Shooting in a car wash

[Steve Tenuto]

Hi guys,

I'm in the middle of filming my first full length film (mountain biking), and because of that, I am running into a few difficulties I've never had to deal with before... particularly location management. Basically, I need to organize a ~4 hour shoot where people will actually be standing inside of a working automatic car-wash. I know this is pretty outrageous, but how exactly would one start organizing this? It will be in small-town Idaho/Washington area and we have the luxury of working in the middle of the night if needed. Obviously, we'll need some sort of liability waivers because standing inside a working car-wash probably isn't the safest thing in the world.

What steps would you take toward booking a location like this? What steps go into booking any location?


Thanks,

Steve

 

[Steve Sherrick]

I'd hire a location manager, and key grip and Gaffer who know what they are doing.

 

[Steve Tenuto]

Alright, thanks. But I have the time and would rather not add that expense if I can avoid it. Anyone with any tips on doing it yourself?

 

[Steve Sherrick]

Steve, if you are going to do it yourself, you need to do the following.
- Location scout. If you don't have a list of possibilities, start there. Location scouts are able to get this done much faster. But if you have the time, start digging in.
- Determine best location based on logistics, lighting, budget, and aesthetics.
- Make sure you are properly insured, as in fully insured in case of equipment damage, location damage, injuries to cast/crew, etc.
- One you understand the physicality of the space, determine lighting and rigging needs, as well as any challenges for the camera department. Determine that safety of your cast/crew will be no problem.
- Anytime you are working around water, there are protocols for shooting, especially if you are working with any kind of electrical in the vicinity of that water. I'd recommend really putting a lot of thought into that because you can quickly get yourself into a bad situation if you don't. And be very careful about putting people inside of a relatively dangerous location. Make sure you have the logistics of the shoot down to a science. Explore ways to avoid actually having people in that location. Greenscreen perhaps?

 

[Craig Parkes]

I can barely imagine a situation where you would need to actually shoot people inside an actual practical working car wash in a narrative film. You could cheat so much of it with perspective tricks on mid shots, and matching props/foam etc on close ups that would avoid the danger of having people standing inside an area of automated machinery not designed to have people standing in it.

 

[paulherrin]

just talk to the people that own it, tell them what you're doing, and make sure nobody gets slapped around too much.

@ everyone else: this guys not making a feature drama, let him approach it in his own way. there's obviously some dudes (or ladies, preferably) who want to mess around in a car wash... so be it. have fun!

 

[Steve Sherrick]

I can barely imagine a situation where you would need to actually shoot people inside an actual practical working car wash in a narrative film. You could cheat so much of it with perspective tricks on mid shots, and matching props/foam etc on close ups that would avoid the danger of having people standing inside an area of automated machinery not designed to have people standing in it.

I'm with you on this. As I outlined earlier, there are a lot of logistics to work out, and if doing this with an inexperienced crew, could be disastrous. I suppose I'd have to see the shotlist and script to get a better sense of what Steve is after, but I do think you can avoid actually having people in that carwash. Maybe shooting plates, but once you put people in there the scope changes dramatically.

 

[paulherrin]

steve! since when do you need a shotlist to throw some people inside a car wash and let them run around? c'mon...

look, i'm all about what's best for efficiency and purposeful filmmaking - but sometimes that doesn't involve the traditionally accepted SOP's

each artist approaches the canvas uniquely

 

[Steve Sherrick]

steve! since when do you need a shotlist to throw some people inside a car wash and let them run around? c'mon...

look, i'm all about what's best for efficiency and purposeful filmmaking - but sometimes that doesn't involve the traditionally accepted SOP's

each artist approaches the canvas uniquely

Um, let's see, maybe nearly twenty years off experience.

 

[Cliff Hokanson]

Legally, get a stunt person to set this up. They will find the dangers and take care of the cast. If some one gets hurt legally you are ok, and they know how to keep people safe. I have shot full fight scenes in a car wash. We had the cameras fully rain proofed . And grips/stunts for safety. It was fun.. c

 

[Travis Moulton]

If you don't have a ton time/money/experience, maybe you can get a shot of them and their bikes covered in mud walking into a carwash entrance then cut to a shot of them soaking wet and clean walking out of the carwash exit?

