How ‘Gran Turismo’ Filmed 144 MPH Racing Scenes While Keeping Actors in Character
Sometimes the way to get the best performance is to do everything practically.
'Gran Turismo'
One of the most high-octane movies of the summer was Gran Turismo. Based on a true story, it follows a gamer who gets to attend a real race car driver training clinic that's supposed to allow him to adapt his skills from the game to the real world. The movie was directed by Neill Blomkamp from a screenplay by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin.
One of the coolest things about the film was how it really immersed you in the world of racers. When it came time to transition the story from the world of gaming to the world of driving, Blomkamp had a unique hurdle.
How do you make the racing feel real and keep the actors giving realistic performances?
His solution to this was just to put the actors behind the wheel of real race cars and set them off on the track, at incredibly high speeds.
To accomplish this feat, special race cars were designed with steering and pedals on their roof. That way, actual professional drivers could drive from what looks like a go-kart on top of the vehicle. Inside the cars, actors still had wheels and pedals they could interact with, but didn't have control.
Still, you got authentic looks on their faces as they experienced g-forces, spun around turns, and hit high speed on the straightaways.
You can check it all out in this behind-the-scenes video below.
GRAN TURISMO - The Pit Crew (Buy or Rent Now)youtu.be
As you saw in the video, there's nothing like getting the real-thing with actors behind the wheel. Those expressions are so believable and help to transport the audience inside the roles of the characters, thus allowing them to connect with the story.
What do you think of this technique?
Let us know in the comments.
