This is sort of a psycho-analysis of myself. It’s about my earliest memory and what drove me to make movies.
Special thanks to everyone who submitted music. I had plenty of stuff to listen through and will always look back if I need more.
Also thanks to the workers for allowing me to film there. They told me the dragon is being moved to the front of the park. Nevertheless, it was my last time seeing it the way I remembered.
UPDATE: I’ve been told the dragon has been successfully moved to the front of the park, on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, it’s a bit shorter now. It’s been cut down in size. I’ll always remember it the way it was before.
OUTTAKES VIDEO. I posted a video of some of the raw footage which captures the feeling of shock and disbelief I had coming back to the park on the same day the dragon was being moved.
June 21, 2010 at 1:59 pm
Finally ready to watch.
June 21, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Thanks a lot James for making up this movie
you sure know how to do a great job man, your efforts and the results always proove it.
June 21, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Oh yeah, memories and dreams are mankind’s mightiest tool.
June 21, 2010 at 2:13 pm
This video reminds of my childhood nightmares and good old times too.
Times have changed
June 21, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Ow wow ….. That was not at all what I expected ! which is a good thing! I really am happy that you made it in time to see the dragon. it’s so strange to think that if you would have been later you couldn’t have seen it
very emotional and heartwarming movie.
keep up the good work
June 21, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Wow James, that is unbelievable. I was expecting something humorous and informative, but I think this is the most emotionally involved video you have ever done. I feel it has a sort of similarity to Toy Story 3 that I saw yesterday, where it’s tough to let go of the past only memories serve as treasures and we can be ready to embrace the future!
Watching you taking a look at the dragon for the last time truly reminds me of the moment at the end of the movie where Andy hands over his beloved toys. It’s both sad and beautiful and I’m sure most of us are ready for the future, but we’ll always have our childhood memories to remember upon for the rest of our lives.
June 21, 2010 at 2:20 pm
that was amazing. I’ve never seen you tackle such an emotional subject before and it was incredible. it made me sad and optimistic at the same time. nostalgia mixed with excitement for the future. well done man, fucking well done.
June 21, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Beutiful mini doc
June 21, 2010 at 2:28 pm
so fucking sad
June 21, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Wow, James… that was a great, great video. It really inspired a lot of emotion in me. I’m sure that many people owe you a great big thank you for that. Very powerful.
June 21, 2010 at 2:30 pm
James:
Thank you for sharing that beautiful and vulnerable moment with us. You are a true artist / creator. I respect you and your journey. You inspire me to believe in my dreams and myself.
June 21, 2010 at 2:37 pm
That was simply incredible, a great documentary that has surely inspired me. Let me tell you something, I hate documentary’s, but when you make them, theres just something else involved…a connection I feel between your story and myself. James….you rock man. Hopefully one day that big motion picture will finally happen…till than, so long till the next vid!
June 21, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Fund raise for James to buy that dragon fountain! LOL, James is tracing a dragon and acctualy caught it.
June 21, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Beautiful
June 21, 2010 at 2:47 pm
this is sad
June 21, 2010 at 2:52 pm
That was simply beautiful. I’m not ashamed to say there were definitely some tears welling up in my eyes while you were seeing the dragon for the last time. I know that feeling too well. It’s hard to let something go that meant so much to you as a child, even if it is just an inanimate object.
June 21, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Beautiful
June 21, 2010 at 2:55 pm
HOLY SH*T! The Nerd’s mom!
Great video dude! I almost cried :’)
June 21, 2010 at 2:56 pm
really beautiful
June 21, 2010 at 2:57 pm
wow, that was pretty moving.
June 21, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Wow James, that was your most emotional and poignant work to date! It shows that not only do you know how to make us, your audience, laugh and be frightened, but you also know how to display a lot of heart and emotion into as well.
You are also very insightful in your work, something that is evident also in your reviews. You are extremely lucky to have seen the dragon for the last time before it disappeared forever.
Well done James, you have always given me joy with your videos, and you have done it once again!
June 21, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Amazing work, beautiful.
June 21, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Brother I think I speak for all of us here when I say you have our support for that full feature project, I wish I had a lot of money so I could invest in your movies cause you truly are one of a kind!
If we relate so much with your work is because in some way you have the ability to portrait what is in our minds and shape it in the best way possible!
welcome to the best part of your life! the 30′s are when you are no longer a kid but a young adult, you prepared for a long time and now is time to show how well prepared you are to face the world on your own! it can only get better from here!
you have that special touch to tell any story, I remember well that last good bye to casper, you made me cry on that one and also on this one cause I haven’t face my dragon yet.
