Have you contracted your car to a movie...

[Lexi]

LOL. Love the Ben Hur reference. Clay/Lexi

[Jay Friedman]

The movie people WILL NOT care for your car like you would. It is basically a means to an end. Plus most insurance companies require a separate rider. For instance, if the chrome/stainless trim is too shiny for a shot they will apply vaseline to cut the glare. NO THANK YOU. Plus the money they give you is considered income that you have to declare on your taxes.

My '49 was used in a well known film made in the late '80s.  Most everything Steve mentioned happened to my car, including it being covered in vaseline.  In addition, an agreed upon detailing before returning the car to me was never done.  Also, when I got the car back the spare tire was missing.  I had to search around the house where most of the filming was done and finally found it. 

Some years later another film was going to be done in my area.  The "Transportation Captain" called me and asked if I'd let my car be used in the film.  The first thing I said to him was "How much are you paying"?  He replied "I can't answer that", so I ended the conversation.

I would never do it again.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

if they scratch it was not the plan to restore it to code 93? let them pay for it

NOW you're thinking like a girl. 

What I've learned so far is to have the car bonded, using a copy of its insurance stating value, in this case 25K. (Yes my lawyer - and car crank - is involved.) Bonding is better than relying on the production company's insurance. Once the movie is over, so is the insurance. Mhm. Produce a slow moving video on CD of the car's condition, inside and out, including wheel covers and engine bay. Issue CD to hauler, note such on the bill of laden, keep a copy for myself. Also to note NO changes to the car, OR ENGINE, are permitted. If they decide to drive the car, which is what I'm hearing now, they're paying Michael Amster to be there, ALL DAY and he becomes The Ark's manager. If there's an issue with the car, he can fix it. If they bring in a professional driver, Michael can brief him/her on the limits of the car, exceed that and you own it. Very fluid right now, I'll be talking to 'them' next week according to a text tonight.

I got this car to 23 events this year, fun, but a lot of work. Not to mention the constant on going
work on the car this year... Last year with the engine etc., the very cool story in the Self-Starter, the articles in Riverside Green, Hagerty, Klockau's Klassics. The 19 shows the year before and a TON of work being done on the car, restoring the roof. Relentless "management", now this movie thing. Argh!

And I wouldn't have it any other way. #ArkNRoll

I need to reach out to good friend Paul Geary, he manages Steel Panther, Miley Cyrus and Green Day. AND he's a car collector, he might have some insight, texting him now, I just thought of this, LOL! Its 11pm on the left coast, he's awake. Last time I texted him he was in a boat off of Cabo with Sammy Hagar...

[D.Smith]

Definitely talk to Jim Jordan.   Many of his cars have been used in movies with no problems.

From what I have been told, you can insist that only you drive the car.   If you stay with the car at all times it will be fine.

Obviously there is a big difference on how the car will be used.  So get clarification up front.  Whether its a featured car that is to be used by the characters, vs. a car parked in a driveway or curbside.    Sometimes they just want period correct cars to drive past a scene being filmed.   Which you would be doing over and over in rehearsals .

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I have witnessed the "driving past" scenes in movies, and some have a very small number of cars on the hiring list, as sometimes one sees the same cars going by time after time.

Plus, in a lot of cases, they cars are s perfect in every way, when in real life, they would never have been in such pristine condition, or so obviously fully optioned with scarce body styles.

Call me critical, but seeing perfect cars in scenes that were portrayed to be up to ten years old, and even showing some cars that weren't even built in the pictured scenes makes my wife call me picky.

But, then again, I see the same "howlers" when watching Military films as well.

Bruce.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Definitely talk to Jim Jordan.   Many of his cars have been used in movies with no problems.

From what I have been told, you can insist that only you drive the car.   If you stay with the car at all times it will be fine.

Obviously there is a big difference on how the car will be used.  So get clarification up front.  Whether its a featured car that is to be used by the characters, vs. a car parked in a driveway or curbside.    Sometimes they just want period correct cars to drive past a scene being filmed.   Which you would be doing over and over in rehearsals .

Dave, I've worked multiple movies, I've worked multiple rock videos.
I would rather have every tooth in my mouth get a root canal without novocaine than do that again.
If its just a static display, I have no interest in going up there to watch.
If they'll be driving it, I'd be mildly interested, but probably wouldn't go. At that point Michael
would be there and he can worry about the car. I think everyone should work/take part in a movie,
commercial, music video at least once in their lives. You have never experienced mind numbing, physically and mentally exhausting boredom until you do, for up to 18 hours a day, for multiple days, in all weather... pass.

[Michael Petti]

I know very little about this, but from reading this thread, unless I really needed the money, I would not expose my car to someone who does not care about it except as a prop. I know of one person with a '46 Cadillac limo who rents it out for weddings and graduations, etc. The rental, however, includes him as chauffer complete with uniform. If your car runs as good as it looks in the pictures I have seen I would not do it.  My opinion.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Only way a film company gets its paws on one of my cars is if they write a generous check for it. Then all worry is eliminated. Different story if I had junks but I don't. 

[Big Fins]

I did it twice. Both times was with my '59 SDV. NEVER again, unless like Eric said, they buy it for really stupid money. I don't care about their insurance or who they say will be in it or even if it's just parked. I don't need to see my name in print, I'm not that vain and I don't need their paltry offerings.

I get a lot more enjoyment driving my cars than looking at them in a body shop.

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

This is not about my experiences with my car in a movie, but a "movie" car changed my life forever.

There was a very attractive young lady in nurses school that part of her training involved moving to a separate hospital in Madison, IN for her Physc training for several months. At the same time, MGM was filming "Some Came Running" in town, so she and her classmates wandered downtown to watch the movie being made.

Switch to your's truly taking a student nurse out for a Coke who was visiting a former Pastor and when "hit on," was told that she already had a BF, but she knew another classmate that did not, and would get her to call me if she was interested.

Fast forward to our second or third date. She wanted to see the movie that she'd watched being made. Back in 1958, first run movies were shown "downtown" in large theatres and usually were crowded on weekends. We had to sit in the balcony as I remember it.

About forty five minutes into the show, I sat up, and blurted (Probably too loudly) "Oh my God, look at that 1941 Cadillac convertible!" (Smacking her on the knee in the process.) It was Dean Martin's "car" and was featured quite a bit in the movie.

She should have gotten up and (like the guy in the first episode of The Big Bang Theory advised,) "Run far! Run Fast!!" She didn't, and sixty two years later, she has put up with over fifty Cadillacs in varying conditions, including my "Ark" which had the doghouse painted in red primer. Real nice interior, though.

She told me that Dean would drive the car down the street for a take, then let someone else back it up for the next shot. Good luck, Laurie, whatever you do.

[Lexi]

Great story Barry! Never get tired of hearing those. Clay/Lexi

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

GREAT story Barry! And thank you.