At Windsong, we like the challenge of creating a new production entirely from scratch: coming up with the very first concept, refining details on the fly, selecting whatever props we can think of, and meticulously tweaking the edit until it satisfies our imaginations. Having an entirely blank slate is exciting.
But every so often we’re presented with a challenge that’s pretty much the exact opposite of a blank slate. We like those challenges too.
When Catalyst Marketing asked us to produce a TV commercial for Black Oak Casino Resort, the concept, script, and storyboards were already set. The spot is an homage to the pre-Star Wars George Lucas classic American Graffiti.
Our task: recreate this iconic scene, remaining as true as possible to the original:
Location
The first aspect we had to match was the location. The film is set in 1962, in Modesto, CA. So we headed to downtown Fresno to find some mid-century backdrops.
American Graffiti (1973):
The key to scouting locations is imagination.
Downtown Fresno (2014):
The intersection we settled on may not look like much in the middle of any boring night, but with the right technique and some creative lighting (plus assistance from the kind business owner who agreed to leave interior lights on all night), we were able to transform it into a pretty darn good approximation of the original scene.
Black Oak Casino “Classic Graffiti” Commercial (2014):
Props
Of course, the single biggest factor in recreating the scene are those classic cars: a turquoise ’58 Ford Edsel and white ’56 Ford Thunderbird.
After decided against our original idea to use a ’94 Toyota Corolla and ’87 Jeep Cherokee, we instead focused our search on local classic car clubs. We needed to find people who not only owned the cars, but were also willing and available (on short notice) to let us use the cars until midnight, in the middle of the work week. Furthermore, those owners would need to be OK having actors sit in, and possibly drive, their precious rides. It wasn’t going to be easy.
We talked to people at Chubby’s Diner and emcees for car shows. Helpful strangers checked with their friends and acquaintances, and even recommended other car clubs. Our search expanded up and down the Central Valley, all the way up to Modesto itself. We found several generous folks willing to help, but none of the cars were an exact match. The Edsel in particular, which was only produced for three years and was a flop, proved especially challenging.
Finally, within 24 hours of the shoot, we found two cars right in Fresno, about as close to perfect as we could imagine: a black ’57 Chevy (a more successful Edsel competitor) and a pearl white ’57 T-Bird. Oodles of thanks go to Dennis Montaban of German Automotive and James Gardner, respectively, who provided the vehicles.
Ready, Set, Go
With the location set and cars taken care of, the rest was relatively simple. Add in some actors, a Wolfman Jack or two, and several stacks of cash, and you’ve got yourself a fitting tribute to an American Classic:
