DEUCE OF SPADES hotrod movie - photos and updates

oh uh, should i be worried.....

 

Im gonna blow this pic up to whatever size wall is the largest in my house and wallpaper it. This is sooooo perfect! Very beautiful in so many ways. NICE!

 

Maybe ... That scene with Travis sure was a blast to watch! None of us remembered our lines !

 

BLUSH

Trust me I am really not that great looking but I do photograph well on occasion .

I do like the concept of that photoshoot. My idea was to use the evening wind on the lake and to get that scarf to fly, as well as the dress. I didn't want the girl to look "static". I will try to share more photos from that collection soon, many came out real good.

 

SHOT LIVE AT NHRA HOTROD REUNION

Imagine all the noise, dragsters racing in the background, engines running near the booth, people walking everywhere, staring, trying to get Gene to autograph stuff for them while we are filming, taking pictures of us, standing all around to watch what is going on.... This made for a very challenging shoot.

But after editing the scene I must say I am happy with the sound, gotta like that Sennheiser shotgun mic. I guess you do get what you pay for.

So here is the scene: Note that it was improvised, this was not a scene from the script. The events descrived by Gene are all true and really did happen to him. We just added Johnny to the mix and it made for a very believable performance. The scene will be edited with other oldtimers all of which are talking about Johnny in the days.

What I did is when we first met, I asked him to tell me about his most interesting street racing experience. And he remembered the time he raced and his hood flew open. He also told me of another story when he went up to race and the guys started racing right on the freeway. I suggested we merge both stories into one and incorporated Johnny .

In this scene our hotrod girl is trying to track down Johnny. She has posted a message on the HAMB for anyone who knew any so CAL old timers that were active hotrodders in 1955. So she gets a few leads, and Gene is one of them.

To play the scene click on the photo. This is only a rough edit and basically raw footage. I edited it myself this afternoon (and filmed it yesterday). All in all, a fun week-end!

 

I think the idea of this movie is great...alot of copies of it will be sold on the name alone. I mean who wouldn't lay down a few bucks to take a chance on a "Hot Rod" movie...lets see, the last time one of those were made...hhhhmmm. It might be time.
But I have to say that Johnny Underpants, I mean, Callaway looks more like a Calvin Kline dude than a guy who knows his way around a car. Too pretty boy for me! He looks like his hands are soaking in dish soap in a beauty shop rather than a drip pan in a speed shop full of tranny juice. I think you went with your love heart on that casting call. Sincerely.. Good Luck though...I hope this is a great movie and sparks others in Hollyweird to see its been a long time coming!

 

LOL @ "Johnny Underpants".

 

It looks like it is coming along. Keep up the good work but rest some too.

 

Well if he dont have grease and break dust stained fingernails and a few 90 wt. gear oil stains on the jeans, then we'll know why he got the part

 

I watch a little of you filming Gene and was going to say something to you but decided that you were working and did not want to bother you. You still have the coupe at you calling when you are ready. Are you going to the mooneys christmas party in december? Maybe we can meet there and say hi. glad the movie is coming along.

 

Back off Eric's back you guys!

Mmmmm... I seem to remember a young dude named James Dean in the movie "Rebell without a cause"... Doesn't look like being handome hurt his career or the movie a bit . I am not sure where you guys are coming from on this but know this:

A)- I originally looked for a real hotrodder without any acting experience but could not find none that remotely looked the part. when I finally found one that looked close enough he said he was not interested in acting. So that was that. Meanwhile, the film must be done and I need a leading man. So I had to go to PLAN B (Plan B, never leave home without it! )

So don't sit here and think that I didn't try finding a full time hotrodder with black nails and exhaust pipe burns first.

B)- When I then did my casting call I turned down a huge number of pretty boys. None of them striked me as being Johnny. I needed more than good looks. He needed to have that extra something.

C)- I also looked at a LOT of old footage and old photos of young hotrodders from that era and found that most of them were quite GOOD looking. Not all, but many really were. Almost all had a slender built, good hair, good bone structure. They were not really built either. Clean cuts, clean shaves, no tatooes... They did not seem to look much like the young hotrodders of today. It became painfully obvious that looking for someone in the hotrod community was a waste of my time.

Then I got an email from Eric Callero and he had vintage photos with his 50's car and was a rockabilly guitar player and he already had that 50's look. He already lived and breathed the era. He also had made a hotrod zombie movie. But what really sold me on him were his eyes. There was something both beautiful, dreamy but also sad about his eyes that I felt nailed the essence of Johnny. I then consulted with several people, including Jim Miller and several old timers who completely agreed that Eric had the perfect look to be Johnny.

