Benjamin’s Musings

Left Hand Drive Car

My friend and I have to complete a short film as a senior project for graduation. We do not have a large budget, but we want to make the film as authentic as possible. This is the final grade either one of us will receive in college, plus it will be a demo to present future employers. It is a chance to display everything we have learned and to exhibit our creative talents. You can not believe how stressful and time consuming of an ordeal this is for the two of us. Thankfully, there is a nice selection of props and other equipment that has been left behind from previous film students. It helps the next group of students, like my partner and I, to accomplish a better, more refined product. After hours and hours of deliberation and tons of planning in the drafting studio, we have finalized our script down to a detailed five minutes. That is a lot of time to fill. It does not sound like a long time, but when you are behind the lens and then eventually in the editing studio, it can seem like a lifetime. Plus, it costs hundreds of dollars to make a film of this length. Everything has to be well thought out in advance. Together, we have decided to film a scene focusing on a car chase through an unspecified European city. To make it different, the two of us did not want to use a left hand drive car. It would be a great piece of film to shoot the scene using a car that steers from the right hand side. However, like I mentioned early, we do not have a large budget. Also, as vast of a collection as the department has collected over the years in props and other equipment, no one was so kind as to donate a right hand drive car. Sadly, we are going to rely on my used left hand drive for the sequence of shots from inside the car. My used lhd is perfect in terms of the size and look of the car, but as an artist it would just be so much better to have a more European style car. The turns would be sharper and provide a startling element to the American viewer. Other students in class, and especially my professor, would surely notice the extra lengths we went to accommodate such a vehicle. I guess we will not get that chance. It will not take away from the film, but I would be happier if I had the option.