Low-Budget YouTube Entertainment Series Featuring a Supercoupe (good or bad)

[Rick_Leuce]

I've finally graduated from college, so now I want to try my hand at a project I've been wanting to do for years: make a live-action realistic-fiction series on YouTube that prominently features a 1990 Thunderbird SC. I do not currently have a script written for it yet, but I've spent years keeping notes and revising my ideas for (what I would consider) a semi-decent plot. I'm trying not to spoil too much, but this is the basic idea:

A young and naïve-but-humble Frederick L. Raleigh tries to purchase his late-uncle's Supercoupe before his extended family (located in another state) sells it for scrap metal. To his dismay, Fred discovers that his family already sold the car to a scrapyard mere hours before he arrived to purchase it. Even though Fred tracks down the junkyard that has the car, he is unable to persuade the apathetic owner to sell him the car since it has already been "entered into the system" and thus, wasn't worth the aggravation. Emotionally-compromised (and convinced that the car is more valuable than it really is), Fred steals the car under the cover of darkness and retreats back to his home state. One thing leads to another, and Fred finds himself living a double life where he hides the fact he stole the car (from his friends and immediate family) while he is constantly on the run from the police who are closing in on him. So, Fred ends up working various odd-jobs in small towns where nobody knows (or cares) that he may have stolen his daily driver. Eventually, Fred accidentally "sees something he wasn't supposed to" and winds up forming an uneasy alliance with an unsavory group of organized criminals who heavily compensate Fred (and let him live) in exchange for his driving services. All the while, parts on the Thunderbird keep wearing out and Fred pours nearly all of his money into keeping it running until he can figure out a plan to get himself out of the massive hole he dug for himself.


The reason I am even bringing this up: I want to get into filmmaking, but I need to have some completed projects that I can point to. So, I am going to dedicate a lot of time to making a free-to-watch movie/series on YouTube that anyone can watch, but I need an audience (to provide feedback). Before I commit too much to this project, I wanted to see if members of the SCCoA would be interested in seeing it get turned into a reality. If so, let me know. I will make a teaser trailer and upload some test clips in the near future.

 

[MadMikeyL]

I'm not thrilled by the plot summary. That whole situation of stealing the car from the junkyard might be somewhat believable for something old and rare, but I don't buy it for an SC. Plus it sounds like after a short while the car becomes pretty irrelevant to moving the plot forward, and is no more than the explanation for how he got to this small town in the first place. I think the idea of having him be a getaway driver who uses his SC could work. That would allow for the car to occasionally fail at inopportune times, but always manage to get him out of whatever situation he is in, which could be entertaining.

Regardless of what it is, I'll watch it, cause it has an SC in it, and was made by an SCCoA member, but if you are looking for this to be well received by other people who are not SC enthusiasts, that would be my suggestion.

 

[Rick_Leuce]

Thank you for your feedback. Rest assured, the car is integral to the plot.

There’s a twist I’m trying not to spoil, but I will take what you said into consideration (nothing is filmed yet, so you guys can have a big influence on what gets made).

I’m going to work on a trailer soon. But I’ll keep checking on the forum for other suggestions.

 

[Rick_Leuce]

1993 Thunderbird added to lineup

Hey all, bit of an update.

In addition to my Oxford White 1990 5-speed and 1991 5-speed, I recently purchased an Oxford White 1993 5-speed (I've mentioned this in the technical section, but I haven't posted any photos of it yet). It's actually so nice, I've decided to make it my "hero car" that the protagonist will use in most close-ups for the series. I now have to make some big decisions regarding the appearance of my other SCs to make all three appear as identical as possible for consistency. For instance, the 1993 has a number-keypad but my 1990 does not, so I am going to make a custom decal that looks just like the keypad and stick it on the same spot to make both cars appear the same, even though the one on the 1990 is not functional. There are several other little things I have already decided I want to do (I will list them out later) but I am conflicted about some harder-to-fake appearance changes I need to make and I wanted to get the input of other SCCoA members. I'll just post one issue/question at a time.

(1) The 1993 has a pinstripe on it, my other 2 do not. The pinstripe is in nice shape, but I don't know where I could buy another one just like it (to put on my other two SCs). It looks like one thin stripe is blue and the other is black. From a distance it is hard to tell. Ultimately, I need to decide whether I eliminate the pinstripe from the 1993 or purchase a identical/similar pinstripe to put on the 1990-1991. It's a minute detail, but I figured the SCCoA should have a say in the matter. If the pinstripe is not a factory option and/or the general consensus is that it doesn't "enhance" the appearance of the car, I will consider eliminating it.

I can take a more close-up photo of it if that helps (but I'm ok with anything that looks similar to this from a distance unless I decide to omit it)

 

[MadMikeyL]

If this is the main car, and the others are only going to be moving shots of the car driving or doing stunts or something, then just a single black pinstripe running the length of the car would be close enough. As a matter of fact, even in these still pictures from this distance, that it what it looks like. Also for the keypad, using the same principle, a piece of black electrical tape the right length would look good enough that in a moving shot, you would never notice the difference.

 

[DrFishbone]

I dig it - I agree it sounds out-there for the SC to be the hero car, but I'm sure it could be made to work with some creative thinking. It will be unique - that's for sure!

