DEUCE OF SPADES hotrod movie - photos and updates

Yer seatbelt's hanging out.

When is someone gonna make a movie about the Bean Bandits?

 

UPDATES

Wow... What the hell's happenin' ?? My head is spinning... It's like I just let the clutch go and this whole thing has jumped forward and pinned me to my seat... Kinda nice feeling if you ask ...

Checked my dailymotion page today and found I got several hundred hits overnight from the rockers in France. All who voted gave the trailer 5 stars (which is the max)...

Went to an industry mixer last night and found it AMAZINGLY easy to walk up to ANYONE and introduce myself and start talking to them. I guess I got a lot of practice with car meets and cruise nights LOL.

The parking lot dude gave the hotrod the VIP spot - that was cool... And since I was on THAT side of the hills I zipped to Rodeo drive and enjoyed seeing the reflection of the hotrod in the super expensive store's windows. Most of the car alarms went off as I drove by ... Now if only I had been loud enough to actually BRING THE EXPENSIVE SHOP WINDOWS DOWN that would have been real cool...

While at the mixer met another indie no or low budget filmmaker and drilled him with questions until he liquified and turned into a little puddle. ... I extracted all the info I needed from his brain and left with a clearer mental picture of how to handle things when you have no money to film or pay actors...

I then stopped by Mel's drive in on Sunset (I HAD to) and had coffee there... Everyone was checking the deuce... My guest, a 21 year old actor who is part of my cast, cute as a button, had a smile up to his ears. I think he is going to talk about his night on the town with Faith for the rest of the year... We really had fun and he didn't tell me how to drive. He just hang on to his seat and cheered whenever I did something real stupid (burn out, floor it or ??) - Ah gotta love the young guys, they are so easy going... I was real careful around Beverly Hills though and was oh so behaved.

Up at 5AM today and its back to work. want to do a few more script adjustments and prepare for my meeting with my producer friend tomorrow.

 

PHOTOS

Today I thought I would introduce a few more of our cast members.

This is Nate. Nate is the son of one of our own HAMBER's here!! Nate will be playing JOHNNY CALLAWAY at age seven.




This is Courtney Horstman who will be playing BETTIE THOMPSON, Johnny's girl. She is a great swing dancer from my swing dancing scene. This is just a photo of her at a dance and she is not dressed or styled for the 50;s on this shot. But I like her sweet and innocent looks.




Next we have Alexandra Holder. She is a real good actress and will be playing the role of SANDY who was Johnny's best bud (Art) 's girlfriend (and later became his wife)



This is Travis Poland's headshot which I spotted amongst about 300 other actors who submitted for the film.



This is Travis (who went to the mixer with me last night) after a little 50's transformation. He is currently has a smaller part as a 50's hotrodder but will be my back up if anyone flakes on me. I could see him as Art, Johnny's best friend... He has a strong enough face that he could even have been Johnny, had that part not already been cast.



Last but not least for today is John Sussaman, who plays JOHNNY CALLAWAY at age 75. Here seen pretty choked up as he sits in his deuce again for the first time since his near fatal crash, fifty years ago. No, this was just snapped for fun and is NOT a production still.

 

Faith...fill us in so we can help $$$? first you say "indie" ,no budget,etc. Just what does it take to do this kind of project And will it be an "Art Theater" showing or are you looking to have full blown distribution. With 32,000 hambers...there HAS to be Business Talent, Finainces and connections to the "Hollywood" crowd. There's some big money in the movie people and somebody must dig Rods and want to let loose of some support or cash.

 

Has anyone heard of the rock group Faith No More?

 

That makes me smile...thanks

 

Faith, it's been a while since i jawed with you.

A lot of Great photos, Classics in the making & your pin ups are cool.

Deuce of Spades will be a classic

 

Keep it rollin Faith...hang in there...

