Average Guy's Car Show Project, The Next Phase

[bencar]

For those who may have read the thread AGCS Meet Dec 7th @ Freehold Mall recently, you are aware that we have moved into the next phase of this project. Jim, Big Al, and I met December 7th, schemed quite a bit, and now we're moving toward a Spring time start-up. We still could use someone to donate or loan some decent Video equipemnt, and a clean Garage for filming. There have been some offer of those items, but so far, nothing concrete. Push comes to shove, we'll manage somehow to put a pilot episode together, but some help would make the task easier.

[SpeakersGoBoom]

how big a garage do you need? and by garage, do you mean, park the car, side of the house garage, or work on the car, lift, gas station type garage?

[jims69camaro]

in case you were curious what exactly was discussed, i have transcribed the recording i made of the meeting:

*begin*
we may have web space to host the videos
auto-shows, press pass to get in early and record a walk around to show newer cars as well as updated classic cars to use as filler for the show
cruise nights, local cars shows, etc. ala HorsepowerTV
to have a product the other shows don't have
keep a focus
show understanding of the subject matter
there are enough "dream" shows out there
expand into other everyday cars, not just f-bodies
explain the benefits of "free-mods", show how people can get started
show how average people, with the proper understanding, can explain to a specialty shop how to make a custom part for their car
through proper explanation, like basic knowledge, measure twice - cut once
or cut large and then custom trim to the application, like carpeting
just because it's custom doesn't mean it has to cost megabucks
al likes ketchup and hot-chocolate
ben likes sugar and coffee
protect this idea
co-host - female, intelligence, mechanical know-how - to show that females have interest in the hobby, too
start to define specific tasks
backup resources
editing equipment
garage space - ramsey puegot, ivan's automotive - edison shop on rt 27
engineering - reasons why cars are designed the way they are
air tools - average guy or not?
production company
director
look and feel of the show?
non-cluttered garage; neat, organized tools, roll-aways; mig-welder
reality format? cross between horsepowerTV and popular hot rodding
add in personality to avoid being a 'dry technical' show
add in computer graphics to explain concepts and applications
whatever it takes
show the work without assuming experience on the part of the viewer, explain technical things
seek manufacturer support - however much they want to give, whether it just be a couple of cans of paint and paint brushes
or financial support, then give them proper showing in the credits or mention them during the show - depending
on how much support we get from them
reduce intimidation on taking on small projects
show introduction should have a disclaimer in it about that show's content: if you do what we did you may or may not see the same results
explain how environmental variables can affect results
bring in a specialist for certain areas, like tuner cars
good project topic is tires: what's the difference between a race compund tire and a street tire?
what's the difference between a 50,000 mile tire and a 10,000 mile tire?
why do certain tires cost more than others?
preventative maintenance can avoid major repairs, like checking your oil can avoid having to put a replacement motor in because you ran it dry and seized the pistons
march, 2005 start time
*end*

obviously, as ben said, garage space is needed.
edit: we are NOT going to have the use of a professional camera so i would like to have access to 3 digital cameras for shooting and to provide filler and perhaps even do a "behind the scenes" documentary - the first priority, of course, is to get enough footage for the editor, then we can go off on a tangent if possible.
we also discussed the possibility of adding in our members at the 1/4 mile track, road course or drifting as filler.
we need someone with video editing capability. i know justin had said he'd like to do that, which is fine if he's got the capability. i would like to have someone else as a backup to be present during all editing to help out and keep track of where things are should something happen to our primary.
we're going to need people to help with the solicitation of help from certain manufacturers and suppliers - even home depot could help out in this regard. i'd like to get one of the major automotive parts stores on board, so if anyone works at one of them and has an "in" or can direct us to the proper person to contact, that would be cool. even if it's just someone writing letters to manufacturers and suppliers, that would be useful - as, admittedly, this is not my strong suit. perhaps if someone is in sales and could help us out with that... even just someone that is comfortable talking on the phone that can give some of these companies a call and see where that leads us. we're going to need help with this project, so anyone that feels capable of these tasks, please do not hesitate to step forward. we're going to need financial help as well as parts, supplies and tools, so there is a chance for many companies to get involved in this - they don't have to just hand over some cash. (although, the more of that we receive, the better our production will be)

further, we don't know that we can't get a video camera, or some sound equipment, or even the space in someone's professional garage until we ask for it. the worst that can happen is that they say "no", and even then our position is still the same - it hasn't gotten any worse.

anyone that helps us produce this show will receive proper credit. that means everyone from our largest contributor down to the kid that runs out for pizza - everyone that makes a contribution will be credited. obviously, the more help someone provides, the stronger presence they will have in the credits. while this doesn't sound like much, if this show goes anywhere it sure would be cool to say you had something to do with it - and have proof when your name appears in the credits. for the larger companies, this could mean free advertising for them and they may reach customers they never thought possible.

