sick of "American Choppers"&"Monster Garage"& the like?

Realistically, I’d expect an organized shop/retailer like So-Cal Speedshop to introduce a real world hot rod show. Most of the cars would be built from catalog items, but the “iden***y” parts would be hand fabricated from Old Ford Parts, or fabricated from stock. This at first sounds a lot like the non-fabrication oriented OCC, but then lose 75 percent of the drama and introduce real drama and actual fabrication. Real drama you ask? Yeah, drama like the deadline for Oakland approaching, or the supplier has stopped making the part that was specified and you have to modify the design to accommodate a different part, or the owner saw something trick on another car and wants to incorporate it on his when the shop is halfway through the build. And fabrication? I’d guess that the Discovery Channel clip of Jesse James making a chopper tank from flat sheet sold 30,000 WCC shirts and 1000 Covel videos. Real fabrication that is just barely out of reach of the viewers is tantalizing. Watching Jesse’s employee drop a billet into a mill that carves a custom wheel out of it is too far out of reach and boooooring. But watching a tattooed punk with a mallet and a torch make a really cool chopper gas tank is within reach and interesting.

Anyway, a commercial shop with steady customers and decent resources could be interesting. If they’d make a series that showed real world buildups mixed with real fabrication, I’d start watching TV again.

One time visits to shops is somewhat interesting, but unless they’ve built up an expectation of what I’m gonna see, I don’t watch. You’ve got to make me buy in to a show to get me to plant my **** on the sofa. If it’s a ****shoot that I’m gonna see something interesting, I’ll go somewhere else where the odds are in my favor.

Hey So-Cal Speedshop….are you listening?

 

Lots of topic fodder flying around. Anyone interested in breaking the mold

 

I'm up for it...let's do one this Spring called "Hackster Garage"...I'll ***emble a crew of HAMBers from Michigan and we'll get my old Chevy moving in seven days! I'll have an old high school buddy do the filming!!

(My buddy started his career in video and TV back in high school. We did a stupid gag commercial featuring me dressed up like a retard crash-testing a kids' wagon. Ran it down a slide and into some garbage cans, and also did some other silly stunts.

It was just for fun, but even at that age, my buddy was all official with things...acting like George Lucas or something directing the action. It was fun.

Imagine my surprise when kids at school started snickering and making references to the phony commercial! The clown put it on the air...he worked at a local cable company and ran the commercial several times during local programing!!!)

Ha Ha...it'd be fun...but don't hold your breath...my buddy is a busy guy these days and NO WAY he could donate a week of his time to filming, editing and producing something like this!

Darn!

 

Fat Hack,

You get it filmed and we'll get it edited and produced (I hope)

 

Heres an idea: what if instead of a TV program we just sell the tapes here on HAMB and give some proceeds to the message board and the rest to who ever submits the video's. that way we could benifit from the knowlege that swirls around here and we wouldn't have to sit threw commercials.

 

I work at the local cable company for alot of the west side areas of metro Detroit. If someone makes it, I'll get it aired not only here but in all the other states that BrightHouse Networks has cable, such as CO and FL.

If the raw footage is brought to my peers here at work, I believe I might be able to convince them to either edit it or let someone use our equipment here for editing.

Keep in mind, your talking ALOT of money to produce something thats of quality to get anyones attention.

 

BIG money! My buddy started his own video production company not long after high school and does quite well. He makes most of his money by making commercials for local businesses and automotive dealers.

I asked him about doing a commercial for a friend of mine a few years ago to boost her business. He said he could probably find time to put together a 30 second clip with professional quality voice-overs and editing techniques as a favor for a friend, but anything more than that would require some serious cash to cover his expenses...profits be damned!

(On the other hand, putting something together using home video equipment would be alot of fun to watch and share with other HAMBers!!!)

 

hack, can you send that video out to everyone on the HAMB?

i wanna see it

 

I pitched such a program back '96 to several production companies, before the actors strikes drove everyone reality crazy, about rods and customs.
It would have been 13 weeks in a do***entary form. It would have had a builders (Lobeck, Brizo Sr, and Jr. Boyd, Winfield etc) outlooks on history, curent trends and the such. The best part I thought, was a build up by everyday folks in their garage. Using what they were given. In this case it would have been a bone stock '33 three window Ford body and a set of Just A Hobby rails along with a pile of used parts. No fancy shop or big buck sponsership. The whole idea was to show the roots of rodding and how it came to be as we knew it then.
The problem was a lack of viewers for the subject. 3000 cars at a Goodguys event or Hot Rod selling 100,000 copies wasn't enough proof. And the cost of travel and crew and the build up itself.
No viewers+high production costs = no sale...
It is very expensive to produce a show of quality and equally hard to convince an excutive that he'll make money on it. HorsePower TV and others cost big bucks. Monster Garage is a good example. Who else could afford to cut a really nice big block El Camino or a 3 year old Mercedes?
Pre sales are the key. Pre sell it in enough markets on your own and it could work. A pilot like that would be an easy $50,000 with production costs, post, and distribution.
TV and motion pictures are alot like hot rods:
How fast can you afford to go?

 

Fordiac...do you mean that Wacky Wagon footage???

Hell, that was 20 years ago...I'm sure (that is I HOPE!) it's long lost by now!!

 

TV is supposed to be entertaining. Could the video entertain enough people?...I don't think so, unless you found the right personalitys for it. How about Britney Spears naked, doing flat black paintjobs or painting wheels red?

 

hatch, i thought you said it was bad to do paintjobs with any skin exposed. **** would be even WORSE!