 

Hey Faith,
Oscar and I dug the conversation yesterday, Was a nice breakfast. Enjoyed taking you for the ride in the Dusty Deuce.
Spoke with Jim. He seems to be ok, but will confirm with Paul for the day(s) when you lock that down.
Bun N Burger was a good spot for a shot as well, I'll talk with Alicia/Art=owners and will see what can be arranged.
Keep in touch as you have the cell # & we'll keep workng towards getting Johnny on screen!
Call me so I can see ya soon.
Kevin

 

Hey Kevin,

Good to see you on the Hamb!! Looks like ALL OF US are on it ...
Thanks for waking up so early to show us the shop... I love ya man!

I'll call you later today to talk about the location.

For those of you who don't know Kevin, he is a man with a BIG HEART for our heritage and doing so much to try to save it,

HATS DOWN KEVIN.

We need more people like you in this greedy world.

 

Well, now that we have our script close to being finalized, my friend and I are going to try to figure out what we need to get by. I will then have a rough idea of how much $$ to finish this. Because I am doing everything myself it makes it possible to pull it off on VERY LITTLE, (per industry standard, practically NOTHING).

My vision for this has always been to make an amazing home made, DIY movie. One hotrod girl, making a hotrod film, with hotrodders, for hotrodders. Basically hotrod driven 100%.

The industry is generally speaking corrupt and profit driven. Don't fool yourselves, these people do not give a shit about hotrods or about Johnny, our 1955 hotrodder. All they care about is profits and glory. They'll wave some money, hijack the project and turn it into a mediocre B movie, stuffed with pretty actors that can't act, gratuitis sex cause it sells, and whatever else corp do to make the extra buck. And the project will lose it's soul. Right now the project has A LOT OF SOUL and I want to make sure it stays that way.

And the only way it is going to stay that way is if only hotrodders are involved. Because to us, this is LOVE, not a business or profits. Call me naive, call me too idealistic but that's what I believe. So I am going to follow my heart and instincts on that one.

So we are doing it ourselves . But of course everything costs money, even if you do everything yourself. People have to eat, cars need gas, cameras need tapes, lights needs bulbs. Some locations do not come for free (especially AIRSTRIPS). Even the most rudimentary crew will expect to at the very least be fed. Covering their gas insures they'll show up at the next shoot. Actors and non actors that play the characters in the film may flake out if they are not given at least some gas money and meals. if they flake out then you have to RESHOOT EVERYTHING because they have over 4 scenes each. Hence you have to keep them motivated.

All above adds up FAST. Next thing you know you are looking at $10,000 to $20,000 just keep the film going. And that's with you doing everything and working day and night for free...

That's where the donation money is going to go. Secure the airstrip (we are not yet there ) and feed the free crew and main actors. All my money is already going into the film, but I am not rich and I ain't got a sugar daddy (maybe I should look for one LOL?? ), so it only goes so far.

To date I have received close to $1,000 in donations, which is $1,000 more than I had last month so I am very grateful . But needless to say $1,000 is not going to get us to the finish line, only past the next block. Movies are like hotrods, exciting, but gas guzzlers and when you run out of gas you are left on the side of the road... ... But I have Faith, that things I need will somehow be provided and this movie will be the "against all odds" cult film I had envisionned when I first had the idea.

If any of you are able to help, or know other car lovers that would like to help, put the word out. Even as little as $5 or $20 helps, it feeds one crew member for one day. There's a contribution page on the website, http://www.deuceofspadesmovie.com it's easy with paypal. I've always HATED asking for money, even as a little girl I always found ways to make my own pocket money so I did not have to ask my parents for some (true story)... But right now the project is more important to me that my pride so all pride aside I do need help and any help is a blessing.

THANK YOU to those of you who have sent donations, you guys are my heros!

 

GREG ANDERSON please PM me if you see this post, I need your email address, thank you!

PS: THANK YOU I got the envelope !

 

HEY YOU GUYS HAVE TO CHECK OUT THIS HOTROD SWEDEN VIDEO - it's way cool

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2urcr_old-style-weekend-2007_events
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Old school hotrods, clothes, cool music, you'll enjoy it! Give them some votes to encourage them !!

