DEUCE OF SPADES HOTROD FILM UPDATES - photos from the Saugus and dry lake shoots

Cool update and behind the scenes footage. You deserve all the success in the world due to your hard work. Keep it up it is going to be a sweet movie! I am spreadin the word around my area about it.

 

Yeah, I think that many here are wondering what they can do to help. Basically there are three simple ways you can make a big difference:

1- TELL EVERYONE AROUND YOU ABOUT THIS FILM. Email links to the trailers to your car buds and ask them to, in turn, to forward it to all their car buds and ask them to forward it to theirs. This is easy, will take only a few second of your time and can make a world of difference to me.

2- PARTICIPATE: If you are able to provide cars, locations, music, printing, merch, promotion, help in any way, please contact me. I still have many scenes to film and there is also the possibility of a sequel for which I will need more locations/ cars/ extras / actors etc... I also always need crew volunteers and it is flexible, so help whenever you can.

3- DONATE: Here's the scoop on the keeping this film going. It's a bit of a "gas guzzler" if you know what I mean: It eats your finances faster than you can replenish them. I am no whinner and I am going to finish this movie one way or another, even if I have to sell my left kidney but let me say it to you like it is: Everyday I spend money because of this film and I only have a part time job. It's been very hard on my cash flow (or lack thereof) and paying my basic bills has become a bit of a worry. I don't have a husband to pick up the slack and I don't have any family here in the US. So basically I am alone struggling for this film. Feeding actors and crew, putting gas in the truck to haul the gear, and renting some necessary wardrobe to pull each scene off is costly. And then you have the big stuff, like for exemple, my filming basic minimum liability insurance which is now due again and needs $3,200.00. I can't film without it and right now, I ain't got $3,200.00 ... I have $1,000 that I set aside for this, basically all the donations I got over the last 3 months, but I need another $2,500 in 2 weeks if I am to start filming again and finish this film. Both my credit cards have loans on them I took to buy the filming gear... So as you can see we are in a little bit of a pickle here. Your donations are spent VERY wisely and will make a huge difference. Many thanks to those of you who were there for me and donated some funds. Even $10 can help. I've really grown attached to my left kidney pver the years and would like to keep it if at all possible .


Well, tonight I add fire to my scene )) and start working on my hospital scenes. All were already edited, so I am just going to go over them and improve them and "tighten" them. I guesstimate it will take me about 3 evenings to get it done, then moving on to the pre-crash scenes...

 

Hey Faith
Its Kyle, sorry I couldn't get out of work soon enough to meet you at the sidewinders meeting. Work kinda screwed me! I was bummed but I’m glad you guys had a great time. Tell Jordan I’m jealous.

 

Hey Faith,

I am along way out here in Nebraska but I would love to help however I can. If you ever need anything out this way or need any promoting done out here let me know. Also my wife is a PinUp model with out tattoos (nothing wrong with tattoos just not very vintage looking) so she has a real vintage look if you ever need another actress. I am sure she would be exstatic about the chance. I know where some cool cars are around this area and if I ever get mine done you can have full access to any one of them. This is a cool location, all grass covered sand and wide open highways. But it is along way away from you. I will also see what I can dig up for donations for you too. Take care.

 

Johnny you're way sweet... Yeah, you got that right, Nebraska would be a hell of a commute LOL... but I'll definitely take you up on the promotion help. Thank you for your support. This is OUR film, and would have never been possible without the help and support of all those who pitched in with cars, locations, props, donations, help with repairs and whatever they were able to provide. It has been amazing to see this feature snow ball into proportions that by far exceed ANY and ALL hopes I had for DEUCE OF SPADES...

Everyday, new people hear about the film and step forward to land a hand.

A couple weeks ago, , I was extremely HONORED to hear from Richard Parks, Wally Parks oldest son. He heard through the grapevine about the film, watched the teasers and immediately offered his help and full support. He invited me to the SCTA annual banquet as his guest and I ended up sitting between him and his brother - What a great honor... Richard said: If my dad was still alive he would have helped you with your film... Richard is now covering the film with weekly updates in his Historians of landspeed record newsletter on hotrodhotline.com ... He really is a super cool, down to earth guy. I really liked his brother as well, both were extremely warm, nice, down to earth and just "real". We snuck in my teasers on teh big screen during the banquet... That was cool






Richard Parks, David Parks and me at the banquet.

