Car accident

Rich Hibner · July 28, 2008

Hello. I'm wanting to film a fake car accident, but don't have the budget to actually make it happen. I don't need the audience to see the actual accident, but know that one was about to happen.

The shot would be in the back and filming the driver and passenger. I'm wanting to avoid Green/Blue screen and don't think I can afford projectors either. I don't want to endanger the actors as well. It would be day, but if it's going to be easier at night then I could consider that too.

One thought was to pan to the left and see a car about to hit them and shake the camera and and do some post work. Another was something in front of them and have the car swerve off road...do some shaky camera work and post.

Any suggestions?

Edited July 28, 2008 by Rich Hibner

Rich Hibner · July 28, 2008

Looks like it won't let me edit again. But something similar to this.

Michael Belanger · July 28, 2008

You can try the standard footage run in reverse trick for part of the sequence. Park the 2 cars as they would be right before impact, for a t-bone crash your camera car is bumper to the side door of the impact car. Both cars back up at moderate speed as you shoot. In post you reverse the footage and probably speed it up a bit as well, ramping up the speed as you near impact.

This can be cut in as a second or so of footage after a shot of the car shot normally approaching the impact car, but not getting very close. Bridge the 2 with a cut-away to driver or passenger.

Adrian Sierkowski · July 28, 2008

The Played in reverse should work out pretty ok. Problem is of course backing up without looking out the back of the car. Sell it with some sound effects and a cut away to a person on the steering wheel, bleeding, and some smoke and you should be golden.

Oh, and if the car has air bags. . .make sure you form some kind of prop to show them deployed. Go to a junk yard and see if you can find a steering wheel from that same car with the air-bag already deployed to throw into your "stunt car" after the accident has happened (unless of course it's just a small fender-bender)

John Sprung · July 28, 2008

Reverse and undercrank for the impact. Thereafter, move the cars real close together without doing any damage, pop the hood, and blow a bunch of steam around. Maybe get a cheap wrecked door in the same color from a junk yard, also some miscellaneous crash debris?

-- J.S.

Rich Hibner · July 29, 2008

Thanks guys. I do have a dummy car that's already wrecked and a car that's the same make, but different model, but the audience won't be able to tell the difference anyway. Here's the exact scene that I'm going to try and film.

INT. CAR - DAY

A flash back from the beginning. Everything is slow and

blurred. Kasey smiles and laughs. Joseph as he drives, smiles

back. Kasey has a ping-pong ball in her hand. She throws it

at Joseph. He laughs.

JOSEPH

(echoed)

Stop it.

He playfully shoves her arm. She grabs another ball. She

tosses it at him again. He can’t help but laugh more. He

points his finger at her.

JOSEPH (CONT'D)

(echoed)

I mean it, cut it out.

She goes to lean in for a quick kiss on the cheek. He beats

her to the punch and lands one on her by surprise. Their kiss

lasts momentarily before something in the middle of the road

grabs her attention. She instantly turns around and braces

herself.

KASEY

Joseph look out!

Joseph jerks the wheel taking them off road. The car goes out

of control. Tires SCREECH. Everything goes black. CRASH.

FADE TO:

So the car can crash any number of ways. I just want the safeset, and most convincing way possible.

Edited July 29, 2008 by Rich Hibner

Ira Ratner · July 29, 2008

I would do a rewrite:

They have a loving moment and kiss, and just at that very moment, they have a car accident?

I don't buy it.

In "Parenthood," when Steve Martin got into an accident while receiving oral from his wife Mary Steenburgen in the car while driving, now THAT was believable. Plus, it was funny!

Otherwise, throwing an accident in there is just a cheap way to play on emotions, and it won't work.

Edited July 29, 2008 by Ira Ratner

Rich Hibner · July 30, 2008

I would do a rewrite:

They have a loving moment and kiss, and just at that very moment, they have a car accident?

I don't buy it.

In "Parenthood," when Steve Martin got into an accident while receiving oral from his wife Mary Steenburgen in the car while driving, now THAT was believable. Plus, it was funny!

Otherwise, throwing an accident in there is just a cheap way to play on emotions, and it won't work.

And I agree sort of, but....I'm limited to 6minutes and you'd have to read the rest to understand why...plus, this wasn't a "critique" my script, more "how to make a crash plausible" sort of thread.

Edited July 30, 2008 by Rich Hibner

VuNguyen · July 30, 2008

And I agree sort of, but....I'm limited to 6minutes and you'd have to read the rest to understand why...plus, this wasn't a "critique" my script, more "how to make a crash plausible" sort of thread.

I have a test on this, take a look:

Car Hit

Joe Giambrone · August 3, 2008

Sorry, that test didn't work for me. The staging was too obvious, the action too fake.

To the original poster who didn't like the green screen idea -- you may want to rethink.

With a green screen window, the camera "inside" the car, you can replace the real world with a background plate of a camera spinning around and tumbling. With a strong fan to blow the hair, and some good jerky motion of the actors, they can simulate a pretty good out-of-control crashing.

Rich Hibner · August 4, 2008

Sorry, that test didn't work for me. The staging was too obvious, the action too fake.

To the original poster who didn't like the green screen idea -- you may want to rethink.

With a green screen window, the camera "inside" the car, you can replace the real world with a background plate of a camera spinning around and tumbling. With a strong fan to blow the hair, and some good jerky motion of the actors, they can simulate a pretty good out-of-control crashing.

As I would love to use a green screen, but I just can't afford one. I changed some stuff around where there won't be a crash...just not doable with this budget.

Pierce Cook · August 5, 2008

As I would love to use a green screen, but I just can't afford one. I changed some stuff around where there won't be a crash...just not doable with this budget.

If it isn't too late, this might work. If you can cover the shots leading up to the actual hit (I have a breadth of ideas which I'm happy to share if you want to contact me further) you could end the sequence with a static shot outside. Let's say she sees another car pulling into the road in front of them and it's pulling in (from the characters perspective) from the left to enter the same lane they're in.

Put the camera on one side of the road, facing the second car, with a profile look onto the main picture car. Shoot two plates - one of each car. Mask one on top of the other so that the main car can keep going full speed, cut it right when the two cars hit. If you shoot it within minutes of each other and feather the mask just a little, it will be clear.

If I can, I'll email you an example from a small shoot I did a few years ago.

Best,

P