Had a guy from Taylor Sheridan's crew (Yellowstone, Landman, etc) at the shop today. They are filming Landman nearby so we have seen a lot of the crew and even a couple of the actors come through. Both my T and my 31 AA are at my shop and we park them out by the road because the city won't let us have a sign that people can see from the street, but cool cars do the trick... Anyway, he was delighted by both and took my contact information down because he thinks the AA would be good in Landman and the T in another production I didn't catch the name of. If they wanted to use them, he said most likely I would be cast as an extra to drive them for their scenes. I don't watch a lot of TV and have never seen any of Sheridan's shows, and I'd be surprised if I ever heard from them again... but hey, might be neat. It sounds fun on paper but I feel like it could become a nightmare. Has anyone here ever worked with a production company and had their hot rod or other classic car in a film or show? What was it like?
I’ve heard horror stories. They treat your car like a prop. If you’re the one driving it, might be fine. I think it was Jay Leno who said someone cut the dash completely out of a car he had, so they could get a camera in the dash. He said they paid to fix it but it wasn’t the same.
My son did it a few times with his 66 Chevy pickup. After going through the excitement of it, said he’d never do it again. A lot of wasted time setting around waiting for the film crews and directors. Got old real quick. Sure wasn’t enough money involved.
I did that once Left the truck Came back 3 days later. No issues. Didn’t get a dime Knew that beforehand One of those why not things
A friend of mine worked on TV commercials and on one they hired Dick Magoo's '29 Highboy. Dicks wife drove it and never left the car. There was no damage done to it and nobody drove it. My friend told me about working on a car rental commercial where the crew dissembled a car and did a terrible job of the reassembly. They called the car rental company and told them the car quit running. All the guys that work on movies and TV would never rent their own cars to the production companies.
David Freiburger can tell you all about it! He rented out his Super Bee to a production company when he was a kid. They wrecked it! They did pay to have it fixed.
I had a friend that rented his 48 Ford sedan that was a big time winner with the the acca and his 40 olds 4 door for a movie here in the south 15 or so years ago. The movie was about the school system here in the South in 1954, they paid well but they didn't mind scratching the paint and denting fenders. It cost him almost as much as he made repairing the damage. He wouldn't dream of doing it again. HRP
Also heard horror stories livin' in So. Cal. Realize they are looking for a prop that is reliable and can do multiple takes and is treated like set dressing. They are interested in the shot, not what's rented. Expect that any contract is 'normal' and they've done it a thousand times, but this is your first go-round. Guess who wins? That said, it could be a good experience that isn't often offered.
Several years ago, when I lived in the LA area, the Model A club I was in was offered the same deal. Some had their cars used in some movies. Stories varied, cars got damaged but repaired. One actually had a camera mounted on the hood requiring holes being drilled. It was repaired so so. As far as compensation, I don't remember. Know up front what they are going to do. Some just get parked, used statically. Some used heavily. Be careful.
A buddy purchased the fast and Furious cars form the first flick, it was my first exposure to Hollywood cars. What a bunch of crap! The coolest thing on the 69 Camaro were the scratches down the hood from the windshield when they kicked it out in the movie. This was the stunt car and had a POS small block that barely ran, had a 4 speed stick and 3 pedals but automatic tranny. The car had steel loops welded to steel "frame connectors" underneath so the car could "jump" onto the yacht at the end of the movie. Cables ran through the loops for the Camaro to ride on during the stunt. To be polite it was a nice 50 footer...with a welding helmet on...in the middle of the night...thick fog. After seeing that car and the Mopar that went with it, I would "sell" Hollywood a car, but I would not let them borrow or rent anything of mine.
Hollywood has always been “magic”. Slight of hand. An illusion. We put a few big production rides back together after filming. They were props with engines. It’s not supposed to be real Just like a studio. The real titanic never had Leonardo in the movie.
My '66 Belair supposedly used in movies, I have to talk with the PO again. I saw a YT video with his son talking about it being in movies, ratty interior and all.
A friend has done this a few times. His cars were street scene cars. Just parked in the street, moved wherever they needed them. One car had people entering the car as the chase scene car passed by. I think he got about $50/day and food.
It's a mixed bag like anything else. Different producers, directors, and companies are going to treat things differently. Heard good and bad. Couple of my cars have been used in a few fashion shoots (I was even a model for one wedding company ), and that was all good but I was there the whole time....think of it this way: would you leave your cars with a complete stranger for a day? Probably no. Would you give a stranger a ride in your car and let someone take pictures or record it? Most likely yes...... Depends which one they want you to do.
Not film but german TV series: I was approached for two of my motorcycles by a film scout. They got my contract to sign where I wrote that I will be there at all times, I will be paid by the hour the same amount that I charged my customers in those days, to all of it they agreed. Was a nice experience watching them work, explain my bikes to the actors and make around 800€ a day. Was there for a week and got all my other expenses paid as well - no questions asked.