 

$$ sent. I can't wait to see it.

 

Hugs and kisses THANK YOU

 

UPDATES:

The DOS and I went scouting all day Sunday. I woke up at 4AM, drove off at 5AM and came back at 10PM. I scouted remote areas and returned with GREAT discoveries. And the miracles don't stop, I just got a wonderful vintage gas station donated for the movie ... I am eager to share the photos with you guys!

PHOTOS:

these are photos of locations as I found them. if anyone sees something that spells on any photo HEY IT'S NOT 1955 (let me know) minus of course the obvious, such as modern cars parked in the frame LOL cause that much I have figured out already HAHA!

Ok here we go:

This is Bettie's Highschool.



This is I don't know what yet, but I'm sure I can figure out a way to use it somewhere



This is the dinner - yes I know there are appliances in there that will have to be framed out. Mostly will use the counter and chairs with back wall. can't shoot the front window on accounts that 2007 hondas and toyotas are driving up and down that road )

Johnny is having breakfast there, except that he is not eating any of his food. He's lost his girl and right now he has a knot in his stomach (but don't let him know I told you that, cause he's real proud) and he is just staring at his plate, but not really seeing it.



This is the God damn train that took his girl away from him. He could not drive fast enough to go from the Police station (where he spent the night) to the train station in time to catch her and make up with her before she left for New York... now she is gone. Love sucks.




he raced to the station but it was too late. the train was already GONE.



Bettie probably bought her ticket here?



he remembers happy days... their first date... how they ended up, somehow, in the orange groves...



And the deuce of spades waited patiently for them as they played hide and seek between the rows of trees...



What he wouldn't give to go back. But you can't go back, you can never go back.

But maybe he'll drive up to Tommy's gas station. Tommy will cheer him up, yeah, that's right, thats' what he'll do. forget the cold breakfast, leave the money and the counter and get the heck out. drive out to Saugus, its' nice outside.



Wondering when the station owner is going to update his pumps? they sold to Mobil years ago... Go figure



Wonder if Tommy's here? He'd better be...

Nops, it looks like the office is deserted... Where the heck did he go? He's never there when you need him.



of course there is a phone there... maybe he could call his girl? but he doesn't have her number... maybe he could use this wall phone and dial operator? but she probably won't take his call anyways...



or maybe he could put his head inside this machine and push the start button... get it over with... Stop thinking about how he messed everything up.



Wait... That gotta hurt. Maybe an overdose of motor oil from one of these cans then?



But if he coud'nt swallow his eggs and bacon he sure isn't going to be able to swallow this motor oil. Forget it... No... Wait... Yeah, that's it! He'll just take some cash out of the register, the cash Tommy still owes him from the Saugus bet last Saturday night... Yeah. That's a good idea... That's what he'll do.



Yeah, he'll take enough cash to drive out to New York and get his girl back. And he's gonna head out RIGHT NOW.

Wait... it's gonna be a real hot drive, it's August...




He spots the coka cola machine and grabs a few cold ones, for the road. That should do the trick...



Yeah Johnny... Now it's just you and the Deuce man, alone in the night, driving cross country... Goodluck JC. Hope you'll get her back!




THE END...

Is any of this in the movie? Nah! I was just making it all up... And sure had fun in the process... Hope you did too and that you enjoyed the cool locations I found.

 

Was I really making it all up? No, not really... actually some of it really IS in the film... And some I just made up... Which is which? Well... You'll just have to see the film and find out!

PS: yes i know about the orange soda can and my engine and windshield and the topperware on top of the coke machine too... i am aware of the house in the far background that may need to be framed out. And that gillmore sold to Mobil sometimes in the late 40's I was told I think? But in the film the gas station is in the gooonies, so maybe the guy did not yet get new pumps. He's cheap or maybe he's a procrastinator... How the heck should I know? Actually the real gas station owner has other pumps he said he can put them in for the shoot, but I like the Gillmore personally ... I'll see what else he has up his sleeve. This station constantly gets rented by the studios and I'm sure they pay beaucoup bucks for it so I feel especially blessed that the owner was so willing to allow me to shoot my one scene there for free to help me out with my film. He rocks!

