DEUCE OF SPADES hotrod movie - photos and updates

It was not me that they turned down, it was the car. Either way you are right, they need to have their eyes checked . I do love the magazine though, but not sure why they did not appreciate the Plymouth, it is a real cool car, understated... And it made a great leg pedestal HAHA! No matter the car is going to still be a star cause it is in my movie, you can see the dashboard and fuzzy dices and the cool steering wheel etc... the car is also at the Paso Robles scene, backing up into a parking space, looks great!

 

rats! I dodn't even think about that. i was too busy looking at the airstrip and figuring out what my angles will be, what will need to be framed out, if there is power near by for my night scenes, if there is a tree I can use for the crash etc... the good news is there is one!

 

UPDATES

Yes! The location for the "Passion Pit" scene has been secured. It is a lookout, private land and the owner gave me his blessings. I met him at the Rock store a month ago where he arrived riding on a mint 40's harley, hence my talking to him about having his vintage bike in the film. This lead to a discussion about is large enouhg to fit up to 20 cars, but I only need about 6 to 7 for the scene, with a "busy" couple in each one hehe...

Tired, wired and working harder than ever. Yesterday my day started at 4AM and I never got to leave the office until 9:30PM. Did an audition on my lunch break (so had no lunch) and another one after hours (so had no dinner as well). Both went well. Rehearsed the crash scene with "Tommy" and filmed it. Dang, it gave me chills, even though we were just on the floor of the conference room and I was being used as a prop hey whatever works. The scene is very dramatic. This is the part I hate about the film, this is the part where beautiful Johnny gets shot down from the sky and falls from grace and starts his tumble to the very bottom of the abiss. Lady luck walks out on him. And the fall ain't pretty. But it makes for a good story!

Last night I made my shoot schedule although have not assigned dates yet, I now have a good handle of what scenes can be shot back to back and how many days it may take to get the flashbacks done. I also made my budget to feed flashback main actors and crew and lost my own appetite . Yeop, I need to find me a sugar daddy . Thank God for the donations that trickled in a few weeks ago, they will help immensely, otherwise I would just hang my hat right here and then.

Maybe, just maybe, we are going to be OK?...


PHOTOS

Today I will share a few photos of locations:

Dr. Chang's airstrip, showing some similarity with Saugus with the hill in the background




A shot from the side, showing the background when I film sideways



now compare with the real Saugus dragstrip:



And as you see we are not too far off



Before I go, a couple photos of Marshall Watson who plays the character "Tommy" one of Johnny's close buddies who ends up screwing him pretty badly, although not intentionally. On the other hand, he does save Johnny's life, so you may decide to love him or hate him, the choice is yours. Marshall is one of our best swing dancers here in LA and he is going to perform some neat aerials for the film



OK, tomorrow I will share Bettie's house and her bedroom and also Johnny's bedroom...

 

UPDATES

Sorry got crunched and had no time to post. Lots of exciting news though!

Thursday night I had the great honor to be introduced to Academy award winner James Cameron, who directed the movie TITANIC. To my surprise, he took the time to ask me questions about the project I am working on and I had the opportunity to tell him a little bit about Deuce OF Spades . He then surprised me even more by asking questions about my deuce, and when he found out my hotrod did not have flames nor billet on it he seemed genuinely delighted. We then took a photo and I left with a big on my face!! I hope a little of his directing genius rubbed off on me when we shook hands!



ALSO

Last night I auditioned Kyle, whom, if you remember, I had found lying in the dirt under his shoebox on El Mirage dry lake, fixing a dead fuel pump. Well, I've got to tell ya, for a young lad who has NEVER acted before he literrally KICKED ASS. He is a natural. He is definitely going to be in the film (for sure). I'll let you know what part he is going to play once I have finalized it.