 

[paulherrin]

Um, let's see, maybe nearly twenty years off experience.

i'm not questioning anyone's mastery of craft or level of experience. i'm calling into question the unwillingness in anyone, including myself, to broaden their understanding to nontraditional methods and situations. yesterday is not today, i don't know why we keep insisting otherwise. if you think that time and repetition is the best thing you have going for you, by all means carry on - but i think there are far more valuable qualities to pursue. is it not odd that our first recommendation is to rely on post-production? or that an extreme sports documentary now needs to crew up and operate as a traditional narrative film? everyone needs to find the style and philosophy that is their own. trying to fit filmmaking into a hollywood identity rather than just being original is one of the major reasons why we have such unsuccessful pieces.

 

[Marc Wielage]

You'll also be killed for sound. Car washes are so incredibly loud, there's no way you can get any useful sound while the equipment is actually running. I would do inserts with all the machinery off, then just shoot scratch tracks while the machines are actually running.

Don't forget insurance and permits. I agree with several of the previous comments about the potential danger and liability in a place like a car wash.

BTW, I worked on a sci-fi film about 2 years ago that had a car-wash scene, and the director covered it by doing a handful of exteriors with a real car wash, then just using a limbo set and having the actors inside a car. The windows were so foamed-up, with water streaming down, you couldn't tell where they were; colored lights and sound effects helped make it all convincing. Worked fine. But this was a case where the most of the scene happened inside a car.

Breaking Bad has done scenes in a car wash, because the lead character had a part time job at one (and now owns one), but they don't walk and talk through it while the machines are running.

trying to fit filmmaking into a hollywood identity rather than just being original is one of the major reasons why we have such unsuccessful pieces.

I can think of many, many films (even recent ones) that were very unique and non-Hollywood, but managed to work very well. When you boil it all down, the script and characters are everything; they trump the locations, the equipment, the technique, and everything else.

Tyler Perry (in your neck of the wood) is an example of an indie filmmaker who's managed to carve out a very successful niche for himself, doing projects that are not exactly mainstream Hollywood films.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

i'm not questioning anyone's mastery of craft or level of experience. i'm calling into question the unwillingness in anyone, including myself, to broaden their understanding to nontraditional methods and situations. yesterday is not today, i don't know why we keep insisting otherwise. if you think that time and repetition is the best thing you have going for you, by all means carry on - but i think there are far more valuable qualities to pursue. is it not odd that our first recommendation is to rely on post-production? or that an extreme sports documentary now needs to crew up and operate as a traditional narrative film? everyone needs to find the style and philosophy that is their own. trying to fit filmmaking into a hollywood identity rather than just being original is one of the major reasons why we have such unsuccessful pieces.

Paul, let me explain a little further. I am all about shooting a film any way you can, even when it's not traditional Hollywood style. I'm trying to help the OP who asked about logistics of this particular location.

When I was talking about experience, I'm not tooting my horn but rather speaking to some scary situations I have witnessed. For example, seeing someone nearly get electrocuted because they didn't follow proper procedures when working around water. The car wash has potential to challenge the cast and crew, again depending on the shots/script. Having personnel who are skilled in these type of situations is very important. It has nothing to do about independence from Hollywood. Preaching to the choir there. I've made several independent features. I know about stealing shots, about doing things with a small crew, etc. But one thing i won't compromise on, ever, is cast/crew safety. An automatic car wash is a lot different than say one of those car wash bays where you clean your own car. I'm sure the OP has put a lot of thought into the challenges of shooting this which is why he asked for help.

That's all I was trying to do with my post is offer suggestions on how to best prepare for a scene like this. And yes, considering doing some of it in post might need to be an option if he can't do it practically. I much prefer shooting everything practically myself (not a big fan of greenscreen) but I'd rather be able to get the shot that way than not have it at all.

Sorry I wasn't more clear on my original post.

 

[paulherrin]

no worries, man - sorry i was tryin' to pick on ye

i've worked around a lot of 'wannabe' sets, a few in very recent memory still - so don't take it personally - just letting out a bit of steam into the airways.