Ok Kids, that's it for today.

 

$3.99 would buy alot of breakfast in 1955!!

Cool locations. The gas station rules.

 

you still have use of the car just let me know when and where

 

all i will say is i hope it isnt full of the same ol' hokey b.s and made up garbage hollyweird is good for . i'd love to sit down and watch a show on cars that the people actually know what the h--l they are talking about . please dont let it be another tired retread of the fats and fungicide {fast and furious no brainers } movies or that nicholas cage ripoff of gone in sixty seconds . i dearly hope its a real car movie . oh well i'll go back to wishin' . please hiboy girl a real car movie !!!!!!!!

 

Hmmm.....
Let's see....
Bun N Burger on Main St in Alhambra, Griffith Park Travel Town?, and Ronnies Gas Station on N Lake in Pasadena.
Excellent locations, you've been doing your homework.

 

I know this is a long thread, so it's hard to read everything and you probably did not read the posts about the film itself, describing what it is about... So I wanted to say it again: the film is a drama. It is very deep and touching and will tugg hard at your heard strings. It is not an action movie. There will be no explosions and car chases. It has a very strong love story in it and the cars are there because that's what Johnny's life was about back then ... My film is as FAR away from a fast and Furious type film as it can be. Do not expect stereotypes. I have good cops in my film and good kids who are also hotrodders and sometimes do stupid shit because they are young and a bit foolish but not because they are hoodlums. Nothing is black and white or cut and dry, it is a lot more intricate than that. Read the plot, I think if you did it would help you get a better understanding of the film.

You can read the plot on the movie website:

http://www.deuceofspadesmovie.com

And since I have NOTHING to do with HOllywood nor care for it, I think we are A-OK

 

You got two out of three.. Not bad Tom ...

 

the cool thing about the 50's train is that it is RUNNING, meaning leaves the station every week-end so I was able to film it rollin down the tracks, blowing it's horn and all... It was VERY COOL. It's really gorgeous.

 

Wow, you didn't like Fast and Furious? (Sarcasm) Where else does a drag race last TEN MINUTES and includes shifting gears TWENTY TIMES? Also, time for several lap top adjustments. Seriously, i agree. Too many car movies make a mockery of our hobby

 

I didnt know it was gonna be a CHIC FLICK!!!!!! Oh well, my donation is on the way anyway.

 

That is so cool of you Faith!
Wow, feel like "how does one respond to some thing like this?". I will say that Faith also is trying to preserve and immortalize our Hot Rod Heritage. I have had a girl in my life similiar to her who was into the Hot Rod way of life. She (Faith) drives her Deuce as Keni drove the 34 through rain,heat or even snow! That I respect!!!!!!
I am glad tp help you with your project & feel that it will be a great enhancement to our history.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

Kevin...and anyone else who has a Rod related business. Faith needs your help in getting the word out about the movie. Contact her if you can "donate" a small section of Table / counter at your location, but more importantly at shows, runs, events, where you have a vendor spot or commercial display to reach as many folks as possible. This thing is starting to really gain momentom. Could be just astack of fylers or some sort of "official" product.

 

OK, I'll bite. Where's the station at? Not T.T. That's a great looking station BUT the loco is nogo on the paint scheme. Very East Coastish. That station could also pose as a Southern Pacific. I've been away from railfanning dorkdom for awhile so I can't think of anywhere other than T.T. you could find a UP or SP train ( if you need one. You said he got to the station too late, right? ). Or just shoot her from inside the train leaving town.

Jeez, I'm really AM a dork.

 

Is the train station in lovely Fillmore?

Thanks,
Kurt