DEUCE OF SPADES hotrod movie - photos and updates

There's what's probably gonna be a small car show in Santa Rosa Valley this Sunday. It might be a good place to ask around about private property because it's a wealthier area.

Thanks,
Kurt

 

Sure you can't use a custom Merc? Why only stockers?

 

Damn, girl, you not only have ambition and talent, but the looks-decent wagon didn't pass you by either. If you look that good when you're "fugly" you must be a knockout all dolled up. Just a thought here, I know a guy who started a website dealing with guitars, that eventually kinda turned into the unofficial site of a famous guitar maker. At the bottom of the webpage, he put a page for "donations" and people started sending him $10 or $20, whatever they felt like sending. He now lives a pretty good lifestyle off the donations alone. Maybe you could get set up with a way for people to donate a few bucks to the cause, hambers are a pretty generous lot. Just a thought.

 

Hey Wolfy! No I won't be making it to Bonneville... Hope you guys have some fun! Good to hear from you and stay in touch !

 

Oh yes yes I CAN use CUSTOMS in my flashback scenes, sorry for misunderstanding. they have to look like 1950's customs though. I believe the flames on yours would be a problem for a 1955 scene. but I can still use your merc for 2007 scene, no problem so PM me your info (full name, contact number and phto of the car) so i can add you to my database

 

LATEST UPDATES

Broke down yesterday : Got out of work and hopped in the DOS and a zillion cranking later was now sure it had pulled a fast one on me. Checked my rochester carb and found it dry. Fuel not getting there. Narrowed it down to the electronic fuel pump. So here I am in my nice flamed dress, crowling under the car but actually enjoying the process of trouble shooting - immensely. Checked fuses, all looked good. ran out of ideas and noone else was around to give me a ride to the closets PAW to get another pump... So... I picked up my most powerful tool: MY CELL PHONE . Special thanks to HAMBER flynstone who dropped what he was doing to fly to the rescue. He was extremely efficient and instantly had it narrowed down to a lack of power coming into the pump's wire. So he hotwired the pump with the help of my long jumper cable (yes I have learned to carry tools and roadster first aid kit ) and "just like that" I was back on the road. I then headed straight to the closest auto part store, bought a fuse case and wired it in, shoved a 20 amp fuse in it so to avoid turning into a human fire ball HAHA! I was glad I keep my wire cutter, electrical tape and large selection of fuses with me - you can tell I have had electrical mishaps in the past . Now hotwired safely, and determined to not let this stop me from going to my "Old Timers" car meet, I hopped on the freeway and headed down to Teddy's cafe where I met with MONK, who is going to be in my film. Monk, for those of you who don't know him, is a REAL hotrodder from the OLD days, he's been part of this since before WWII, and yes he is OLD but still very sharp (and I was told, still does a few burnouts in his 32). I really love him a bunch. Then I headed back to West Hills and made it home at 11PM or so, still running the big power line out of my trunk lid, and over my seat LOL. Well.. Was that was FUN or was that FUN?

DATES

Quiz: What's better than a photo that shows firestone bias plys, tri power, original 40's (I believe these are 40's) ford hubcaps and original vintage WWII suede baby dolls? Answer: A photo with ALL the above PLUS some lady's legs. This photo is part of my LEGS photoshoot which we completed at El Mirage. Coker should use it as a promotional tool HAHA




Next we have a production still from our SCTA 1955 flashback scene



That's it for today, see you all next week! I will be filming two short flashback scenes Saturday of Johnny's mother (Jeanne Callaway) in her 50's looking kitchen . If you guys behave I might post a shot or two of it...

 

Sorry first photpo did not come out for some reason, so here it is:

 

Did you know there's a movie "The Deuce of Spades", directed by Ray Charles in 1922?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013067/

Tagline:
"Well if she makes such good pies why don't you marry her yourself?"

Thanks,
Kurt

 

Kurt, I'm thinking this one will be a lot neater ! Hot Rods RULE ! Oh to have been around in the 50's when it all was a happenin !

41 Dave

 

Hey Faith, still have the airfield hook-ups if you need one.

 

Fwiw, there is no copyright law on book or movie titles.
Not sure about songs.

 

Airfield hookups? whats ZAT? Please explain, maybe best if you PM me...

 

Yop Kurt, I did research this when I first decided to use that name. I found the movie was a B movie and was a flop back in 1922 and was not in any way related to hotrods. And since film (and SONGS) titles are not copyrightable, and many do share the same title, I decided to not let that stop me from using this title. Of course this is a working title, as are the graphics associated with the website, so all of it might still change, but I doubt the title will...

 

UPDATES:

1- Tackled two more flashback scenes last Saturday . Location was a 1950's looking kitchen in the San Fernando Valley (yep the gas stove is from 1950!). First scene involved a very weary Jeanne Callaway (mother of Johnny) coming home from the drug store, unaware a very bad surprise is awaiting for her at home. (NO, I can't tell you). Second scene was... well.. You'll have to see the movie hehe, can't give away my entire plot now! Natalie Gouriou, the actress, arrived at my home at 8AM and I created 3 different retro outfits for her, complete from head to toes, including gloves, handbag, shoes, glasses, jewelry and of course dresses. we got real lucky because she is about the same size as I am, and wears same shoe size. So since I have an extensive collection of vintage 30's, 40's and 50's clothes, we went to town!
I then did her hair. I was pleased with the results, what a transformation! See photos below, I think they are pretty darn convincing. The shoot went very well and the natural light in the kitchen was soft and beautiful. I never had to resort to artificial lighting once. I think we got what we needed and more than I had hoped for .