TODAY
Went scouting at 7AM and found several period perfect buildings for misc scenes, including the Police Station Johnny ends up spending the night in following his little street race 'mishap' in Culver city in late August 1955. A hundred kids got booked that night, when 30 police cars raided an improvised race track, Johnny was one of them and since he was at the time all lined up at start line and ready to race Fresno, both the boys got their hotrods impounded and got thrown in jail, where they had the priviledge to spend the night . Yeah, no, don't get all excited because this is mentioned in the film but not shown. What, do you think I have a 750K budget??? But with a little luck, we will see him running out of the Police station the next morning, racing to try to catch his girl at the train station before she leaves to New York. Poor Johnny, he arrives 5 minutes too late . When it rains, it pours.

 

Faith,glad to see things always moving forward on your fabulous project.Thanks for keeping us updated.

 

UPDATES:

Lost in a jungle of forms, deal memos, releases and contracts . Is there really a light at the end of this endless tunnel? This is the part about filmmaking I really hate. It's really stressful, especially when you have to fend for yourself and don't have an attorney hired, cause you can't afford the retainer . Fortunately I do have a lot of friends and several are entertainment attorneys in the film industry so once I have drafted some contract myself, they look at it and make sure it is A-OK. But I still have to find sample contracts and rewrite them myself and it is a royal pain in the you know what.

Called my entire 1955 cast and to my surprise all are behind me and want to go for it. So no defections currently. Pinch me, I must be dreaming! All seem genuinely excited about beginning filming the flashbacks. As for me I am starting to freak out a little... It's SO MUCH for one brain to handle, so many parameter involved in setting up my shooting schedule, it's enough to make you want to jump off a bridge!

Stressed but still excited about everything, what an adventure this has been so far!! More meetings and auditions this week... Then it is time to say: AND ACTION! And bring the fifties back to life.



PHOTOS:

The curator (left) of the Automobile driving Museum will personally be driving their rare 1941 packard ambulance to the crash scene which will be filmed at night time in Agua Dulce (near sand Canyon).



The front of the museum, will also double as the front of the hospital Johnny ends up in. The museum will be parking any car I pick from their display floor out front so to make it look like there are people in the hospital and it is 1955 . I love these people!




This is Bettie's house, a 30's (I believe or maybe 20's) house that has escaped modernism, inside and out, pretty much. I will be filming several scenes there.



The very cool patio area and old 1900 piano will also be in the film briefly. (below, Jim Miller - curator for the American hotrod Foundation and historical consultant as well as first AD for the film - is scouting with me that day) - Yeah , we ALL wear MANY hats .




This will be Johnny's bedroom which we only see once in the film, but the scene is rather dramatic. No, I can't tell you, you'll have to see the film. Of course we will be clearing out all the flowers, girlish stuff, blinds, modern nick nacks removing one bed and moving the other bed to the center of the wall. Add a few dragstrip and dry lake trophies, old hotrod magazines, and it will start to look like Johnny's bedroom . But the low window overlooking a 1955 period correct road below was just what I needed to bring that scene to life. It took me 5 months to find the right room. But now I finally have it.



Alright kids, more updates tomorrow, till then,

FAITH

 

Awesome Poster Faith!
I have to admit to looking for this thread everytime I log on the Hamb. Love the updates. Larry

 

Hey thanks Larry! I am glad you guys are enjoying it. It's time consuming for me to keep updating it but I know so many look forward to it so it keeps me motivated!!

 

UPDATES

JOHNNY CALLAWAY, REVISITED.

Who is Johnny Callaway? He is the young rodder down the street who stays up all night working on his hotrod, building it alone and with his own two hands... He is the driver that slowly squeezes himself inside the roll cage of a fast machine and then has two people strap him down and tie his wrists to the steering wheel.... He is the old timer sitting alone in the corner of the donut store, lost in his thoughts... He is the friend that we will never see again because life has now taken him away. He is all the above and more... But most of all he is the rodder of our hearts, the brave one, the one that was willing to lay his life for the Gods of Speed...

So here's to you Johnny!

(below: Eric Callero stars as Johnny Callaway in DEUCE OF SPADES - photography by Faith Granger - all rights reserved)


















Above: Eric Callero stars as Johnny Callaway in DEUCE OF SPADES

 

UPDATES

The past three weeks have been spent mostly

a- learning the legal aspect of filmmaking (a real nightmare)
b- scouting for more 1955 period correct location and getting them
c- inquiring on filming insurance (OUCH)
d- auditioning actors
e- talking to the main cast and going over their scenes.