 

Kyle, I finished the crash scene. I am so proud of both of you boys, you did a marvelous job! The bloody scene came out so intense and realistic and awesome. So dramatic !

The whole race scene is intense you can feel a lot of tension throughout. I am really happy with everything WE PULLED IT OFF !!!!!!!!!!

You did an amazing job at hopping on that moving truck and at hopping off of it while still in motion... You sure are limber as a cat!

We missed you at the meeting, but you can come to any of the other meetings anytime you want, just let me know and I'll put you on the "guest" list. I am sure Ron would be excited to meet you. He is very nice and seems to love the film. Sidewinders meet every other tuesdays so let me know when.

 

Great movie !! This is what we need !

 

Every time I read about your progress Faith there is one thing that ALWAYS leaves me speechless about this undertaking of yours.

Wanna know what it is?

YOUR SELF BELIEF IN WHAT YOU ARE DOING !!

UN BELIEVE ABLE !!

The light at the end of the tunnel is fast approaching....that's when the challenges always seem to loom the largest.

Stick with it ...you are nearly there.

You....are a WINNER !!

RAt

 

As my friend Jerry and I sat down last night and watched the race scene, I commented: making this film was like being at the bottom of an endless ladder that went straight UP as far as my eyes could see. I couldn't even see the end of it. It was terrifying. I wondered if I would have the strength to climb all the way up to the top of it and what if I fell? Surely I would perish. but then you just say: "To hell with it, I'm doing it" and you climb up one step, than another, and then another... Next thing you know you are halfway up already... The secret is, ONE STEP AT A TIME and NEVER LOOK DOWN.

I currenly have 110 minutes of period footage depicting the hotrod era of the early fifties. All DONE. Wow. Even I, have a hard time believing it.

A real nice hotrodder / filmmaker from Germany posted this awesome message on my filmmaker's forum yesterday:

"
Faith, I was following that [the film] with great interest, since you announced it the first time at The Hamb - (my nick is "Stovebolt 6" over there)

I´m so glad you did that, and I´m so glad that you did it exactly that way.

Not only because I drive vintage cars as daily drivers and building my own rod.
Not only because I live a retro live since over 25 years - so I´m a "natural target audience" for your film.
It´s because you did it in that spirit.

Like many people these days forgot , what the spirit of Hot Rod is - hauling an old bucket out of the barn and use your creativity and the parts you got, instead of placing big orders at Speedways and Jeg's. - many people also forgot the spirit of indie film making.

Having a zero budget, but a vision. Using your creativity and the stuff you got, talking everyone you know into contributing and helping, just for the sake of it and to make IT happen.

At the end of the day, everybody is proud as hell to be able to bring in his part and bit and time and being a part of something wonderful.
Something that doesn't look like a school project, but a real movie.
Something he can look at, when he is old and say - look, I was part of that. We had nothing, but everyone did his best and brought in what he had.

In my book, the spirit of indie filming is not only to skip the studio system, but make the magic happen without having the $$$.

You definitely made the magic happen.

Congrats, Frank"

 

And Frank is right on the money.

~Jason

 

Hi there - I started getting fanmails from Sweeden as of yesterday. Sounds like the WHEELS feature story hit the stores??? Are you able to translate the 3 page feature story they did on the film for me so I can post it on my website? That would be so cool.... Let me know

 

I’m excited and anxious to see that scene!!! congrats again on the big sidewinder honors and i would love to make a meeting I’ll keep you posted on when I’m available. Thank you again for the awesome experience.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

About the article in Wheels Magazine in Sweden.

The paper is not out in the stores yet,but it's in the mail-box for those of us that has a pre paid prenumeration (same word in english?????????)

For a translation You could talk to Mr Bo Bertilsson ,he is a swedish freelance-reporter that do much stuff for Wheels Magazine,he has lived in LA many years now but does still know his native language I suppose.

I suppose they sent You a copy of the magazine,if not let me know and I will send one over for You,send me an PM with adress in that case.

 

I have a friend in Sweden that can translate if needed. He is a car guy also.

Can you email the article or post it? ty1295@gmail.com

 

i would love to have a t-shirt thats got callaway speed shop. that would drum up some talk and $$$

 

Just got the new Wheels in tha mail. Looks real good.



I could translate it in a few days.

 

WICKED!!!!

Faith... you're FAMOUS!!!

