Cars are an important part of everyday culture. They often play an important role in the cinema. Just as they are an integral part of your real, civilized world, they naturally also play an important role in the film. They give films a clear time frame, place you in a certain milieu, and can help to characterize film characters. And they sometimes become legends themselves, like the Ford Mustang in “Bullit”. With this, Steve McQueen was able to prove his qualities as a racing driver.
Legends on four wheels
Cars can be mere props if they appear in the background of a picture. However, they can also be important as so-called “play cars” if they take on special tasks in the film or a scene, up to and including vehicles of the main characters. In a few, rare cases, cars even became the main protagonists of the films. Just think of Herbie, the “great bug”, the DeLorean sports car from “Back to the Future”, the Bat-Mobile from “Batman” or the “Nightriders”.
The Blues Brothers’ “Bluesmobile”, a former police car, has made film history just as much as the fastback Mustang that Steve McQueen drives in Bullit.
Placements of cars in films
There is also often a symbiosis between car manufacturers and film production companies. This means that both sides can achieve positive effects from the use of a specific brand or a specific type of vehicle. Aston Martin’s DB5 would certainly be far less well-known without James Bond.
They were always legendary, the converted cars of secret agent 007. The secret service vehicle converter Q is equipped with new weapon systems, camouflage and protection techniques in every subsequent Bond strip. Here children’s dreams became reality. Bond’s cars could pretty much do anything, drive, swim, fly and of course shoot.
Almost all major car manufacturers, including Mercedes, Nissan and Toyota, have made appropriate deals for suitable film projects.
The car alone is not enough
Professional renters of film vehicles know all the necessities. They know theĀ special permits, attachments for flags on vehicles, etc. that are necessary for a corresponding shoot today.
The services also include taking care of the right license plates. The license plates here are anonymous. No real license plates are used during filming or even historical license plates that were common in earlier times. These companies also do inscriptions, company logos, etc. with removable foils or car wraps ny for the old look.
The various special providers often sort the vehicles in their database according to decades, which in this way can be put together quite faithfully for film scenes.