DEUCE OF SPADES HOTROD FILM UPDATES - photos from the Saugus and dry lake shoots

I'd have been scared shitless...

Have you ever thought about an ignition kill switch?

~Jason

 

Photos of latest progress - Part II

3- HARD LINE:

despite the "rumors" that this kind of set-up may starve the carburators since it has no "fuel log" with "extra gas stored in it", Kent and I found that the deuce is happy as can be and all 3 carbs, when floored, don't hesitate for a moment. I guess unles you are racing, you will not be able to tell the difference, and it sure looks cleaner!!!




Close up shots of the non brass looking fittings.




Kent Weaver, laying under the car (we worked on it for 10 hours, I helped here and there but mostly I watched him and learned - I did have full involvement in the decision process though, explaining my concepts and what I wanted routed and where and how to get it done.)



It was funny because initially Kent and I argued for an hour about what I wanted to do to my tri-power. He was unsure about my ideas. But when I returned, 2 weeks later, with all the pieces of the puzzle and he put it together he had to admit: "You were right. I like it. It looks good".

I'll try to take photos this week-end if the rain stops, so you can see the tripower cloth covered flex line etc... and see the whole thing with the carb air filters on etc...

WHAT NEXT?

Transmission cover, carpet and also a safety check regarding my steering system. Just to be sure .

 

Yeah Scott, you would have had a scoop there LOL . But guess it's not my time. The Big Guy upstairs wants me to finish my film .

 

looking good! Nice job on the fuel lines.

 

Lookin great. Fuel line looks awesome. Glad you got the big machine stopped in time. The Deuce is really tryin to get the best of you lately.

 

Oh yeah - you were working on a film, weren't you? Sorry I don't have much experience with those 2 bbls - they use plastic parts? Like the cams for the linkage? Well, at least your fuel lines look nice.

So just how far are you going with the car, before resuming work on the film? Are you just waiting out the rain, or what? Wish I were down there - I could help out - on the car (don't know anything about film. Unless you need popcorn?)...

 

Pop corn sounds good !! I can't remember when was the last time I went to see a movie ... i think it was.... over a year and a half ago??????



I need a life LOL. Just way too busy making a film to go see films. I also canned my cable TV and no longer have any TV at all at home. I do watch movies, at the rate of one every other week or so... I usually study them though, so I watch the film and then all the special features and then I watch the film again with director's commentaries...

No popcorn ...

Anywhoo, the next step, while it is raingin its ass off around here, is for me to finish editing ALL the flashback scenes... I think I have about 5 or so that I never got around to cutting. I then want to lay them down on my timeline "as is" and see what the total length of all flashbacks is. So I have an idea where I'm at. If it's long, I may have to thin some of my modern scenes down, or even delete a few. I am down to bare bones though, so not much fat to trim anymore... After three rewrites... It's pretty tight.

but, since I am trying to keep the film at 2 hours and ten minutes if at all possible, that means I might have to cut some of the peripheral scenes at the beginning of the film, since they do not really drive the plot. they are good scenes, and show the hotrod culture so I'd like to keep them if I can... But maybe cut them shorter, much shorter...

So that's what I will be up to for the next 14 days or so. Then I do my rewrite (if needed) then my shooting schedule and then BACK TO FILMING !! By then the weather will be less cold and hopefully, the days will start getting a hair longer, but the light should still be good (sun lower in the sky and some clouds).

 

The new hardline really looks nice and is pretty unique. You won't likely see another set-up like yours around, that's for sure. It takes special skills to braze stainless lines like that. Yet it looks very era correct as well. Very cool! The only remotely similar one I saw at the Grand National Roadster Show used copper, which isn't a good idea. Too soft a material, which can work-harden with age and crack. And the clunky copper fittings don't look nearly as clean.

 

Even if you cut more stuff, I'm betting the "deleted scenes" and the "Director's Cut" will be pretty spectacular.

~Jason

 

Lining scenes on the timeline as we speak... I can't believe how much footage I have !!! All 1953 to 1955 period correct footage...

Rats. I hate to lose any of it.

Well... We'll see once I am done putting all the scenes on the timeline...

Met a really cool hotrodder yesterday, specializes in engines, everything from rat rods to race cars. I can't wait to go to his shop and watch them bore, hone and port to see how it's done. I have helped put an engine together once and helped another friend swing his engine back in his blazer once, but altogether I am still ignorant when it comes to engines and would like to learn everything there is to know (well, at least the basics )... I find engines very fascinating. Engines and carbs. If I was a mechanic, that is what I would specialize in. Engines / carbs.

Vroom vrooom

 

I got one, but since it's not located in the cockpit, it would not have helped much LOL.

Wait! Let me stop this runaway hotrod so I can get out, get to my iginition switch and KILL it so I can stop the hotrod...

(you get the idea...)

 

LOL!

Hey, you grabbing any footage at the machine shop? Might come in handy later... plus it's damned cool to watch!

~Jason

 

SUPER COOL UPDATE !!!!!!!!

I was very honored to receive a phone call from Ron, President of the Sidewinders, Telling me that he heard about my film, looked at my clips and is very excited about the film and thought that I was "SPOT ON".

Per the Historians of Land Speed racing current newsletter:

"Sidewinders; Established 1934 - The Oldest Hot Rod Club in America"



He then invited me to come speak at their upcoming meeting on Feb 03 and show footage from my film.