[SpeakersGoBoom]

Originally Posted by jims69camaro

co-host - female, intelligence, mechanical know-how - to show that females have interest in the hobby, too

I can provide 3
<--AGCS Pimp right here.

1) Lexi knows somethings about cars
2) Sam would love to learn
3) Candice just wants to hump a 69 SS


I'm sure I can find more...

[jims69camaro]

Originally Posted by SpeakersGoBoom

how big a garage do you need? and by garage, do you mean, park the car, side of the house garage, or work on the car, lift, gas station type garage?

at this point, an attached garage would be fine. we don't need a lift, because the "average" guy doesn't have one. he does things in an enclosed garage if he has one, otherwise it's jackstands in the driveway.

the only reason i am considering a shop bay would be for camera angle, ease of use as far as completing a project, professional image for the production, etc. it doesn't have to be a professional garage, but it's on our wish list.

[SpeakersGoBoom]

did you guys ever get in contact with the owner of ramsey peugot? seriously, that garage is huge for what they do there (sit on their asses and watch the pantera and the delorean and the 53 thunderbird rot. ) If all you want is a garage thats big enough to get a camera angle, why not try a gas station? see what they say. Again, if you dont have money to rent it out, offer to give their place free advertising (ex, Special thanks to INSERT GARAGE HERE, getting more than a few camera shots of the name of the garage, and the surrounding location, so people could get there...etc)

[bencar]

I'll take a shot at Ivan's, but we may run into that ever annoying-'Can't let you use my Garage due to to Insurance liability reasons- so we may have to use a private Garage, as in a Garage that's part of someone's house initially. Not a bad thing.

Like I said to Jim in my post under the AGCS Meet Dec 7th @ Freehold Mall thread, I can at least supply the paint and Artist's Brushes for the-'How to detail/touch up detail the Engine Compartment'-episode.

So, as I also said once before, looks like we're on our way

[Trans Am Chick]

Originally Posted by SpeakersGoBoom

I can provide 3
<--AGCS Pimp right here.

1) Lexi knows somethings about cars
2) Sam would love to learn
3) Candice just wants to hump a 69 SS


I'm sure I can find more...

id love to see u provide when your single! watch it "pimp"! im not a toy!

*altho i would love to help.
^^ that is on my own FREE WILL thankyou

[bencar]

Originally Posted by Trans Am Chick

id love to see u provide when your single! watch it "pimp"! im not a toy!

*altho i would love to help.
^^ that is on my own FREE WILL thankyou

Simply put, if you're interested in being a part of this project, and not just being Â*'Window Dressing', then that's what Jim, Al, and I were agreeing upon that we felt would make this thing different from the rest of the stuff that's already out there. So, keep up with what's going on, and I see no reason why you couldn't be a part of this thing.

Um, and sorry, no car humping 'Speakers-Go-Boom."

[BigAls87Z28]

If it comes down to it, we could use my garage. Even if its just for a pilot show to get us off the ground. Then as we get into more serious projects, we would have to look elsewhere. Problem is that if that happens, we would have to move all the crap out of my garage.

[SpeakersGoBoom]

1) I dont hump cars. Candice does, but shes living in like, camden now, so shes probably out of the picture
2) If it comes down to it, we can use my driveway. Its pretty big. the garage is bearly big enough to fit one car, provided that its empty (which it isnt), but the driveway can fit 2 cars side by side at the end, and then 3 cars single file to the street. And its in beautiful suburban Mall Land, and we can have comedic relieve breaks from my neibor, the 95 year old woman who will come out periodically, and say "ya better not paint my ****ing lawn again!"
3) I said i was a pimp. I didnt say you were in my service tho. Your not a loner. Your off the market

[bencar]

Originally Posted by SpeakersGoBoom

1) I dont hump cars. Â*Candice does, but shes living in like, camden now, so shes probably out of the picture
2) If it comes down to it, we can use my driveway. Â*Its pretty big. Â*the garage is bearly big enough to fit one car, provided that its empty (which it isnt), but the driveway can fit 2 cars side by side at the end, and then 3 cars single file to the street. Â*And its in beautiful suburban Mall Land, and we can have comedic relieve breaks from my neibor, the 95 year old woman who will come out periodically, and say "ya better not paint my ****ing lawn again!"
3) I said i was a pimp. Â*I didnt say you were in my service tho. Â*Your not a loner. Â*Your off the market Â*

Um, I was hoping that you weren't interested in humping cars, but no girls doing that either.

Either Al's place or yours might do for a starting point if nothing else comes up, but also, NO whacko neighbors needed, or wanted. If goofy managed to get into anything we shot, that segment is immediately GARBAGE. While we don't want this thing to be as dry as toast, there are reasonable limits to what is acceptable, and what would give us any kind of a decent shot at this thing ever getting picked up by any professional broadcast medium. So, kidding around a little, some realistic scenes, showing me for instance cussing out my car in my most colorful manner when something I'm doing on it goes haywire, might fly, but not nutty neighbors butting in on our work.

[SpeakersGoBoom]

I think i can silence her. (gets the cherry bomb, the tranquilizer darts, the shovel, the crossbow, and the plunger)

[bencar]

Originally Posted by SpeakersGoBoom

I think i can silence her. Â*(gets the cherry bomb, the tranquilizer darts, the shovel, the crossbow, and the plunger)

Be nice now, no tranquilizing the other participants in this project either. It's just unsportsmanlike

[SpeakersGoBoom]

Originally Posted by bencar

Be nice now, no tranquilizing the other participants in this project either. It's just unsportsmanlike Â*

i would only use it on the neibor. and dont worry. she deserves it. when my dog died, her only response was "good. now my ****ing flowers can live for more than a week, for a change"

[Trans Am Chick]

hmmm... i could ask my mom if we could use my driveway... its at a slight slant. but theres plenty of room. i can make a complete circle in my drivewayz without hitting either side. plus theres pretty decent scenery in the backyard. i think we have like a 1/3 of an acre or sumthing... anyway. it would be plent of room to work on the car etc. plus we have this canope tent thingie. that fits about 2 car lengths and one width wise with room to walk around. there are no sides to it but im sure that can be added with a tarp if necessary. that would make camera work easier as well since u could take one of the panels of the tent off for the camera to see in. just a back up idea since i dont think its exactly what ur looking for.

[PBodyGT87]

I'll supply the backround music

*runs off thumpin the bass*

[jims69camaro]

Originally Posted by PBodyGT87

I'll supply the backround music

*runs off thumpin the bass*

if you're serious about this, let me know.

[jims69camaro]

list of what we need and proposed resources:

1) three (3) digital camcorders

2) space where we could shoot

2.a) an air compressor and air tools

2.b) a welder

2.c) rollaway cabinets for tools

3) experience shooting with a tripod

4) experience with scripts, storyboards

5) experienced scenery people

6) a vehicle for shooting - with current project or proposed project

7) editing

8) host personality

9) lighting

10) sound recording equipment and microphones

transamforlife: tripod, editing, DVD production, vehicle, project(s)
silvertransam: mini-dv camcorder, camera operator
tru2chevy: camera operator and editing
bencar: vehicle/project, host, scripts storyboard (you may want to pare this list down if you think you might get bogged down doing so much)
BigAls87Z28: scripts, storyboard, place to shoot (?)
TwiztidZ: IFC channel hookup (wife's friend is a VP), camera operator, production costs, garage (?)
TPI Monte SS: scenery, logistics, storyboard, co-host
foff667: vehicle, project(s), camera, camera operator
j0n: gopher, vehicle, project(s)
savage messiah: vehicle, project(s)
BlueFBird: ?
JPiZZiJP: ?
Trans Am Chick: co-host? place to shoot?
music: PBodyGT87, jims87camaro

ok, here's the list i've been promising for some time now. the ones with question marks are either unsure, not specific enough or possibles. we have the resources to get this done. i know once we set a date for filming others will step up. as you can see, we still need one camera and two tripods, the sound equipment and the tools (compressor, rollaways, welder). once we get the finer details nailed down and a storyboard, we'll be ready to shoot.

as i told the guys on the 7th, i will be in Costa Rica probably for the whole month of February. it's still up in the air when i will be leaving and when i will be returning, but i have got to get away from this climate - it's killing me. before i leave, i'd like to have a firm date for filming and all of the details nailed down so when i return we can jump right into it (i'll be rested and much more energized).

thanks to all that are making this possible - we couldn't do it without you.

[bencar]

Originally Posted by jims69camaro

list of what we need and proposed resources:

1) three (3) digital camcorders

2) space where we could shoot

2.a) an air compressor and air tools

2.b) a welder

2.c) rollaway cabinets for tools

3) experience shooting with a tripod

4) experience with scripts, storyboards

5) experienced scenery people

6) a vehicle for shooting - with current project or proposed project

7) editing

8) host personality

9) lighting

10) sound recording equipment and microphones

transamforlife: tripod, editing, DVD production, vehicle, project(s)
silvertransam: mini-dv camcorder, camera operator
tru2chevy: camera operator and editing
bencar: vehicle/project, host, scripts storyboard (you may want to pare this list down if you think you might get bogged down doing so much)
BigAls87Z28: scripts, storyboard, place to shoot (?)
TwiztidZ: IFC channel hookup (wife's friend is a VP), camera operator, production costs, garage (?)
TPI Monte SS: scenery, logistics, storyboard, co-host
foff667: vehicle, project(s), camera, camera operator
j0n: gopher, vehicle, project(s)
savage messiah: vehicle, project(s)
BlueFBird: ?
JPiZZiJP: ?
Trans Am Chick: co-host? place to shoot?
music: PBodyGT87, jims87camaro

ok, here's the list i've been promising for some time now. Â*the ones with question marks are either unsure, not specific enough or possibles. Â*we have the resources to get this done. Â*i know once we set a date for filming others will step up. Â*as you can see, we still need one camera and two tripods, the sound equipment and the tools (compressor, rollaways, welder). Â*once we get the finer details nailed down and a storyboard, we'll be ready to shoot.

as i told the guys on the 7th, i will be in Costa Rica probably for the whole month of February. Â*it's still up in the air when i will be leaving and when i will be returning, but i have got to get away from this climate - it's killing me. Â*before i leave, i'd like to have a firm date for filming and all of the details nailed down so when i return we can jump right into it (i'll be rested and much more energized).

thanks to all that are making this possible - we couldn't do it without you.

Like I said early on, I'm up for the 'Host Personality' thing, and I've got at least one small project, plus car to offer.


Trans am Chick's offer seems worth pursuing.

At least there aren't any nutty neighbors nearby.

[jims69camaro]

well, i've been thinking about this for a while now, so i guess it's time to share it.

we're going to need cash and other resources that we don't have in order to get this project done. the more i think about it, the more i know that we will need media for the cameras to record to, microphones and sound mixing equipment, it looks like we are going to fall short of the three cameras i think will be necessary to save time and effort, and i am sure other things will come up as we go along that we'll need to outlay cash for in order to keep this project going. while asking local businesses to use their garage bays for a few weeks while we shoot the pilot (and others?) is not out of the question, having the resources to rent space in a warehouse-type setting, where we could come up with a setting (like trucks!) that we could lock the door on when it's not in use (not have to worry about setting up and tearing down every time we shoot) would be ideal. it may sound like pie-in-the-sky, but imagine having a whole month (or two) to complete the project without having to count on someone else to open the door for us...

one of the ways i can think of to solicit funds for our project is to contact businesses in our area. while that will work for some, there are others like the Home Depot that wants us to solicit from their corporate headquarters. being grassroots, like we are, give us certain advantages when asking people for money: a., they know we don't have any; b., they are more inclined to help out the 'underdog'; c., we are not mired in red-tape or corporate by-laws or some other such nonesense that would keep us from soliciting from people.

i would like to keep it as simple as possible, as in just a typed letter on letterhead. we could probably come up with a slick package with color photos and such, but that will only add to the cost to send the requests out.

i know we have some people out there that are involved in sales, others have (surely) graduated college with degrees in english and other disciplnes that could draft a letter for our effort. i figure with a form letter we could send directly to some businesses basically asking for cash, but have the ability to tailor it to certain others, like camera manufacturers or distributors, to ask for specific other needs.

over "christmas break" if you guys could think about this and come back to us in the new year with a draft letter that we could send out (or hand-carry) to certain businesses, i would be eternally grateful.

like i said, i have been thinking about this for a while, and i know how close we are to being able to get this project in the can. i don't want money to be the reason why we failed to complete it.

[bencar]

Once you have 'Letterhead', I can forward a copy on to companies like 'Advance Auto Parts', and 'Auto Zone.' Obviously there's no guarantee that either one will come through for us, but at least it's worth a shot to take a run at them.

[jims69camaro]

Originally Posted by bencar

Once you have 'Letterhead', I can forward a copy on to companies like 'Advance Auto Parts', and 'Auto Zone.' Obviously there's no guarantee that either one will come through for us, but at least it's worth a shot to take a run at them.

good thinking, just where i was headed with this.

[ar0ck]

Just to check in Im still available for the MASS DVD burning, tripod, car and projects.

I may be buying a new tripod soon, thats lighter possible a single stand for quick stuff.

[jims69camaro]

Originally Posted by TransAm4Life

Just to check in Im still available for the MASS DVD burning, tripod, car and projects.

I may be buying a new tripod soon, thats lighter possible a single stand for quick stuff.

i was checking out tripods last night whilst christmas shopping and wal-mart has a 57" lightweight tripod for $18. i was || that close to buying one, but the people there just pissed me off completely. i asked one of the ladies behind the counter for help with cameras and she pushed me off on the other one - who promptly disappeared. their loss of about $300 in sales - i went to k-mart and spent my money.