June 21, 2010 at 3:06 pm
i must say, that this is indeed a touching piece of video.
i must admit that it nearly brought a tear to my eye.
June 21, 2010 at 3:06 pm
This is by far my favorite video of yours James. All the editing, filming techniques, and effort that went in to this movie paid off. Your skills as a movie maker are truly astonishing.
Lately people have been commenting on your posts that your fans only like you for AVGN. I hope those people are not so narrow-minded as to miss this. Anyone who believe that James is simply a foul-mouthed angsty gamer needs to see this.
Your story, and also the way you tell it, is incredible. You have truly come a long way from photo albums and comic books. I, and all of your other true fans, look forward to your bright future of movie production. Keep up the good, diverse work. And thank you for the inspirational entertainment.
June 21, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Such a sweet little flick.
Fate kept that dragon alive for you, until just the right moment.
June 21, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Excellent, James. I too am turning 30 this year. I always knew we were close in age, but I didn’t realize it was the same year and all.
I had a similar experience to yours as shown in the film a couple of summers ago, when I visited the playground behind my elementary school. Some things were the same, a lot was different, but it was overwhelming. I sat down at the bench next to the softball/ kickball field and could hear the kids playing, even though it was getting dark and there was no one around. Haunting nostalgia.
“There are places I’ll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I’ve loved them all…”
June 21, 2010 at 3:13 pm
James, that was undoubtedly the most emotional video you’ve ever done. And I never thought you would actually pull out something like that at this moment, especially when you’re doing a celebrative video like that.
I wish had such a vivid memory like yours, and even if I had, I would love to revisit that memory. That was simply amazing. And we finally had the chance to meet Mrs. Rolfe.
Congratulations for making 300 great videos, and I hope that your next 300 are even more successful, recognizable, memorable and that they may lead you to whatever you want to accomplish.
Wishing you all the best,
Your biggest fan from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
June 21, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Hey James,
I just wanted to let you know this piece really touched me. It wasn’t as long as Cinemassacre 200 (which is one of my favorite works of yours, ironically enough), but it was a nice little reflection that worked really well for what it was.
It was almost very sad in a lot of ways, as looking back on childhood and realizing it’s over can often be. As a film student myself, I really hope that you go for it and try to make a feature. With the Red camera systems, technology is at your disposal. You can make some really top notch stuff.
I for one, as much as I enjoy the nerd, wouldn’t mind you giving it a rest to peruse your dreams.
Good luck and may you achieve your goals! I’ll stay a fan regardless of what path you take.
June 21, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Excellent short…what a pleasant surprise!
Keep up the awesome work, and thanks for sharing that part of you with us.
Randy Miller III
http://www.DVDtalk.com
June 21, 2010 at 3:32 pm
*sniff, sniff*
June 21, 2010 at 3:32 pm
So you actually got to the playground, 30 years later, just one day before it was demolished? Alright. You know, the first thing that popped up in my head was: What the fuck are the odds? That’s one coincidential demolition, right there.
June 21, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Great video James. I just turned 30 also and I think it must be that stage in everyone’s life that we desperately embrace our childhood as to avoid feeling older. Its sad to see monuments in our pasts that invoke such great feelings of simpler and innocent times as children. Our imaginations ran rampant to no end and the future seemed endless. By your 30′s, you’re going on 65 with a 9 to 5 and a 401k… future seems to be coming to an end…
June 21, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Shit pickle.
June 21, 2010 at 3:40 pm
That was brilliant james. The ending made me cried a bit. Keep up the great work man!
June 21, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Awesome movie! I’ve got tears on my eyes.
By the way, your mom is very cute! I too remember my first nightmare, I was four years old and in this dream I’ve got the letter from someone, and everybody who read this message started to stare on me with very scary eyes and tried to catch me like some monsters or zombies or something, and I’m trying to run away from those people. In the end I gave that letter to some unknown lady and ran away. It was freaky…
June 21, 2010 at 3:54 pm
that was at a emotional level i didn’t know you had.
Well done.
June 21, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Truly beautiful.
The park my parents used to take me to when I was a child also contains objects, like your dragon, which I can relate to my childhood, and whenever I go back I experience similar feelings.