It was way cool. I was sitting across from Mr. Duval himself. The man who created the Duval windshields . He was telling me about his runs on the dry lakes in the thirties... He must be very old but looks great! He's very nice, too...

Of course, Gene Winfield was there, as was Jim Miller, and Jimmy, so some of my best buds, basically.

A lot of the Sidewinders already had seen me a zillion time at the dry lake over the last 2 years. Afterall, I rarely miss a meet (unless I am filming that is)... And I have been filming there many many many times. everybody was really nice.

The place was packed that night, I think a lot of members came to see the film. I was pleased with the quality of the image on that HD flat screen TV set. It really looked a lot better than I had hoped. Sounds wasn't loud enough, I need to fix that. Overall, the scenes looked good and flowed nicely. The last scene, my 2008 SCTA scene featuring Gene Winfield as "El MIrage George" , got a big round of applause ...

But wait... It gets better. I received in the mail a car club plaque a week prior to the meeting. And I was officialy invited to become a Sidewinders !!!!!!!!!!!! To which I promptly said

"I DO"



Becoming a part of the oldest hotrod club in America???

Ya bet!

Talk about history and tradition. It was a great honor. The Deuce was scrutinized by everyone who came to the meeting that night, Ron had me park it right in front of the restaurant's door and those guys did not look down on my little roadster. In fact, many commented: "that's a really nice roadster you got there" ... And since those guys have been doing it longer than ANY OF US... Then if they like my deuce, it means I must have done something right .

Anyways, so there you have it, I am now a Sidewinder.

Wee heee...

below: Actor Jordan Warren, who plays TOMMY in the film, joins me at the Sidewinders meeting.

 

So, where you hanging that plaque?

That's awesome!

~Jason

 

I'm gonna bolt it to the back of my head

 

WOW....Faith is now officially a Sidewinder !!

Now THAT is ultra kool, lucky YOU !!

Rat

 

Dude... that's AWESOME!

~Jason

 

Sidewinder! Very cool. All your hard work is payin off.

 

Cutting flash back scenes? I knew it, my film career once agin hits the cutting room floor.

Sorry I missed the club meeting, welcome to the Sidewinders Faith.

DW

 

thought you were going to say the club made a whopper donation to keep the film going.....
wow, what a project! Keep up the good work.

 

Yes Dan, I looked for you, but did not see you there... I did play the 1942 flashback with your car in it... I think many in the audience were moved by those two scenes.

No, don't worry, the SCTA inspection shot is IN. Everybody at the meeting went "Hey! That's Dan Warner!" when your shot came on ths screen . You're a BIG STAR now ...

 

Hacking away at my scenes, tightening the edits and able to save precious time that way without harming the scenes. In fact, they feel better now, the pace is a hair faster, which is good.

I worked until 4 AM last night and went back at it at 8AM today... Progressing, but it is extremely time consumming...

I suspect I will be at it for 2 to 3 weeks straight...

Well, gotta go back to the cutting room

 

Hey, at least you're at the easy part now! LOL!

Just kidding.

Keep it up, girl - you're a MACHINE!!!!

~Jason

 

Congrats on the Sidewinders.

 

We are ALL dyin' to see your flick! It'll be the highlight of our summer cruisin' season.

Keep up the good work Kiddo!

 

Thank you, you guys ... I worked on no less than 6 scenes today and now tackling the El Biggo of El Biggos...

JOHNNY'S LAST RACE...

Talk about challenging !!! So far it looks real good... I just edited the two hotrods taking off into the night.... OOOooooOOOoooo... Way cool .

My eyes are shot though, I think I'm gonna have to stop for today, or I'm gonna damage my retinas.

I'll go back at it tomorrow after work.

 

Maybe THAT'S why all those "show-biz" types wear shades...

~Jason

 

Remember when I said I was going to stop and rest my eyes?

I LIED.

I couldn't stop editing that race scene anymore than Johnny and Fresno could stop when they saw the finish line rushing at them...

I edited for 16 hours straight, eating at my computer. Yes, you can call me a MACHINE.

I finished it.

Wow. That was the scene that scared me shitless for two years now... Filming it was the most challenging of all, due to lack of massive lights to light the road, as well as many logistics nightmares such as:

1- where to find a cool car owner that wouuld let me borrow a period correct cool looking roadter worthy of a challenger and allow me to have an actor drive it in a race scene?

2- where to find a stretch of straight road where I could put two actors at the wheels of two old hotrods nd have them drive side by side, at night - with no lights and where cops would not shut down my shoot...

3- how to light a road in the middle of nowhere with NOT A SINGLE LIGHT in sight as far as the eye can see... when I have no money to rent cinema lights... Nor a generator to fire them...

4- I needed about 60 K or more to light this scene - all I had was 6K

5- How to find a place for my cast and crew to sleep on location for 4 nights.

6- How to not get stung by the many scorpions running on the set...

7- How to not freeze to death while filming

8- How to not fall out of one of the cars I was hanging from while shooting?

9- How to not fall to my death from the super tall forklift... While I am standing in a tiny cage that is merely strapped to the forks - and not really "secured" on it.



Ah many takes to tell my (lack of) Grandkids one day

Here is a little goofy clip and some photos to remember it all:

 

I forgot there are a lot of behind the scenes footage of our LAST RACE night shoots in this clip: You can see me being lifted up in the air by the forklift... As well as chasing the two hotrods during the race scene... Fun stuff..

 

It was a miracle you even pulled that scene off, I remember. I can't wait to see it!

~Jason