 

bad for her...good for me...so it evens out!!!

 

Ill tell you guys this I have been working on mad fabricators for 5 months
now and if I could get it to the m***es it would rule..I have nothing but
positive responses. Every one is going crazy over this..and yes Mad Fabricators is now a production company officialy..
this is not my hobbie any more. Im trying to get this off the ground so I can do alot more
with it (and quit my day job) I am also glad to involve HAMBers at all means..I have to thank the HAMB for all the people I met ...It motivated me to get this going...let's face it people in Switzerland want to see Viva las vegas!!! and as far as budget I
have done it all my self Filming , editing , artwork,..Ect.. It can be low Budge...I still think that releasing a DVD is better cause I can't be censored..I like to show what people are all about!!! I want them to Cuss...
I don't want some Suit telling me What I can or can't do....so the Show
would be cool but I know Ill have to fight for what I want...
Mad Fabricators will be Right On!!! I garenteee!!


Von tingler...Ya I though about PBS..that might be cool..I could do a sorta
1/2 hour Infomercial for the DVD but I would rather Do the DVD.


If I could get this out like a Rodder Journal..It will be way better than a show... I talk all this talk now but when a HUGE check is in front of me I might give in.... not to worrie I will always be about the OLD SCHOOL!!!


it's all I know.
my3cent$
Evel



Evel

 

Evel, would you like to pitch mad fab, You know while your here and all.

 

So... How did that "American Hot Rod" show on Boyd Coddington work out?

 

Evel,

You can always do the uncensored DVD, then make an edited version to pitch to TV... best of both worlds, holmes.

 

American Hot Rod "****ed" I get sick of watching prefabed, store bought parts ***embled by the ultra rich. Oh no this part is wrong. Ok order a new one it's only 6,000 dollars. Makes me jelous, yes , makes me sick, yes, makes me want to build something, no, Shows me i'm too broke to stoke and i don't want to see it anymore

 

Lots of good thoughts here....everything from "if it's on TV it won't be cool anymore" to "My son is inspired by it instead of by other, more useless **** on TV"

Well..there will be more hot rod fabrication on TV. Filming is occurring right now on a couple AMBR cars...and it'll be on Discovery, and it'll be cool. Real shops with real guys who build cool cars for a living and really cool cars for themselves.

All good things take time. I think the chopper shows launched first because of the "relatively" short time it takes to create a chopper. Cars take much longer, and production costs go up...but to see a driver created from a pile of metal...that's going to be pretty cool.

Consider this too - The cars they've chosen to do***ent the buildups on will be absolutely gorgeous when they're complete. Anyone - car nut or not - will be hard pressed to criticize the final product for visual impact or quality.

Most traditional rat rods cannot live up to that...and while all of us and many others would like to see a rat rod show, the m***es would look at the final product and question it. The cable networks have to know the final product will be attractive to anyone, and officially traditional rods, and especially rat rods and low-buck customs, are a niche. That's one of the reasons we like them.

I think, in time, as the younger generations keep wanting more and more shows like this, the move will be toward diversificaiton and more "flavors" will be needed. I'd bet money on an "import" buildup show before I'd expect to see one on primered old-school rods.

Frankly, I like HAMB-flavored cars right where they are: kinda underground and not for everyone. I'd like to think that's where I'm at, and I doubt any of us would ever like to be as "trendy" as Jesse's choppers have become...although I bet we'd all like some paychecks like he's seeing too.

I hope the next generation is influenced strongly. We had magazines with Roth and Barris stuff, but TV is much more vivid. I'd rather kids see guys building stuff than more video game influenced ****. If kids are going to be planted in front of the TV, at least they should watch guys who aren't. I think it's better than professional sports, which seems to occupy the minds of our youth way too much, in my opinion.

 

Scotch,

Thank you for bringing this into perspective. I agree we should lerk in the shadows a bit adds to the brother hood or sister hood of the whole Kustom Kulture seen. I guess i got caught up in one of my hair brained schemes and i never thought there would be so much discussion. Level head prevail again.

 

Jest..
The Pitch for the TV show would be the DVD be in segments...
It's based on OUR hot rod /Custom culture..The DVD features
Car shows..Artist ..PinUps Music..and Old school and New School
Buiilders And Fabricators..The Advantage of the Tv Show is Budget....
I lack Budget....The plan is to make a little cash and travel all over the world and show every body that this is bigger than they think ..what ever media I can do to show what I see I will do...

DVD wil be out January....Im taking it one day at a time....I can't wait for you guys to see what I see...

Evel

 

Sounds good Evel, I'll keep my flying eye open

 

How about a show called "Jester the Molester Gets His Newbie *** Kicked." That would be a show I'd never get tired of seeing. The plot is undertermined but **** even if it was as plotless as "Freddy Gets Fingered" I'd still watch it.

 

How bout "Nads gets his cut off and fed to the dogs". **** that sounds like the best one yet

 

How about "Jester ****s with Nads and gets his toenails ripped out by pliers and his eyeballs fed to Koi fish in the pond at China Gardens Oriental restaurant."

Why don't you go **** yerself pansy boy?

 

Nads, I think he's trying for a world record run at the post count.

 

Nads you don't know me so **** off if you don't like me so the hell what I ain't go'in no wares as far as this post goes I hope it dies with this last reply to you. Everythings been said that needs to be said.

 

Wares?????

What the **** does that mean?

 

To me it seems these shows are all about drama......
That's what women thrive on, not me!

 

Im looking forward to watching the Flyrite Chopper (Austin) boys in action on the Discovery channel......B?]>