Well done, and let’s hope we can enjoy of your talent for many years to come. After all, staying true to yourself and your dreams is the key to happiness.
June 21, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Oh..This is so sad, and yet so beautiful… I have no words.. You made me get very sentimental..
June 21, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Excellent video. I admire the concept for this video. You found a way to make a retrospective that breaks the norm set with Cinemassacre 200.
June 21, 2010 at 3:59 pm
For me as a 15 year old, damn interesting to see.
i think it´s normal that i didn´t have memories like that now,right?
Gorgeous video.
Greets from Germany.
June 21, 2010 at 4:09 pm
I would ask if that was acting, how many takes there were, how it was done when the camera was switched, how genuine it is, but I won’t because it was good.
Best of luck on anything you want to do James. Oh, and I bet if you showed the demolition guys this video they’d give you that dragon.. or like it’s head.. I mean why not?
It’d be a cool thing for you to have sitting around.. like your origin.. a relic.. like in Turtles in Time with the TGRI canister.. lol.. Horrible example.
June 21, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Childhood memories accompany you for the rest of your life, it doesn’t matter how many films or reviews you have made or how old you are. What it matters is the passion that run through your veins never vanishes but grows stronger every day.
So long director James, i really hope to see you on the big international cinema, so i can say to my friends “I know him, he’s James Rolfe, i watched every video he made, i knew he’s going to make into the big screen”. (heck i bet that all the people on this site hope for this)
Your doing a great job Mr,Rolfe, i wish you luck.
from an Italian fan, Marco
June 21, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Nice video James.
Don’t stop with your work!
June 21, 2010 at 4:16 pm
As an aspiring filmmaker myself, I know that feeling of needing to be creative; It’s just something you gotta do no matter if people think your dreams are too far-fetched. It’s like that saying “find something you love doing, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
You’re an inspiration, man. Really.
June 21, 2010 at 4:18 pm
What an inspiring piece of work. I think someday you will get that huge break you deserve.
June 21, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Touching and amazing story James, thank you for sharing it with us.
June 21, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Man, i feel your pain this happened to me a few years back.
And a touching video thank you for sharing.
June 21, 2010 at 4:26 pm
The dragon will live on.
June 21, 2010 at 4:27 pm
This was so beautiful. Well done James “sniff”
June 21, 2010 at 4:31 pm
That was nice to see a video of you being you, not the Nerd. I really admire the way you persue your dreams. I’m actually doing the same. I’m quiting Medic University to start studying games programing =]
The best for you bro
from you biggest fan, from Belo Horizonte, Brazil
June 21, 2010 at 4:39 pm
That was great video. It is amazing how you found the dragon just in the nick of time.
I also had a dream when I was a kid about an ET-like face looking through my bedroom window.
June 21, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Tearfully wonderful, and absolutely fantastic.
June 21, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Undoubtedly the greatest video you have ever made. You brought me to tears, but not laughing tears, emotional tears. Now, I feel bad when I sit through AVGN videos, knowing there is an emotional side to you that I never saw before. Making movies means more to you than many of us could ever imagine. Perhaps soon will be the time to leave the nerd behind and follow your dreams; become the film maker you were born to be.
June 21, 2010 at 4:43 pm
that…was….beautifull…amasing…wonderfull…loved every second of it…
June 21, 2010 at 4:44 pm
James, i dont know hw relevant this quote may be to you, but it sure means a hell of a lot for me. It’s from the series finale of Frasier.
“It may be that the gulfs will wash us down;
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And though we are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are—
[Scene shifts to Frasier’s KACL booth.]
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will;
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
I’ve been thinking about that poem a lot lately. And I think what it says is that, while it’s tempting to play it safe, the more we’re willing to risk, the more alive we are. In the end, what we regret most are the chances we never took. And I hope that explains, at least a little, this journey on which I am about to embark. I have loved every minute with my KACL family, and all of you. For eleven years you’ve heard me say, “I’m listening.” Well, you were listening too. And for that I am eternally grateful. Goodnight, Seattle.”
June 21, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Damn. That was moving. I can’t wait to see your masterpiece grace the silver screen, because I know it will. I’ve got high hopes for you man. Best of luck from Canada.
June 21, 2010 at 4:45 pm
That’s magic if I’ve ever seen it. Godspeed, James Rolfe.
June 21, 2010 at 4:48 pm
A short film that could have been a long documentary, but is still one of the best of the “300″.
It feels so sad that the dragon appear to be destroyed.
