When we first got there we were offered some craft services (free food). Since the set was a bus ride away from where we were and they were figuring out what theyâd be filming, we did what you always do when you visit a movie set: we waited around and talked.
The thing no one tells you about when you study moviemaking is all the time you spend waiting. Itâs no one's fault. Itâs just figuring things out like where the camera will go or how theyâre going to light a scene takes time. Also, shit happens on a movie set. You canât plan for all possibilities. Sometimes itâs darker than you thought it was going to be or the weather forces you to shift days. Sometimes the best of intentions means squat. So when you go to visit a movie set, you just hope the downtime doesnât last too long.
Thankfully, even though there was a lot going on that night, we only waited a little while before Paul Walker came into the tent where we were and did a great interview. He was really open and honest about why he came back to the franchise and you can read the interview here.
Soon after interviewing Paul, director Justin Lin came in and we got to speak to him for awhile. And just like Paul, Justin was really open about everything and he told us some great stories about how he chose the cars that would be in the movie and what it was like directing a big summer action film. If youâd like to read the interview, click here.
A little while after speaking with Justin, picture car coordinatorDennis McCarthy came in and we talked to him about all the cars in the movie and how they went about getting them. And a little while later, we spoke to Laz Alonso about playingâ¦Iâm not sure how much I can say about his characterâ¦so Iâll just say we spoke to him. Look for the interviews with Laz and Dennis McCarthy next Monday.
So after conducting all of our interviews, we all boarded a small mini van and drove up a long dark road with a steep hill. In the distance we could see a lot of lights, and as we drove further into the night, we got closer to what seemed to be daylight as the lights illuminated everything.
As we stood around and watched all the people put the sequence together, we all tried to stay out of everyoneâs way as the small set was very crowded. Also, the sequence we saw had a lot of cars being used and they were sometimes shooting wide shots.
Over the course of a few hours standing outside in the cold (thank you portable heaters), we got to see Lin figure out how he wanted the scene to unfold and we saw them shoot it a number of times. In take after take we saw the cars drive up the hill and hit their mark, with Paul and Vin doing all their own driving. And while Iâd like to say what happens in this scene, all I can do is offer you this picture. We were standing outside frame on the lower right.
After watching filming for a number of hours, it was time for us to leave to begin the long drive back to
So even though this set report has come to a close, Iâve got some cool stuff you can still see because Universal has provided the sites that went with over 30 new images from âFast & Furiousâ and theyâre below and on page 2.