2- Sunday, went by the Wire Wizard (my friend Patrick) and he gave me a crash course on wiring repairs. I had a blast redoing my faulty fuel pump wire - which turned out to not be faulty afterall, it was the pump oil pressure switch whatchamecallit that was. It is working but the connection is corroded, hence it works on and off. This explains why my car has been stalling out of the blue and acting weird for the past 3 weeks. We all thought it was my rochester center carb, but it is INNOCENT! So I guess I won't need to tear into it (just yet) . Then I cruised down to Camarillo with my hotrod buddies (1932 essex coupe) and secured a 1920 house/farm with land for Bettie's house scenes. The house remains untouched and has a nice porch, swing and the inside is still pretty much unspoiled by modernism. What a blessing! Has an old piano dating back to 1903! So I have now found Johnny's bedroom as well (will be shot inside this same house), it looks just like I had imagined it in my head. Bettie's bedroom however is to be filmed at another house in La Crescienta. Ah the magic of movie making!!

PHOTOS

Jeanne Callaway (Natalie Gouriou), mother of hotrodder Johnny Callaway:

 

Congratulations on finding the vintage house, after you are done filming you may want to nominate it to be put on the historic register! Amazing. Please explaing the little car in the kitchen sink scene, is that James Deans Porsch? I wish I was there to help. I love the updates!

 

the kitchen belongs to a friend of mine and has has all sorts of nic nacks on the shelves. We had to remove anythng that was obvisouly not period friendly (microwave oven , etc...) but the nicnacks is his. there is a 1951 hotrod magazine framed in the background by the front door too. he still had the old style matches for the gas stove as well as many old food boxes (crackers and what not)... The dinette is also 50's style. You don't get to see it for more than 1 second in one shot but it's there. In short, not sure what the little car was, but it seemed appropriate in a hotrodder's home .

 

UPDATES AS OF 08/10/07

There's a God (and he LOVES me!). I had a very awesome day yesterday. making a period film on a NO budget is pretty much like trying to go to the moon riding on a kite every scene presents a SLUE of challenges, locations being the biggest ones, cars, clothes and props being next.

Yesterday I met with wonderful people from the Automobile driving museum in El Segundo, LA. It all started with my hanging out at Bob's Big Boy a few friday nights ago and as always meeting new people, lots and lots of new people. I remember the DOS still had dust from El mirage on it, numbers painted on its flanks and no windshield and was a real people magnet that night. Everyone was drooling on it (myself included - I didn't want to EVER wash it and revert it back to a street rod). One of the people I talked to took my card, and later emailed me and turned out he is president of two car clubs and volunteers at above museum. He was so excited about the DOS project that he talked to curator of museum about loaning me their rare mint 1941 Packard ambulance for one of my most vital scenes. When I heard about the ambulance I almost fell off my chair. I had been wanting one so BAD but knowing they are near ipossible to find and I don't have budget to rent one, I had given it up in my little head... Not so fast Faith, you must have FAITH

So yesterday the meeting went GREAT and not only will they loan me as a HUGE FAVOR the drop dead gorgeous ambulance (sirens. lights work, and it has all the props inside, all original!) but they will also let me film one scene using the front of their old fashion building as the 1957 convalescent home (I was looking for that location for 5 months now and there it WAS.) Two birds in one afternoon? I drove away at the wheel of my deuce with a smile from HERE to................ HERE! I was on cloud 90000

On another note have been toying with graphics for the movie poster and DVD cover... Went to Teddy's cafe "Old Timer's" meet and showed a few versions and got votes on a few versions... Looks like one of them got 100% votes so I should work on that one some more. The graphics on the website are temporary, so I could get the website up and running so people could contact me for pre-production related stuff.

This week have also secured more actors & extras and talked to my friend who organizes swing dancing events about sending a casting call out to all the swing kids, through his huge newletter and extensive database. he said YES. This means LOTS more people with vintage looks and clothes for the film and more dancers for the one 1953 dance flashback scene.

All in all a good week. Oh , and did I mention I DON'T HAVE A LIFE? Last time I watched TV was.... 5 months ago (I kid you not).

I will post photos later this morning !!

 

Faith, congratulations on what you've accomplished thus far, the photos you've posted have been a great sample of what you're doing, your efforts to be period correct on the details as much as possible are to be commended.

 

PHOTOS

Sorry I have completely redesigned the website today, with new graphics, so i did not have the chance to really work on photos for this thread, but I'll post a few anyways.

Meanwhile, do visit the website and see the new look. It's still a work in progress and nothing yet is final, but i think I like what I got so far.

http://www.deuceofspadesmovie.com

Photo #1 - Johnny falls from grace




Photo#2 - Wolfang Krewe stars as "Wolf the aviator" - a bit shit faced in this scene




Photo #3 - A more sober "Wolf the aviator" negotiates his flying fees with our hotrod girl.