But thinking about it makes it seem like the dragon has rather been released from the ground to spread out the wings and fly.
At least thats a thought to lighten up the mood afterwards.
June 21, 2010 at 4:50 pm
absolutely beautiful you made me cry literally. Good work JAmes
June 21, 2010 at 4:51 pm
This was truly beautiful. You are an inspiration to me. Keep up the life-changing work.
June 21, 2010 at 4:51 pm
awsome james. i think you made a spectacular work (and all thanks to that dragon) you can put your videos on television. you deserve it. you also must make a movie or something.
from your fan: Gonçalo Valentim from Portugal
June 21, 2010 at 4:56 pm
EASILY your best work yet. bravo! man, now i REALLY want to see you make a feature film!
June 21, 2010 at 4:56 pm
This was very moving. Thanks for sharing it with us.
June 21, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Wow. The sense of nostalgia is so strongly conveyed there that it brings up memories of places I was taken to as a kid that I had long since forgotten. You really should be making those big movies you dreamed of. I’d pay to see anything you made and I think anyone familiar with your work would too.
June 21, 2010 at 5:01 pm
wow
June 21, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Congratulations James, this is really a masterpiece.
June 21, 2010 at 5:05 pm
that dragon blessed you with mans most powerful
gift imagination. that dragon inspired you as you inspired us its magic if I’ve ever seen it.
June 21, 2010 at 5:06 pm
dear god, that was beautiful, no joke, but I cried!
June 21, 2010 at 5:08 pm
OMFG i was listening to the song “brand new day” right before i turned this on!
June 21, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Isn’t interesting how one moment can define you for the rest of your life and how that moment continues to follow you thought you life, even if you never knew its true meaning.
Also I think that when you enter a new chapter of your life you tend to remember the things that brought you there. I happened to me during my fourth year of college and was having a meeting with my academic adviser on decide my course for next semester. I thought it was just for next semester, but it end up being my academic for my whole entire schedule for the next year and a half. I never really thought that things could be decided so easily it just fifteen minutes. Especially, when the issues of apply for graduation came up.
When I was walk back I though of this statement:
“Today, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I am a little bit frightened, a little bit overwhelmed, and a little bit sad of what is nearing, but I can do it.”
It gave me the feeling, that even though it still is in the middle of semester, that the gap between the real world and college is slowly filling in and soon I will be in the workforce. I did not think that these things could happen so quick until I saw it staring at me right in the face.
However, I also made me feel like achieved something great. That through all the struggles I when to as a little kid to the adult I am now all paid off.
I guess what I saying is that everybody has these moments that we feel lost and feel the need to look back to the past to find our answers.
I’m glad you found your dragon and thankful that you shared this with us.
June 21, 2010 at 5:22 pm
happy belated birthday! I bet you wanted to kill that dragon huh? lol, jk. sweet video, real sad. least your dreams made sense.
June 21, 2010 at 5:23 pm
That was amazing. I’m glad not to be the only one crying
Very well done, and definitely your best directed work. I’m looking forward to the day you finally get your silver screen breakthrough. Following your dreams can be tough, and unfortunately at 21 I’m still not sure where to take things with my life. I don’t have any overwhelming dreams of where I want my life to go, but I hope when i find it I can have even half the drive that you do. Thanks for being an amazing inspiration James, and never giving up on what you know you were meant to do.
June 21, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Wow, great video. Thanks for sharing it with us.
From your biggest fan all the way from Amsterdam.
June 21, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Did you get a chance to ask what would happen with the Dragon or was it just not a time for it?
I’ve had so many pieces of the playgrounds I use to go to taken away like that. Every time I can I try to ask what they will do with the equipment or swings and most of the time they are sent to the Scrap yard or landfill because parents groups have gotten them determined unsafe for kids.
Even a Cement Triceratops I use to play on.
I’ve taken pictures of most of them and hope to some day be able to get them remade at least officially as sculptures. But I’ve been losing most of what were my playgrounds starting at least 20 years ago. And because of it the song “This use to be my Playground” often leaves me crying over what is no longer there.
I’m glad you got to see your Dragon again.
June 21, 2010 at 5:31 pm
That was an awesome video
I have to admit I was on the edge of my seat hoping that the Dragon was still their
I’m very glad it was, even though it might have been it’s last few days.
it’s really inspiring to watch where people find their creative edge
June 21, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Wow, That was a touching video that showed so much sentimental value. It brought back a lot of childhood memories for me too. A great way for you to face the past and bring your fear to conclusion. Great job and keep up the good work.
