My "famous" picture car

CharlesPapert

CharlesPapert

Director of Photography
Over the years of hauling my gear to set, my trusty old Honda CRV has been thrown in front of the cameras more than a few times. After a recent series where it was picked to be the hero car for the main character, I thought it would be fun to show some of the more notable appearances it has made.

 
Very funny :)

Clearly this vehicle has no character, making it basically invisible (unlike say a bright red Beetle which would be very 'visisble' and drive the emotional understanding of a character)

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A side question.. as the hero car it would need continuity of dirt, and interior props (which might be as simple as a pile of CDs on the dash) and also it would be a problem if it got stolen or pranged and surely the production would, therefore, need it 'locked down' for the duration of the shoot so at minimum you should be compensated to the level of hiring another vehicle. A bigger production would need an identical spare like any other prop or costume. Making 'real' picture cars especially 'retro' ones quite an expensive and complex business. Do you know Saga Norens Porsche? Would they have spares, what would happen to it between series, That porsche might have been 'locked down' for years.

My van has featured in the test/short films Ive made
Fleet https://vimeo.com/52509877
Stolen https://vimeo.com/81317308

Edit.. I notice it was sold for $125k - maybe you are sitting on a gold mine.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/news/classic-porsche-scandi-noir-tv-series-bridge-offered-auction/
Bron-Broen-Sofia-Helin-as-Saga121023_0093_Photo-Carolina-Romare.jpg
 
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Under normal circumstances, the hero picture car would definitely be under "lock down" and there would often be a duplicate version to help facilitate driving shots/rigging and for second unit drivebys etc. Most of the clips above were a last minute "we need to add a car here" and yes, it's pretty generic and a good color, neither too light or too dark. In the case of the "Cassandra French" series, there was a last minute screwup and the wrong car was spec'd and we had to make a fast decision on set with the substitute. I honestly thought I'd be getting compensation but then found out the original car was owned by one of the producers so I had unknowingly offered it for free as nothing had been budgeted. Didn't want to make any waves by playing hardball and honestly it was sort of fun! Because the driving work (seen in the video several times) was actually done rear-projection in studio, they had to remove the tinting for me and then replace it with new tinting at the end of the shoot--would have happened with any vehicle we rented. So at least I got that!

Frankly the best memory was when Laura San Giacomo drove it in "House on a Hill" (you can't tell in the clip but she is actually driving). She was a very nice lady and was complimenting the car (generous gesture) and I won't deny, she made it look good sitting in it!
 
Interesting you mention tint.

My melangoster film my major error was to fail to account for the green windows. Which meant the int lighting was the wrong colour vs the outside world.
You may see the character is a bit pink when the camera is inside and a bit green when the camera is outside

https://vimeo.com/234155683

I could have
-lit from the outside and white balanced on a grey card and fixed the green in post.
-kept the lights inside but added a 1/4 green so they matched the ambient coming in through the windows.

Maybe you would be kind enough to comment on how 'the pros' deal with that dichotomy.. which gets worse if the window is opened mid scene.
 
Yes, I have had that situation come up a few times. The thing is that virtually any direction you look in a car there is glass in the background, so there is always going to be a green tint to things. I've generally corrected in camera and done some power window work in post to clean up straggly bits, like shooting a two shot from the front where the parts outside the car like the roof and wiper well will go magenta in comparison.
 
Haha, that was great Charles! Thanks for sharing.

Must be a DP thing. My ute has guest starred in at least 20 different scenes across I don't know how many projects. I have also singularly failed to earn a dime from it.
 
Good stuff Charles. Funny.
A CRV and Prius... hmmmm...and here I assumed if I ever "made it" as Hollywood DP, I would be rolling up in my Bentley, Lamborghini or Rolls. :D
 
markfpv said:
Good stuff Charles. Funny.
A CRV and Prius... hmmmm...and here I assumed if I ever "made it" as Hollywood DP, I would be rolling up in my Bentley, Lamborghini or Rolls. :D
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Maybe not that ostentatious, but you do see some VERY nice BMWs, Mercedes and Lexuses in the carpark at the ASC Clubhouse! ��
 
markfpv said:
Good stuff Charles. Funny.
A CRV and Prius... hmmmm...and here I assumed if I ever "made it" as Hollywood DP, I would be rolling up in my Bentley, Lamborghini or Rolls. :D
Click to expand...

Don't think any of those cars are suited for putting gear in. Not to mention, you don't want to look like they are paying you too much.
 
I've never been a flashy car guy. I go sensible. Currently driving a Chevy Bolt which is actually a tremendous amount of fun, the fabled electric torque is no joke.

The CRV was never the best hauler, I wanted to switch to a Honda Element but never got around to it (and later a Transit Connect). As a Steadicam operator, especially day playing, I almost always had to get my gear to set or at least to and from the checkout at the rental house. These days I actually own more gear and most of the time it is picked up at my house, but there are some odd or small jobs where I still have to put up and load up.
 
My remark, just to be clear, was totally tongue-in-cheek and not meant to be taken seriously or certainly derogatory toward Charles choices' in vehicles - which I personally think are solid.
 
Worst vehicle ever for holding gear? My 77 Ferrari. I don't remember the circumstances as it was a few years back, but it was the only car around and we had to take it to a political shoot. Two seats, two people, and as much gear as you could possibly stuff into a Ferrari, which isn't very much. I will say we did get to the shoot quickly. ;)
 

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I do dearly love shooting without my own gear (or having my gear stored at the studio). Any time I can just ride the motorbike into work with nothing more than my meters? That's a good day :)
 
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