when I bought my car here in LA the dealer mentioned that he often loaned cars out for film shoots. Has anyone done this, does anyone know of any specific agencies in LA that do this? my 67 lark convertible is in excellent condition and it would be great to see it in a movie.. apparently the cash can be fairly good too...
no. but i'd be glad to loan them mine just to see a gs rippin it up in a movie. sure they may have to bolt on some cameras, do some donuts, fish tail it all over the road but mine is a driver anyway. enjoy
When he was stationed in Hawaii, Bob Colossi tried to sneak his GS into the movie "Pearl Harbor," but I think the editors caught it.
Get a contract that SPECIFICALLY outlines what they CAN and CANNOT do with your car. If you do not want a stunt man sprawled all over hood doing 60MPH, say so! Charge accordingly for the time/use/wear/tear on your car. Make the movie company buy insurance covering your vehicle against damages outlined in the contract. Many a car has come back trashed from a movie shoot. Just watch the commercials and movies you see. Most "rented" cars do not take a staring role however you never know. Rent and insurance is far cheaper for the movie producer than buying a car for a part in a movie/commercial. Remember, this car is your pride and joy, not theirs. To them it is just another movie prop. This can be a very pleasant/fun endeavor or a nighmare! If the movie company says 2 hours use of your car, expect 2 days time to get 2 hours of film. And what a BORING 2 days it will be with most time spent sitting and waiting. Make sure the money you get also compensates YOU for the time away from work you take to be on the set if you choose to baby sit your car. I have rented my cars in Nashville in the past to business's and movie/commercial producers with varied results. Do not get blinded by the glamor of a movie. There is none on the set. Your best bet if you want to rent you car is for business promotions and commercials. Good money and a lot less time and hassle.
As a grip, car rigging is part of what I do. We are as carefull as we can be but with the preasures of shooting schedules things are bound to happen. Most "picture cars" are 20 footers at best. I've seen parking lots full of period cars with a crew of guys just trying to get them started in the morning. If you want your car in something make sure it will just be parked on the street or doing a drive by. If its a "hero" car then it will have a couple hundred pounds of cameras and lights rigged to it at some point. Most times for feature films or series TV the production will have a couple of cloned hero cars built. Some will be for beauty shots while others will be rigged for driving shots and often others will be crashed and destroyed. This is obviously when the car is central to the story and the director / producers want a particular car and look. To answer your question, do an internet search for the film and video office of the department of industry, trade and tourism and then do a search for "picture cars". This should supply you with the names of companies and individuals who supply cars to the film industry but please take the advice of those here and make sure you know what you getting into and yes, to the casual observer a film set is like watching paint dry while to the crew it can be a real ball buster.
I did it a couple of years ago, and I even got to drive the car. It was just in the background, so I was included in the movie as an extra. I went to makeup every morning, in the same trailer that the stars used (although for a much briefer period of time). I heard an ad on the radio for a casting call, and submitted my car (well just a photograph, actually) for consideration. The director liked my car, and it was shot in several scenes. Since I was driving, the risk was minimal. I was paid as an extra, and I got some extra money for having a prop (or something like that). Even if I didn't get paid, I would still do it- it was pretty fun. And, now my car is forever immortalized on a DVD! The only downside is that because my car was so shiny, they had to spray this mud stuff onto the car so it did not "steal the scene". That's okay, though- a trip through the carwash and it all went away. http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7117 If I was going to let someone else drive my car, I would insist on being present. That works well for both of us- if there is a problem then I can fix it faster, and they don't have the risk of trying to figure out a problem on a car they know virtually nothing about (and being liable for damage). And, you can explain any "quirks" to the driver to make their life easier. Plus you get to go on the set If you want to pursue it, I would take a few photographs of the car and send them to a casting agency. -Bob Cunningham
thanks for the advice.. I actually work in movies (though not on set generally) anyway so I know just how boring it can be on set.. whoever said that films are glamorous should try getting up for a 5am start and work a 16-17 hour day mainly spent waiting around getting bored out of your mind...
If I'm remembering correctly, a friend of my dad's had both of his 57 Chevies in the parking lot of the resort in Dirty Dancing. Don't remember how much they paid him, but I think he just did it because it was fun. They filmed it near my hometown, and I know several people that were in the movie, actually. Stupid trivia for the day, I guess. - Freed
You're gonna laugh but I got $100 to put the wagon in a local TV ad. They wanted a "weekend warrior vehicle" and the director left a note on my car. I got to watch them load it up with camping gear and take a couple shots of it standing still. Never did get to see the ad though...