June 21, 2010 at 5:40 pm
That was amazing!!!! Another inspiring video! It all the more shows me why you are my film-making hero James. I will be transitioning soon from my current college to UCLA to get a MFA for film. I will always say you are my biggest inspiration and the ultimate artist of this medium. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
-Cecelia
June 21, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Thanks for this James. Amazing video. When you went looking for the dragon I was thinking “I hope it’s still there” because we all go looking for symbols of our youth when we feel like we’re on the threshold of a new period in our lives and we’re not always lucky enough to find them again. I don’t know whether we do it to be able to say our final goodbyes to our youth or to actually find ourselves again so that the two sides of ourselves (young/old) can confront each other and see eye to eye so that they can move forward together. Don’t know…
Anyway, great video because it touches the heart and makes it easy for us to relate to the transition you’re going through atm. I wish you luck as you prepare to embark on your most ambitious project yet!
June 21, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Amazing video as always James. Keep up the great work
June 21, 2010 at 5:59 pm
wow this kinda made me cry a little bit… a lot different than your other videos
June 21, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Very interesting to see your source of inspiration. Different from your usually more comedic movies, it definitely had more sentimental value.
June 21, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Congrats James- this was your finest hour.
June 21, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Good job man!
June 21, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Great work James. Very interesting piece.
June 21, 2010 at 6:07 pm
oh my god that was so touching. I cried so much when you found your dragon before it was too late. That was amazing. I know EXACTLY what it feels like to have important things in your life taken away.
June 21, 2010 at 6:13 pm
This was truly touching James, I hope one day you will make the films you dream of.
June 21, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Cool…Did you ask them if you could keep the dragon?
June 21, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Amazing video James. As alot of people have already said it reminds me of alot of old times like the playground for example. It’s truly amazing when you get the chance to see something that influenced you so greatly as a child.
I’m glad you had that chance. It’s a rare oppertunity. Again thank you for yet another great video.
June 21, 2010 at 6:17 pm
This was really amazing work. It’s really nice to see a part of what inspired you.
June 21, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Bravo, James. I’m glad you got to see the thing that started it all, and I thank you for sharing that moment with all of us.
June 21, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Very good James; Very good.
I am glad you were able to share that with us.
June 21, 2010 at 6:24 pm
James, I’m proud to share your name.
That was easily the most touching video you’ve ever produced. Seeing that dragon was incredible. It reminded me of when I got to visit my old street in Carson City, and passing by my old school was amazing. I hope you get to make your dreamed-of movies, and I hope you get to direct something big someday. I can see it’s what you love, and it amazes me to see such a commitment. Good luck, Mr. Rolfe!
June 21, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Well, I’m glad I saved my debut comment for this video.. What we have here ladies and gentlemen, is TALENT. Really emotional.. Moving.. I will be watching this from time to time. For many years to come.
This touched me deeply..
I’m a very, very nostalgic person. Too much, really, as it tends to take over at times. But I refuse to see this as something bad. I don’t believe that we can let go of our past.. It’s impossible to say goodbye. Why can’t we look forwards AND backwards? Our memories are part of what make us human.
This reminded me somewhat of my own childhood. I’m 31 now, and the memories keep on and on and on as I grow older. Gaining in strength..
Thank You SO MUCH James for not just this video but for everything you put up. For letting us glance into your fascinating life..
All the best,
/Carl from Gothenburg, Sweden
June 21, 2010 at 6:25 pm
this is one of your best videos yet. it was so touching and it made me feel a connection to that dragon and it shows me how important my childhood can be and how it can affect who you are and what you do. great video as always james, keep it up!
June 21, 2010 at 6:27 pm
this video is just wow it should have been longer…make an extended version
June 21, 2010 at 6:28 pm
i cried.
June 21, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Did you get the nightmare from seeing the Jabberwocky in the 80′s version of “Alice In Wonderland” as a child? You said that you ran from the TV crying.
June 21, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Wow. I’m glad you’re taking your time with your videos. It really shows.
June 21, 2010 at 6:37 pm
That was really touching!
I remember after my first semester of college, I drove by my old high school, and what starts playing in my car: The Memory Remains by Metallica. It was really eerie.
I’ve always wanted to do something similar, visiting places of my youth. I have no doubt it would be overwhelming like this was for you!
