How Tokyo Drift Was Filmed in Los Angeles One of the more fascinating stories of the Fast and Furious franchise was how Tokyo Drift was filmed in Los Angeles. Most people thought we really did go Tokyo to capture these scenese but in reality, the difficulty of getting filming permits plus the complicated (and expensive) logistics, coupled with actor's schedules made this impractical. The third movie in the series, this movie was a new twist to the story we heard in the first. What you're about to read is taken from an article posted in 2009 or so from an interview given by Matt Sweeney, who was a big-wig on the VFX team (visual effects).  The full, original article is here. Released in 2001, The Fast and the Furious featured some 150 visual effects shots. Two years later, 2 Fast 2 Furious more than tripled the shot count. With The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (opening today, June 16, 2006), Universal Pictures is raising the bar even higher with no less than 768 visual effects shots. Some 10 vendors contributed to the project, including (in credits order): Hammerhead (206 shots), Rhythm & Hues (123), CIS Hollywood (172), CafeFX (58), Pacific Title (164), Illusion

For me, the Mach 5 from the Speed Race cartoon is what got me into cars. Ever since I laid eyes on that car, every car I bought or built had to have key elements from the Mach 5 - a wrap around cockpit, lots of buttons, lots of gauges, lots of power and sleek styling. I've spent my entire adult life living this dream. Buying a movie car sounds like a dream come true for most people and, for the most part, it can be. But before you rush out to find one, there's a lot you should know.   Don't Start Shopping Until You Actually Have Money To put this nicely, nothing is more ridiculous than going to the grocery store with no money in your bank account and no idea of what you want. Yet I get dozens of message per week from hapless people who feel it's ok to waste their time (and mine, apparently) asking vague questions as to what movie cars are available for sale. If you walk in to a car dealership with no idea of what you want and no way to pay, you're going to get tossed out. If you want my help, I'll provide it

It's always fun to talk about what kind of car you want. I remember being 16 years old and dreaming of the car my parents would buy me when I got my driver's license. I dreamt of a Corvette, a 240Z or maybe a 1969 Boss Mustang. Instead, this is what I got. A 1981 Isuzu I-Mark four door sedan. Of course, I modified it, but as is the case whenever you put lipstick on a pig, you end up with shit. And this car was shit, despite spending $5,000 on the paint, parts and stereo. I could've had an epics 240Z with that kind of money.     Over the years and through my experiences of owning more than 40 cars, I learned a valuable lesson: never, EVER spend GOOD money on a mediocre car. What do I mean by that? Let's say you wanted a V8 Mustang, but because of your budget and insurance costs, you can only afford a 4 cylinder or 6 cylinders. Don't spend money on that car trying to make it faster because you'll end up spending the money that you COULD HAVE used to buy a better car

One of the most notable aspects of the franchise has to be those "fast and furious" sound effects. I wrote in another blog post (you can read it here ) as to how the engine sounds were done, but here's an excerpt of an interview [Written by Tim Walston for Designing Sound] back in April of 2011. This article explains the tricks used to get some of the sounds of the action sequences. Creating unique fast and furious style sound effects took the work of many talented "foley" artists. "Action movies are pure sonic playgrounds. The busier the scene, and crazier the action, the more opportunities we have with sound to enhance the experience for the audience. But with that opportunity comes the responsibility to clarify the action, and focus the audience’s attention. We want to thrill the moviegoers, not pummel them with audio. As sound professionals, it’s our job to bring to the mix all the elements we think are needed. A great mixer then sorts through the dialog, music and all the sound effects to find the perfect balance from moment to moment. The ultimate authority, in the end, is the director. Rob Cohen makes movies that are great for

If you're reading this, congratulations - you cared enough to inform yourself. The story is pretty long and after you read, you'll understand why I can't post it on Instagram. Let's start with an article that chronicled the downfall ot MotoRex. It's important because it was the root cause of the whole ban on R34s. The following article was written by Richard Chang, a former editor of Super Street magazine, back in 2008. Here is his article that essentially explains why Skylines are illegal in the USA. Begin article -------> IN OCTOBER 2005, Detective Raymond Serna, a 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, arrived at the warehouse, one of several identical concrete structures that shared a cul-de-sac in Gardena, California, two turns off a stretch of the 110 Freeway that could be best described as monotonous and drab. Exit anywhere along this particular corridor from Carson through Compton and Gardena, and you won’t notice the difference. Here, the sky loses much of its blue to the smog, which is the color of soap scum and exudes the uniform tang of industry. The call came from a company called "Motorex," reporting that five cars had been stolen from its lot in front of the

If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me how they could replicate the Fast and the Furious engine sounds, I'd be a billionaire. Or at least, it sure seems that way. Without question, the sound effects used for the cars were a big part of the reason these movies have become cult classics. But before you get all fired up and try to go out and replicate any particular cars' sound, you need to know a few things. It was always fascinating to me how many people asked about how they could get those Fast and Furious engine sounds for their own car. Obviously, you can never make a Honda sound like a Supra, but for those people who the same make and model of car that we used in the movie, the desire was very real. In fact, it's still real today. The Fast and Furious Engine Sounds Were Mostly Faked While it's absolutely true that Universal went to great lengths to get authentic sound recordings of the cars, the final edit include many other layers of sounds added on top of the sounds of the cars. The Sound Department (or Foley Department) has the task of creating sound effects