Dang, I've been busy!

As of yesterday I am now switching hats again from Producer back to filmmaker and now doing a HUGE amount of research regarding the technical aspect of filming. AKA learning my camera so I can use it to it's full capabilities and also looking for needed gear to complete my filming gear. This will entail purchasing a special rig to obtain that "film look" and also probably getting a small steadycam of some sort (cheap one of course).

I have been talking to other indie digital filmmakers and picking their brains about their gear and how they use it. I am sure this is time well spent, as it will translate into an increase in the overall quality of my video footage. I have decided to spend October learning my craft a little more and will start shooting 2007 scenes in November and get those out of the way. This will allow me to make my rooky mistakes and learn from them and get all that out of the way before attacking the really important flashback scenes. I think this is a good and sensible plan.

For those of you who missed the posts about the three teasers now available, here they are again:

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Deuce of Spades movie slide show and teaser​

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Johnny Callaway and the Deuce of Spades (1955 - El Mirage, CA) -

Puccini opera version​

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Johnny Callaway and the Deuce of Spades (1955 - El Mirage, CA) - remix

alternate rockabilly version​

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WOW !!!
You have been busy Faith.
Sounds like you've made some good progress.
Hang in there & keep up the good work.

BTW-thanks for the poster you emailed me.
Very cool. I'll donate more $ when I can.
Thumbs up & keep yer nipples to the wind!

 

Go, Faith, GO!

 

Hope you saw the ink you got in the latest NZ Hot Rod mag'.

 

Are you kidding me? I've been parading it everywhere I go ... Makes people stop at car meets, they read the article and then start taking photos of the car, I guess they figure it might become a celebrity of its own soon HAHA! Hey, the roadster seems to like it ...

 

keep at it I have a few folks that are dying to see the finished project!

 

UPDATES:

Taking a crash course in directing and scene blocking. What an awesome program!Cramming years worth of film school in my head for the next 2 weeks or so. Also planning for a quick shoot at the hot reunion Saturday as well as another shoot at SCTA time trial the following saturday.

ALSO:

For those of you who woud like to be notified once the film is completed, or have friends who are dying to see the film when it is done, make sure to fill the newsletter form I just added to the website. What it does is once a month you will get a little update and also once the film is completed you will be notified via email that it is now available on DVD . I don't share your info with anyone (I'm selfish HAHA!) and you will not get bulk email, junk mail and other BS.

To add your name to the notification list go here:

http://www.bettatalk.com/mailinglist.htm


NEW!


Meet Johnny Callaway here.

Check the above link out, it is pretty cool.



<AREA shape=RECT coords=6,524,113,562 href="http://www.bettatalk.com/deuce_of_spades_home.htm">

 

Keep up with the work...can't wait to see the film.

 

Can't decide if Johhny Callaway looks like Elvis or Chris Issak. Was this on purpose??

 

Or the center spread, Wolfie McManus, in this month's Playgirl.

 

Nads...ROGLMAO....

 

Nads... You read playgirl? (no comment...)

 

LOL, you guys are just jaleous cause he's a hottie... Eric does have a resemblence to Chris Issac, but he is actually better looking than Chris. He just has a good 50's look amd is a real good actor and that was the only thing that mattered to me.

He also is extremely photogenic and looks great no matter how you film him. A good problem to have for a filmmaker

 

UPDATES:

I'll keep in short tonight. Pretty darn tired. Working around the clock from dawn to the time I fall asleep. Have been missing quite a few meals, and can't remember when was the last time I watched TV. I think honestly it has been about 6 months now. If you want to have time to do something, ban television and you'll be surprised just how much more you can get accomplished!

OK, right now swimming in a sea of technical books, DVDs, forums etc... Not sure how much more I can cram into my poor little head. But I am learning a whole LOT of stuff, all of which will be very useful once I really start rolling full time.

