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Location: The Suck, California

Me. Stars. Effers.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

On The Set: "The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift"

Last night I had a rare treat. I got to see a friend whom I've known since childhood direct a $90 million dollar film. Not something you get to see every day...

The movie is the third installment in what has proven to be a very successful franchise for Universal Studios: the "The Fast and the Furious" movies (total worldwide box office to date: $443 million). This one is called "Tokyo Drift" as it is set in the hot-topic world of drift racing (ask your kids, they'll know all about it).

So how was it?

Fucking awesome! I had never been on the set of a big budget film before and found the experience amazing. The sheer magnitude of resources involved, the organization, the artistry...

Hey don't snicker - just because it's called "The Fast and the Furious 3" doesn't mean it's totally devoid of artistry. As point of fact, I'm happy to report that there was loads of artistry on display last night. But let's get serious, is anyone really going to see this movie expecting "The English Patient?" Hells no! This is a popcorn movie through and through. And the fun, easy-going vibe on set indicated that everyone was aware of this fact.

More than anything, I was proud of my director friend and impressed by his ability to manage such an enormous production. It further demystified the process of directing Hollywood movies and inspired me more than ever to keep pushing onward in my own career.

Here are some highlights:

-His trailer alone is bigger than my house.
-There is a literal ARMY of people buzzing around doing God-knows-what.
-The food...sweet lord, the food.
-Scantily clad models for a nightclub scene. Wow.
-Two simultaneous film crews, burning over a hundred thousand feet of film per day.
-Actors from our little indie movie finally getting their place in the sun.
-The food...sweet LORD!

I'm still drunk from the experience. Being on a set like that felt comfortable, normal, like I was right where I belonged. I now have absolutely no doubt that I'm following my true calling.

Whew! What a relief!

Now I just need someone to give me $90 mil. Do you, uh, know anybody?

1 Comments:

Blogger Melissa said...

I'll bet Vin Deisel is shitting his pants right about now... "3???? who the hell thought this thing was getting THREE installments?!?!"

5:54 AM  

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