FYI, here's the link to their site, folks: http://www.wheelsmagazine.se/

~Jason

 

Friggin Awesome!!
Nice cover....the Deuce doesn't look to bad either!
Way to go Faith!

 

Way cool, I wish that there were more film makers with thoughts like yours out there. I haven't been to a movie in forever, but I will be at this one for sure.

 

You did such a great job and worked so hard! I'm so PROUD of you! You went from being a mechanic, lying under a stranded 50 shoebox in the middle of a sand storm in the desert, to a main actor in what promises to become a cult film? That's quite an achievement Kyle!!

Lady Luck LOVES YOU

 

So you mean the spades logo in the red circle with the CALLAWAY SPEED SHOP 1955 on it (my avatar?)


Who else would thinks this would be a good design for some Ts?? Would we want them white like the hotrodders back then? And would the logo be in the center of the front of the T or in the back (like Johhny's leather jacket - which has it in the back)?

Input please

 

I certainly think it's a KICK-ASS idea!

White or black, with the logo on the back. Maybe white or black with the logo on the arm as an alternate design, but the logo on the back rocks.

If you play your cards right, you could get them printed as 2-color jobs (black and maroon on the white shirts, and white and red on the black shirts), which equals cheap. Buy 'em for the price of a 2-color shirt, and sell them at the price of a 4-color shirt. Nobody will bitch, because everyone is so used to paying 4-color shirt prices that folks just assume that that's how much a T-Shirt costs these days... and you'll be making a small profit, to help with the movie funds.

If the logo was wrinkled/distressed, that could be kind of fun.

Make some 3x and 4x ones - no disrespect intended to any that may be reading this, but there's a lot of hot rod fatties out there that would like one, too!

~Jason

 

Make some 3x and 4x ones - no disrespect intended to any that may be reading this, but there's a lot of hot rod fatties out there that would like one, too!

~Jason[/quote]

No offense taken, like you said, there are alot of us fatties out here

 

I have one volunteer already so you are next in line in case he gets too busy to get it done fast, you get the assignment ...

Wow. I can't believe we got the cover.

Honestly, I would much have prefered seeing JOHNNY CALLAWAY on the cover with his deuce rather than me, because I am not important, but HE IS.

But I guess guys prefer to buy a car magazine with a chick on it rather than some dude, so that's probably why WHEELS went about it that way. Of course, I am greatly honored to be on the cover (wow, how cool is that?) so I am not complaining by any means ... It is wonderful.

I just want to stress to everyone out there that what is important to me is JOHNNY CALLAWAY, hotrodder from the fifties, and his story and the film that tells it, and NOT 'me and my car'... One is going to bring the spotlight on the other , it is unevitable, since I own the car and I am, afterall, the creative force behind this worthy endeavor, but it has never been my goal. I don't care about stuff like that. Fame and fortune were never a motivation for me, nor what I am after. Creating, learning, inspiring others, getting better at my crafts and artistic endeavors, as well as striving to become a better person each day (I got a lot of work to do on that still LOL) are my life's goal. Note: I am a work in progress LOL.

 

Sounds like a great idea...

 

Hi Faith,
As far as I am concerned you and Johnny are pretty much one and the same, he lived the story and you are telling the story. And Hot Rods are the treads that connect all together. If it wasn't for you, no one would ever have known of this story. I for one can't wait to see it.. I belive that anyone that has built and driven Hot rods will identify with this film..

 

Just had an idea:

How bout having some of our hamber artists here create something for the T-shirts and pitch it to me? We have some really TALENTED people here, I've seen their work... Will post the entries and have hambers vote for their favorite one...

Basically have the spade in the dark red circle, have DEUCE OF SPADES above and "CALLAWAY SPEEDSHOP 1955" under it - but make it look good (texture, as you said jason, distressed look and vintage type letters)

Additional design ideas welcome too...

I've got WAY too much on my plate already so if our artists here are wanting to help out with this that would be great.

Feedback? How do we get the word out about this?

 

Maybe Rashy or corncobcoupe could give you a sticky...

After the entries are submitted, another post to take the place of the one with the sticky, along with numbered submissions and a poll should get the job done.

~Jason

 

If you want to have artists come up with artwork based on your original artwork we would need to get some higher resolution images of your logo to work with.

I see you already have a cafepress store for shirts.
Just something quick.

BR

 

This is just a quick, reael quick sketch idea for a T, Hiboy Girl, what do you think? Sorry for the crudeness, I am supposed to be working right now.