So this was a group decision not just mine.

I then set up an audition and threw at him the nastiest scene in the whole movie. The poor guy had to be able to deliver a huge gammut of emotions, from depression to anger to pain to frustration to sadness. I had him vomit. I had him cry. I had him pound his head on the walls. I even had him trash everything around. At the end of the audition I was satisfied that he could pull off the role. In retrospect, I sincerely doubt a non actor could. I then showed the audition footage to Jim and a few other people and again we all voted to have him as lead.

So there you have it, let's give this a rest, shall we?

You can't penalize someone because they are good looking. If they are a really good actor (which he is) and have the right look (which he does) then they should get the part. I sincerely doubt anyone could look at his face and say he doesn't scream 1950's !! Come on!

So I stand 200000% behind our choice.

PS: And none of the girls who have seen the photos or watched the trailer are complaining by the way HAHA!

 

Awwww now we're just funning with you. Your like our little sister that we pick on about the boys. I personally think you made a good choice and a lot of thought certainly went in to your decision. I didnt know he had to be able to vomit on demand! I can do a few things on demand but thats not one of them! Keep up the great work.....we'll get over pretty boy underpants when the movie comes out

 

James Dean enjoyed the occasional spin on the other bus, nuthin wrong with that mind you. He was a tad bit overemotive though, don't you think? That 'you're tearing me apart' line coulda been done with a lot less ham and cheese, but then again, he is dead and cain't defend hisself from worthless internet commandos and impersonators of his.

Have you seen the Cool Cars andSquare Roll Bars book about New England hot rodding? Boy there was some ugly summbitches out on the East Coast, not like Californians.

Didja ask Gene Winfield the secret to his youthfulness? He told me and I'm practicing it......to a dgree.

 

Doesn't count if you are ALONE Nads- that actually shortens your life!

 

I promise you, you will all like Eric as Johnny, he is going to rock! I yet have to get some photos of Bettie, Johnny's girl, but I did find some audition footage of the two of them talking while sitting in the roadster and they look real cute together. Bettie has a "girl next door" look, pretty and sweet.

The bad girl in the movie, briefly seen in one blood pumping night scene (uhhuh) will be played by Pin up girl Meagan Merlot. Yep, I guess Johnny was no Alter boy in his early days. And I quote:

PEGGIE
As for the girls, I don't think I ever saw him twice with the same one.

But that is, until he fell in love with Bettie and then life became quite complicated for poor Johnny.

 

I gotta laugh...James Dean was a one of a kind from the midwest not Santa Monica. Hollyweird has put such a psycho swing on everything and has always been about the pretty people. Its like a great looking billboard off Melrose Ave. in N. Hollyweird...looks great from one side but behind its nothing but low grade 2x4 lumber. Its very plastic there, it is what it is.
I'm sure Johnny Underpants can read lines...but does he believe them...live them...know them. I don't see it... and I'm certainly not going to buy it, what I do see however is a pretty boy worried about his hair rather than a knock under the hood of a hot rod. I don't doubt it a bit that you havn't heard any complaints from females about him. That alone should tell you. Be that as it may...I hope your target market (females) buy that DVD/movie ticket rather than another mall doll accessories. From my house I'll save the 12 bucks and put it towards that Victor Jr. intake I have my eye on. Ya know...I really like the idea of this project. I think we all have been waiting on the right Hot Rod Flick, I just hope this is it. I wish you all the luck in the world I really do, but please don't make me sit through 2 hours of a cheesey Calvin Kline method actor. And as for Johnny Rocket Underpants you said that he worked alone all night on his hot rod...? I doubt that seriously...only because hot rodding is and always will be a brotherhood of sharing and helping...it is what it is! Thats why the HAMB ROCKS! Strength and Honor!

 

You shit stirrer newbie. Dang it!

 

Nads..I really don't mean to be but just looking at the "stuff" posted...it looks kinda "C" rated at best. Like I was trying to say...I really like the idea of a "NEW" Hot Rod movie and have spent alot of time and money gathering great car movies. Maybe I'm just jealous I'm not working on one...I don't know? I don't mean to shoot down something before it even flies and I honestly wish her the best of luck. And I certainly don't mean to make any enemies, thats not my style. I'm sorry to all on this thread if I've come off being a DH. Its just that "Johnny"...is going to make it or break it! I hope I'm dead wrong. Maybe I should go back out there and offer to help her...I'm sure she would love that...lol. Hope I havn't pissed anyone off...sry if I did...not my intentions at all.