I got asked by a production company who was shooting some local film if they could rent my '39 Chev gasser. I was hesitant, but took the guy's card and gave him my card. Never heard from him for almost a year until he called, and really forgot about it. I talked to him on the phone and agreed to bring the car to a location for some still photos, and a short video. I could tell right off from their discussions, and the way they were careless around my car that things weren't going to go as I was told. Those people could care less, and the agreement I read didn't clearly state what their responsibility was for repairs, or how much they agreed to cover. After a short time I told them I was out, and packed up and left.
Was approached and used my '54 3100 in a local film called, "The Monster of Plum Creek". Local legend was a monster that looked like Bigfoot was eating livestock in the small town of Sedalia, south of Denver, back in 1954. It was a local production company and turned out to be a lot of fun to do. Got a video copy and a nice movie-style poster out of the deal, plus free admission to the premier showing of the movie. That was 20yrs ago, but the movie still shows up occasionally on Youtube and the web.
Hello, A while back, the channel CARS TV had the original showing of my old films from Lion’s Dragstrip. At the time, it was for the grand opening of the Lion’s Dragstrip Museum. @teedog from Lakewood, CA had sent me a post on where and how. So, I was able to save it. There were different photo clips and movies shown. At least my brother and I were able to get credit for the films shown from our collection that I started in 1957-58 season. But, since then, other versions were shown. Jnaki So, I looked up CARS TV and this is what I found online this morning. Here is the latest CARS TV programming being shown TOMORROW, August 3 Sunday. I have no idea what is being shown this time around. No one tells me anything... ha! Hopefully, one of the videos with my original films in it. If your cable company does not have CARS TV, I was told that the Verizon Network FIOS has shown the episodes. (or ATT u verse) YRMV Here are two old copies of the “other” versions that were shown on TV and at Lion’s Dragstrip Museum if you can't see it on SUNDAY, August 3, tomorrow, perhaps you can see what has been shown years ago. Thanks...
My woody was used in the movie “Walk the Line” and they did quite a bit of damage to the car but they knew that it was possible because they mounted cameras all over the front, back and the interior of the car for the driving to Dallas scene. So in the contract they made no illusions that nothing could happen and that all repairs will be made no questions asked on top of the money that they paid for the use of the car. Dad made some good money on the use of the car and they cut him a check for $30K for the damages and that’s what he used towards the frame up concourse restoration. He said that he wished that they needed more cars for a movie because he could go all out on our convertible.
Photo credit LANL Looks just like my grandads '39 Chevy that was used for the AMC series...they had it for a year and a half...but used it hard, tore it up, yes they paid well but it is not the same car it used to be....they call them 'movie cars' and the hosslers treat them as just another movie prop.... I drove all my other vehicles used in movies or TV series and they fared better....an awful lot of the filming is done at night because they can control the lighting that way.... if they offer and you decide to have your vehicle become a movie car...make sure you stay with it and get to know the movie car guy on a personal level.....you might then get access to seeing how everything on a movie set is fantasy and the days you spent with your vehicle wind up being a fleeting second in the finished production.... Sidebar: We're the Millers production took over the little village of Cerrillos and made it look like a Mexican market for filming purposes...all props....I was there with my '56 Greyhound bus being used as a 'blocking bus' covering something that wasn't wanted in the background.... a modern tour coach, full of foreign tourists, pulled up and let the bus unload....the passengers flooded the make-believe market and the production prop folks went crazy trying to communicate to the foreign tourists that it was a movie prop...no...nothing is for sale...put it back ...it was amusing looking from the outside in...the prop folks had created something realistic for sure....
I once rented my 63 Falcon conv to a independent film company to use as a prop, a night shoot 2 towns over,I thought why not, would be interesting to see how a film was made close up. I didn't leave the car out of my sight, problem was the temp dropped and we froze our ass off waiting and waiting, spent the most of the night till dawn, only to find out the check was never received by me for the rental,Surprise Surprise. No harm
I worked for a truck leasing company. One of our shops in the LA area rented two Aero Astro tractors to a production company. They made a movie and the truck was the star. In some scenes they showed a chrome engine with a blower that would kick in and give the truck enormous power (I saw the movie very late one night). It had machine guns mounted in the air fairing and could obliterate almost anything both on road and off. When the trucks were returned the cabs were all hacked up (I think one truck still had some dummy machine guns mounted to the roof) and I think one differential may have had to be replaced as they got it stuck pretty bad in an off road scene. I was told the shop thought the trucks were rented to move equipment not be in a movie. I don't know how the damage was handled.
On the news there was video footage of an "orange hot rod" spotted at the scene at some disturbance at the Walmart but it wasn't my car this time.
A few friend’s cars were in the movie Lucky Number Sleven. They needed cars to fill a parking lot to make it look like it was the ‘70’s. My friends made a few bucks and you can see a fender and the back of my friend’s head for a second. They had to stand around all day as per of the deal. Since they were going to be on the big screen my friends spent some time cleaning and polishing the cars. When they arrived the movie people said the cars were too shiny to be realistic and splattered hot chocolate powder on them to make them look dusty lol.
Not a movie but a porno,well my car wasn't really there.....um,er neither was I.. I really just watched,,,oh nevermind.
The Jalopy Journal