June 21, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Amazing and very touching video, James!It made me cry when you found the dragon…literally.Great video and keep it up like this.I like it very much!
June 21, 2010 at 6:48 pm
This quite literally moved me to tears (manly tears, mind you!). It got me thinking about what could have inspired me at my childhood. My growing passion is music (trumpet, mainly), so I wonder if there was something long ago that I saw that made me like it so much. I sometimes use my father’s trumpet which he used about 40 years ago. There’s a picture of him playing in a marching band at the capital building of my state. Maybe seeing that picture of him back then spurred me on to liking the trumpet so much…
Great film, James. May there be many more!
June 21, 2010 at 6:49 pm
This was really touching.
Keep up the awesome work and keep that awesome dragon in your dreams!
June 21, 2010 at 6:56 pm
I feel for you, James. I’m 27 and I had similar things in my life as a child. I believe my was the octopus. I used to go to Sherwood park all the time and play on that purple octopus with the great big smile. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tore that creature down by now. Next time I go back to my hometown I am going to take a look at my park. It’s sad when things we cherished as a child have all but seemed to vanish right from under us. Good work as usual. Can’t wait for the next project you’re working on.
June 21, 2010 at 7:20 pm
It always saddens me to see parks turn from organic material to plastic and metal.
It’s odd to leave old securities behind.
June 21, 2010 at 7:31 pm
If you know, were they actually taking down the dragon, or were they just repairing it? Either way, very touching.
June 21, 2010 at 7:36 pm
I’ve been waiting a while for this one, James. I’m really glad to see it. When I was very little, I went ONCE to a neighborhood park with my grandmother and aunt, and I remembered only one thing about it: A see-saw made out of a giant Yogi Bear head! Then I saw it years later, though I was still young enough to play on Yogi, and it was such a novel thing to play on that it was a symbol for me of the playground itself, although I didn’t know that at the time. Then, after a long absence, I returned to the park as a teen- and Yogi was gone. I didn’t know why it hurt, but I guess you, I, and a lot of other people have figured it out now. Thanks so much, James.
June 21, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Really amazing and touching video. I’m 20 now, but when I’m close to 30, I can only hope I’ve accomplished half of what you have, James. I’m actually going to college to be an editor, but I know how it is doing all the work on a short film. You’re actually an inspiration to me. I hope you can continue to make these kinds of videos on cinemassacre for as long as you can.
June 21, 2010 at 7:43 pm
Aww, that’s sad about what happened to the dragon. I would have liked to see the dragon get redone. It’s good to revisit your past and your roots while there’s still time left. Bravo, James.
June 21, 2010 at 7:45 pm
that’s a cute and touching story
June 21, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Damn, James. You really caught me off guard with this one. Got a little glass-eyed when I saw that dragon. Keep it up, buddy.
June 21, 2010 at 7:55 pm
I also turned 30 this year, and this really hit home with me. Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone, James.
June 21, 2010 at 7:55 pm
This was a very emotional video. I could shed a tear right now. Such a Great video. And it’s so true when you say it’s time to go on and do bigger things.
It reminds me of the dreams that i had groing up. My dreams were always the same, “i was so close to the thing i was aiming for but then somebody shuved me of the Mountain”. Later on in life i was always the kid that overcame the odds. Nobody believed me when i said that growing up i wanted to do something that involved Video Games or Playing Hockey. Everybody said to me your not that kind, you could not stand one day of it. Well i prooved them wrong, now i am doing great in a school that the goal is to learn all the stuff you need to know to make a game, we are making games and so on. And i am going to start hockey this october here in Sweden. Now that i have the time. Thank you so much for all the work you have been doing for a long time!, You are a role model to me!. Thank you so much James!
- Niklas
June 21, 2010 at 8:07 pm
All my childhood memories have been renovated or redone.
June 21, 2010 at 8:13 pm
what an amazing video james, it touched my inner child who is always looking for that certain something from his childhood …as a avid watcher of your work i want to see you succeed in making your 1st full feature film
June 21, 2010 at 8:23 pm
i know that feeling even though i am 21, its hard seeing the old go into the new, the hospitial of which i was born has now been demoloished and a new one out in its place but i shall never ever be at the height or room where i was born, another thing happened my college where i studied for my A-levels has recently been demolished and all the memories within it are now one, having seen the new one and been inside it i am slighty jealous but alos sad as these students haven never spent the time that i did and now will never see it as it was… the jealously part of me is that the film studies department now have a proper private cinema rather then a blackout room to view films in… Thou its better i wouldn’t change it for the world.
