in this classic story of Man versus Missile Command.
As an added bonus, Bill will be on hand to answer audience questions after the film. Who knows? Maybe Bill will make another Missile Command high score attempt at the show, too!
“Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade” by Men at Work Pictures
7:15 pm
In the early eighties, video games were synonymous with arcades, and games were bringing in enough quarters to fill the Rose Bowl. This endless possibility led Iowa entrepreneur Walter Day to declare himself the sole authority on high scores. In 1982, Walter launched his Twin Galaxies International Scoreboard and the rest, as they say, is history.
Sixteen teenage superstars came from all over North America to join Walter in a LIFE Magazine feature spread, which recognized them as video game world champions. This led to nationally televised competitions, a touring National Video Game Team, and the promise of fame, fortune and groupies. Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade revisits Walter and the LIFE players, now middle-aged men, as they reminisce on the arcade scene, its demise, and the dreams that crashed with it. It is a story of growing up, and a tribute to an era when a quarter and a dream could take you anywhere.
Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival 2007 Documentary Competition and an official selection of the Los Angeles Film Festival 2007. This film will be screened in HD.
“The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” by Picturehouse
9:00 pm
A middle-school science teacher and a hot sauce mogul vie for the Guinness World Record on the arcade classic, Donkey Kong.
In 1982, LIFE Magazine assembled the world's greatest gamers for a photo shoot that would become the center spread of their 1982 Year-In-Photos edition. Billy Mitchell, who would later be named the "Gamer of the Century," was one of the invitees. Mitchell, the World Record holder on Centipede, had been tracking the score on Donkey Kong, and knew he could take that title as well. In front of the 20 best gamers in the world, Billy scored 874,300 points, a record many thought would never be broken.
In 2003, 35 year old family man Steve Wiebe, after losing his job at Boeing, found solace in Donkey Kong. Steve stumbled upon Billy Mitchell's record online, and set out to break it. He began perfecting his game every night after his wife and kids went to bed, and not only surpassed Billy's record, but ended up with a thought-to-be-impossible 1,000,000 points.
A tidal wave of media coverage followed, and Steve Wiebe quickly became a celebrity in his hometown of Seattle, WA. He also rediscovered his love for teaching, and regained the respect of all who once doubted him. Meanwhile, back in Hollywood, FL, Billy Mitchell hatched a plan to reclaim his fallen Donkey Kong record.
In the months that followed, Steve and Billy engaged in a cross-country duel to see who could set the high score that would be included in the 2007 Guinness World Records' book and become The King of Kong. Along the way, both men learned valuable lessons about what it means to be a father, a husband, and a true champion... discovering that you don't always need to win to be a winner.
We are very excited to be able to show this film in advance of its general nationwide opening on August 24, 2007. This film is rated PG-13 for a brief sexual reference.
Bonus Film - “Best of Pinpin” – Minimum Wage Entertainment
10:30 pm
The Pinpin crew has made six snowboarding/pinball DVDs and is bringing the best of their pinball work to California Extreme.
An addition, the trailers “Special When Lit” – Emily Rickard and “Press Start” – Minimum Wage Entertainment will be shown some time during the festival.
Sunday
The Care and Feeding of Vector Monitors / Everything You Need to Know about Cinematronics – Zonn Moore and Mark Shostak
12:00 noon
Zonn Moore of
www.zektor.com will reprise some of the material from his fantastic vector monitor session from a number of years ago. Ever wondered what makes your vector monitor tick and how to take care of it? Detailed technical information will be presented in an accessible and entertaining way - not to be missed. Mark Shostak of
www.cinelabs.com will join the conversation to present much needed information specific to Cinematronics games. There may have never been as much Cinematronics information available in one room at one time since the company was making games! Truly an event for Cinematronics and Vector games owners and lovers!
“How to Play Pinball” – Bowen Kerins, Jim Belsito, and Keith Elwin
12:00 noon
Learn the tricks and techniques - straight from the wizards themselves! Note, this seminar will be held in the lobby!
SuperTech Summit – John Casiday, Ken Chaney, Pete Cooley, Bob Ellingson, Chris Kuntz, Gene Lewin, Zonn Moore, and Mark Shostak
1:30 pm
A working technician needs a good tool box, and a good bag of tricks. The tech is a peculiar breed, seeming to enjoy discussing their working experience with others of their kind, exchanging tips, tricks, and tools information. Ever wonder what is going through their mind? Here’s a chance to find out! California Extreme provides a unique in-person gathering of techs, so let's see what happens if we put 'em in a room and ask them to talk about what they do. You will learn money saving tips, time saving techniques, and general guidance on how to get to the bottom of your machine's troubles in an efficient way. Bring questions and tips of your own!
Please note that the above schedule is subject to change. Hope to see you there!