 

Faith, this project is great. You are a brave chic. Perhaps you could finance the rest of your film by selling some autographed pictures of you on top of that beautiful duece. I just found this thread and those photos. I've lost all focus now and the rest of my day is shot to hell! I'm looking forward to seeing it done. BTW where does one go to get the Cool Cats song used on the trailer?

 

Faith,your drive and enthusiasm,never ceases to amaze me!!!This project just gets better and better.Your attention to detail is so impressive,keep up the great work,you'll get there!!!Hot Rodders worldwide will appreciate this movie so much,you're my "HERO".

 

how does this help in the building of a hot rod...yall just get boners when the wind blows

 

Hey Brad.... The HAMB is a community and a damned good one that I'm proud to be part of. Hot Rods (and Ryan) brought us together but a little sugar now and then cleanses the palat of 90 wt gear oil and brake fluid.

 

293 posts. 99.75% support Faith and what she is doing. That makes it appropriate in my book.

 

looks good. can't wait to see it

 

You know where I stand in support of your project. Some people are trying to read the wrong message in this whole effort. Keep on grinding away, it will be worth it and I am sure it will be exactly as you intended......a really cool hot rod movie, and, more of us old farts can see through what you done so far that this is not a showcase "fashion" movie.

 

Faith, As with any art such as Film, music drawing etc you have to be prepared for critics good and bad. Remember no matter what form of art you choose somebody will not like it. Thats the real world. These guys have a there own opinion on the actor . Not saying they are correct but as an artist it has to be like water on a ducks back. Keep going.

 

Amen. I posted about it at another board I belong to and the responses I got there are making me question whether or not I want to stay. I'm......... well old enough to join AARP and I can usually sniff out a phony pretty quickly and from what I have read so far I believe Faith is completely sincere. What she lacks in hot rod experience she makes up for with enthusiasm. Some of us started a lot younger than others but I don't think there was a single rodder alive that was born with a silver shifter in their hand. You gotta' start somewhere and Faith appears to be a quick study. At the risk of dating myself, "Keep the Faith" Faith!

 

Gene is a great guy! He looks and acts very young and we had a good time filming. I will post a short clip soon, promised, showing us when not "rolling".

 

Hi there!

First off I love your avatar! Second, I appreciate your encouragements. I really need all the encouragement I can get right now. Making this film is a HUGE undertaking requiring me to spread my mind in all kinds of directions... To do it all, I have to learn it all and in just a few months. Most people would have already thrown the towel but I am still at it. Woke up at 4AM this morning and went back to the editing board to try to squeeze an alternate version out of the Gene Winfield footage... Studied the camera manuals all night last night... Ran tests... It seems to never end from 5Am until bed time non stop.

And then I still have to go to my day job and run my small business so I can pay rent.

 

UPDATES:

Mostly gathering technical information on my camera and how to best use it right now. This has been a full time job. I am eager to watch the movie "November" which was entirely done on the same camera (actually the previous version of my camera). "November" won best cinematography at the Sundance Festival a few years ago.

Have been actively posting on the panasonic forum, learning from other users, even met a couple of them who are local and who showed me their set-up. Everyone has been very nice and helpful. I am learning a HUGE amount a stuff, at a very RAPID rate. Last night I thought my head was going to explode!! I need a BREAK but can't afford to take one, too much work ahead.

I also watched some cool footage shot two months ago, and laughed my head off. I laughed so much I was litterally crying. Not because the footage was funny or bad, but simply because Jim kept rolling the camera non stop, so we had all kinds of funny moments "in between" takes, and also the mistakes that were hilarious. Like when my hair gets cought in the creeper... or when I slide out from under the car and keep sliding off camera and then you hear a crash... OUCH! Cause I slid too far and ran into my motorcycle. etc etc... The actual scene came out good, I can't wait to cut it to see how it all fits once edited. there were some very cool traveling shots under the roadster, cool stuff.

PHOTO:

Well I have been getting a lot of request to make the photos available so I think I will add them to the store so you can order a poster of any of these lake sunset pictures if you want. I noticed the store offers them already framed if you want. Those cost more so I will have both available (framed or not framed). when I am done uploading them to the store I will let you guys know.

For now I will share one photoshoot photo each day over the next 3 days. (but today I will also share crappy Faith is working on the roaster photos too )

Today's photo:








As a reference point, here is also me grinding a washer when I (with the help of Sean) redid the motormounts and raised the engine 1 inch. As you see, I can also be less than glamerous







or even here, installing a battery disconnect key in my side pannel







Or even here, replacing my fan switch






This one is a candid shot my friend took when I broke down in a parking lot at night. I was happy I had my mini tool box in the trunk so I could fix the wiring and replace the melted fuse casing.