That's all for today folks, more monday I promise! Have a great week-end (I'll be spending it scouting and filming ).

 

Monk is the best! He is the real deal...
I have been going to teddy's since I was a kid. I grew up a few blocks away in Santa Monica. He always shows up in either his T roadster or his blue 5 window "Gena" and has been known to leave quickly from the driveway from time to time.
As a behind the scenes "making of" you might want to do a separate interview just about him. He has a bunch of CRAZY stories from the 40's-50's and el mirage and hotrodding in the west LA area.

 

I think we all love sweaty girls. keep up the great work.

 

Yes that is already planned As a matter of fact one of his crazy stories did become weaved into the film's story line ... Cool. It;s like reality with a twist of fiction

 

UPDATES

Woke up at around 4AM saturday and fired up the PC. Was on it all week-end, re reading the entire script and trimming the fat. removed length, tightened dialogues, wrote down shots and transitions ideas.
Got half way and still have the other half to do.

Sunday I was honored to have BLUE, a pro director who has worked on many many movies and major music videos come by my house. He wanted to read the script. He has taken a liking to the project and after seeing the promo portfolio, decided it was worth driving for one hour and spending the day here taking a closer look at the movie. He then helped me film and taught me a lot of tricks. Did a refrigerator shot (you know, the cool shot where the door opens and you see the person looking inside the fridge, but it's shot from inside the fridge itself). I've always loved those and so now I have one in my movie hehe. We also did some run and gun filming near Sherman Oaks Blvd and took some chances, setting up the tripod smack in the middle of a public smaller road, but noone stopped us. So we got away with it.

Sounds like the movie is going to be LONG. So maybe it is going to be a hotrod epic?? Not sure what hotrodder would complain about watching cool cars and flashback to the 50's for 4 hours... Hey, the more the merrier, right? And so maybe I should not even worry about it since this is NOT a commercial endeavor, but rather, and artistic one. Nonetheless, I might consider going over it one more time and maybe getting rid of some scenes... Sure would hate to lose the Paso Robles scene or the Antique National scene... It's eye candy... So what the heck, maybe rules are meant to be broken and maybe I should be the daring crazy girl who made a 4 hour period movie on her first try at movie making. But then again, I've been known to do crazy things... So... (shrug)

Actually, I think the film will be more like 2.5 to 3 hours... Maybe? As it stands right now... I intend to time each scene to get an estimate so I know where I'm heading... Then I'll know for sure...

OK, more photos will be posted tomorrow.

 

PHOTOS:

Here are a couple more photos of the DOS. (Deuce Of Spades) from our recent photoshoot at El Mirage. I took the first one, Jim Miller took the second one. The third photo today is a snapshot of actual footage taken at Paso Robles. Whether this particular footage will end up in the film is not yet known, but I do love the car.

More photos tomorrow

 

This is going to be cool.

- Joe

 

these pictures and up dates are fantastic. keep them coming please. let us know when we can buy a dvd too! that car already has its own personality, it will be an icon for years to come. you have done very well with this project.

 

Film it long now and edit it when you get that far.

Make shure you keep the edited material in a safe place..

(I used to work in the recording industry and have done some film work as well, sure didn't get too rich or fat off of the pay checks)




.

.

 

UPDATES

If you are enjoying this thread please help me get the word out about the Deuce of Spades project. Please crosspost and let all your hotrod friends know about it. Word of mouth is very powerful, so talk about the film in your hotrod circles, cruise nights, forums, newletters, on your websites etc... This would help me immensely in this Gargantuan endeavor I have tackled.

This is an easy, simple thing you can do for me and it would immensely help. Thank you for your support and for believing in this indie hotrod film.

PHOTOS

Today I thought I'd share some screen snapshots of actual footage captured at El Mirage during the SCTA time trails. Special thanks to the SCTA, expecially Joanne, for their support and help. I had the great honor to sit in the starters chairs at start line and there is no better view in the world!

Note: these were snapped directly from the timeline, hence they are low res and do not represent the actual quality of the footage.

This is the chair I sat in while filming some of the footage:




Here I am, baking but having an ultimate BLAST. The cheapo $100 tripod was upgraded to a $1000 (ouch) model a few weeks later. And trust me when I say this: You get what you pay for when it comes to filming gear! Hence my taking a loan.



Love that magenta coupe behind me, here are two more shots of it:



heading down the course





Here is the MOON coupe, also taking off. Would love to use this footage if I can get MOON's blessings




cool cars roll up to the start line



Ths one took my left ear drum with it when it took off



Here is a cool roadster heading down the track: Love the louvered trunk lid



That's it for today, tomorrow I'll post more time trial snapshots, taken at finish line this time.

 

Wow, You sure have some really sweet pictures there. I am sure you have video to match Really something !
Are you still doing the photo shoot at Saugus ? Would you still be looking for cars ?

41 Dave

 

theres something very attractive about a chick under a car holding a wrench. thats a sweet car too