IT'S OFFICIAL, WHEEL MAGAZINE (largest hotrod magazine in Northern Europe) will be giving the film some ink very soon. They serve several coutries, including, Sweeden, Denmark and Germany...

Meanwhile the trailer has been one of cardomain.com featured videos for about 3 weeks now. I think that is the max it can stay featured so I expect it to return to it's normal spot imminently. But it sure was nice to get the extra exposure!

Jim Miller and I will be heading out to Bakersfield Saturday and I will be filming more burnouts, dragrace footage there, plus a couple interviews with known old timers.

Maybe see you guys there!

 

NEWSFLASH AND PHOTOS

It's official, I have decided that Eric is too good looking to play Johnny Callaway and have replaced him with a new actor. I hope you guys enjoy the new look!

Below: Moe McFatso stars as Johnny Callaway in the Deuce of Spades movie. (yeah baby!)

 

How much did Moe pay for the gig? Is this a auction? Can I bump him if I agree to pay more? Should my people see your people or can we power lunch at Bob's Big Boy noonish tomorrow? Look for the Ugo with the caved in right front fender. That will be me.

 

I just finished reading this whole thread and posting a link to your webpage at another site. Hell, just reading what you've done so far would make a neat book or heck of a movie. You should have somebody filming you. Can't wait to get a copy!

 

yeah for real, I am exhausted just thinking about all the work I have A)- done B)- still have to do

YES I intend to have candid home footage showing the process of making the film, including auditions, location scouting, buying gear, making the custom spade button, getting car painted, filming, running around, etc... It also will include exclusive interviews with old timers about the 50's, street racing, Saugus, El mirage etc... the documentary currently is called: "The making of DEUCE OF SPADES" and will be part of the DVD special features.

I am also keeping a detailed blog which will be made available to the public later on.

PS: Some of the audition footage is very funny, especially when I let the actors improvise and they mess up their lines and start laughing.

 

UPDATES

Filmed all day at the Hotrod Reunion. I am honored that Gene Windfield accepted a cameo part in the film, which we "filmed" (now remember this movie is made on digital video media, so I use the verb "filming" in the broad sense) on location at his booth.

It's official, I have decided that dragsters are the loudest non amplified thing on the planet, having for equal only bombs (I have had a few zip by my ears and blow up near me when I lived in Beirut, so I know just how loud bombs get). My ear drums were bleeding yesterday.

While I was there I filmed some stock footage best I could since we did not have clearance to be close to the action . Did not come home with much usable footage but there are a few shots here and there that might end up in the film. I was lacking dragster footage so now I have it to add to my other dragstrip footage shot at LACR a few months back.

Several of you guys walked up to me and gave me kind words of encouragements THANK YOU, it meant a lot to me. It was a real pleasure meeting you guys.

Many more of you(s) just commented as I went by, carrying my camera and tripod on my shoulder "There she is"... Well, you know you guys can come and say HI anytime you see me out there filming, may it be at a car show, dragrace or SCTA meet. I always enjoy meeting you guys, so don't be shy I don't bite, really I am pretty nice... Unless that is, you talk to me right in the middle of a difficult pan+zoom manoeuver ! ... OR unless I am filming a scene (if so, there will be a boom mic there). But if I am clearly not rolling or in the middle of a scene, then by all means do come say HI.

I will be filming another scene Saturday at inspection at SCTA meet, plus filming Sunday all day gathering more footage (might as well). I find myself looking forward to each meet with great anticipation. I simply LOVE El Mirage and the time trials.


PS: I got to sit at the wheel of a dragster yesterday. My of my was it something! I was litterally sitting behind the rear end and all I could see when I looked up was this HUGE engine that went from West to East, South to North, expending in every which direction forever... It is insane. All I can say is you guys who drive these things have BALLS.

Hats down to you! I SALUTE YOU! (and admire you).

FAITH

 

I can only hire you if your belly is bigger than Moe's (Union's rules are very strict on that) .

 

Gene Winfield now a movie star? Fantastic! I don't want to jump the gun here but are you planning a movie house premiere?