June 21, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Wow… it really touched me. Those tears you almost dropped were… seemed like mine.
I’m a huge fan of yours in Republic of Korea. I first saw you in the AVGN: Silver Surfer. That was the time you were first introduced to Korean Internet Society. Then, I watched every single AVGN related videos you made. It was simply amazing.
Next I found your other movies, which were your original intention. I realized something else. I originally liked you because of your interest in video games, but now it has changed. I really admire you, and respect you as a role model. I never had a chance to find the person who works really hard to achive his/her dream.
It’s been almost 3 years of being your fan, and I’m very greatful to be your fan. Even though the dream is different from each other, the dream of yours made people around the world remind their own dreams. I’m always here to encourage you, James. Keep up the good work, and thanks.
Again, thanks a lot, James.
June 21, 2010 at 8:29 pm
That is so sad they are taking it out. you looked sad and I don’t like seeing my idol like that
June 21, 2010 at 8:30 pm
First of all, sorry for my english I say something wrong.
This video was very emotional, well crafted and I loved how you tell your story. Those child-like draws, and the music, and the real fact that the dragon was almost going to be destroyed that day, made the video very touching.
In some ways also, this video makes me feel a little sad and envy. I don’t know if I am using the correct word, but is in a good way. Because it’s amazing how your child passion was serius and how you could make it survive until you could make your life of it. I said I was envy, because when I was a child a a teenager, I always had an very hiperactive imagination, and making videos was also a passion. Even if it doesn’t had any major sense. Even shooting simple things and trying to give them another perspective, another angle that people usually doesn’t look, or trying to convert a normal event into an exciting one or at least beautiful one by trying to tell it by anoter way. But I growth and I though “that isn’t viable”. And everybody told me I was very good at school, that I was “smart” and that I should became a great “standard professional”. Now I’m 22, I’m not old of course. but I’m already in the fourth year of law studies at the best Chile’s Law School. Honestly, I feel quite frustrated about it, I think that erased all my creativity, but I have studied this career with a expensive credit that’s waiting to be paid. So, the decision was taken with no step back. I’m in 4 fourth year at the university, and four years ago, I killed my own dragon.
June 21, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Excellent retrospective! It actually made me tear up… I can most definitely relate to this, albeit in a different way. When I was a little kid (maybe 5 to 7), we had Japanese neighbors that lived across the street who would occasionally babysit me. I remember being awestruck by the way they talked. It was unlike anything I’d ever imagined before and I wanted to learn how to talk like them. After about a year of seeing these folks pretty much daily (they also had a kid close to my age who I played with), I was speaking to them in near-fluent Japanese. Me and my friend code-switched around our monolingual parents to mischievous ends and even made our own Japanenglish hybrid
When we moved away, I was real sad when I couldn’t use my new skill anymore. I started losing the language from not using it (which frustrated me and often made me cry!) and became obsessed with studying and creating them – it was sort of an anchor for me to keep those memories of discovery and fascination. Today at age 26, language in all its form is my personal passion.
June 21, 2010 at 8:31 pm
That was an awesome and inspiring movie James! You know it’s funny but I really do see a bit of myself in you. The only difference is that instead of letting my dreams lead me to develop a talent, instead it served as a place of refuge. Heck, I still walk by the very monster that started it all every single day. I would be so lucky to have somthing as epic as a dragon be the catalyst for my passion. You got the dragon monster in the park, I got an malicious lighting fixture that goes very fast and shoots fireballs. Heh, almost like a dragon in a way.
June 21, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Touching and very personal video, didn’t see this one coming!
June 21, 2010 at 8:39 pm
man, if I wasn’t a too-proud, hard-headed jerk, I would have cried. Now, I’m teary-eyed…I wish I was humble enough to cry…
Anyway, you should have found the owner of that park, maybe he’d sell you the dragon, and if they’re taking it down, and in it’s condition, he’d probably be happy to sell it for a cheap price.
So…James…you follow that dragon, your dreams, your heart, and God, and those dreams may be fulfilled, God willing. If you put your mind to it, and if your heart is in it, God willing, you can do anything. Do what you think is right for your dreams. If that means quitting The Nerd, and even Cinemassacre altogether, so be it, Do what YOU want, not what anybody else tells you. Keep God and your dreams in your heart, and no matter what, you can do anything.