 

[Rick_Leuce]

I dig it - I agree it sounds out-there for the SC to be the hero car, but I'm sure it could be made to work with some creative thinking. It will be unique - that's for sure!

Thanks for the feedback. The SC in the story is stolen/saved because of it’s sentimental value to the character rather than its KBB value. However, the protagonist does originally assume the car is worth more than it really is when he made the decision to steal it.

 

[Rick_Leuce]

Hey,
Things have been crazy for me the past few weeks. In short, I have driven my 1990 SC to Wisconsin where it will remain for the foreseeable future. The remaining 2 SCs in Georgia will need some maintenance before they are safe to drive (the 1991 has not been on a public road since early 2015 and the 1993 still has a couple mysterious leaks).

I might be moving to Wisconsin to be closer to family, but most of the filming for my series needs to take place in Georgia (where the story was written for). I’m a little short on time now, but I’ll try to put something together (picture/video) to give an idea of the kind of series I’m trying to make.

-Rick Leuce

 

[Kevin92]

Will there still be a SC movie?

 

[Rick_Leuce]

Will there still be a SC movie?

I really hope so.

I haven't made much progress since the last time I posted and I didn’t want to “tease” the series until I had something to show for it.

I have a couple “shorts” that I want to film real soon that don’t have much action in them, but they should hopefully give an idea of what I want the series to be like. Hopefully I will make at least one short by Summer.

I’ll make a bit of an update this weekend.

 

[Rick_Leuce]

Hello all,
Small update:
Covid 19 has really screwed with me having something to show by now, but I have a goal of putting up a video in July (for those who bought this year’s SCCoA calendar, July is my car). I just bought a few more parts I still need to install, and Im fabricating a few custom ones that are coming along nicely.

Cant wait to show you what Im working on. Ive planned out this story for a long time and its going to be special. MN12 Car lovers should love it, but so should car guys in general. Theres going to be lots of cool cars in this.

-Rick Leuce

 

[BLOWN38]

Is it done yet?!

 

[Rick_Leuce]

​

Is it done yet?!

If only. I would have shared it by now
I am a little bit excited because I shared a slightly longer version of the synopsis I posted here on another forum and it got some feedback (a few rough edges to still work out).

I have some really really really cool scenes that I want to do, but they would require a lot of preparation, actors, and equipment that I do not yet have. However, I thought about filming practice runs of some of these scenes that look decent but could be redone later. This could act as a sort of teaser trailer and to test the waters to see if it would be well-received on other forums.

I am trying to be careful; on one hand I really want the SCCoA and the TCCoA to love it since an MN12 is essentially the star of the series. But I want car guys in general to like it, so it will feature other cars as well.

I just bought a new GoPro with video stabilization and I'm trying to get my Drone Pilot License (already got the drone, just can't legally use it anywhere but my front yard). I'll keep you posted, but I'm seriously trying to get something posted in July. Might have a little something late June too. We'll see.

 

[Rick_Leuce]

This day in history: June 22, 1991
The day my first car was born.
Short video coming soon (will be recorded Monday, should be uploaded a few days later).

 

[Rick_Leuce]

Hello everyone!
I felt like I should give a bit of an update, since its been awhile since I’ve posted anything and I’ve come the the horrifying realization that I’ve been “teasing” this thing since August of 2019 and I haven’t even made as much as a video yet. This past year has been a particularly challenging one, to say the least, but I felt that I should give a bit of an update for those who may be interested.

My mechanic and I are almost done fixing up my 1993 SC, which blew its head gaskets in July. I can begin filming some practice scenes and some trailers once its back on the road.
My 1991 SC has driven on a public road for the first time since spring 2015; this is a big deal for me since that was when this car was “put on the back burner” and I bought my 1990 SC. It needs some more work, like replacing the windshield, front suspension perhaps, and all-black interior (especially headliner and carpet).

I had my synopsis viewed and critiqued by a few people online earlier this year; I’ve recently had a bit of a “renaissance” and I’ve come up with a lot of neat ideas that address some of my plot holes while also adding depth to the characters, raising the stakes, and opening up potential opportunities for expansion in later seasons. This might not sound like much, but lots of little things added together will really give this series that quality that I’m looking for.

I’ll give a less vague update very soon. I was trying so hard to make a cool video by July since my 1990 SC is in the 2020 SCCoA calendar for July, but that obviously didn’t happen. My video editing computer just got fixed too, so a lot of factors are working in my favor now. Will definitely have something to share soon.
I don’t want to be the boy who cried “Coming soon to Youtube” until nobody cares, so I’ll do a better job of sharing videos and interesting updates going forward.

I plan on making a short video showing off the hero cars. My brother is helping me fabricate an interesting accessory that will be installed on at least one of the cars.

I may also make a video in a slideshow/powerpoint style giving the backstory and explaining how the story came to be. Kind of DVD commentary stuff. How I came to decide on a Supercoupe as the hero car even though my first one broke my heart on a weekly basis and my parents hated it.

Lots of cool stuff coming soon! I mean it!

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Sounds cool. Sorry, I'm late to the thread, I don't check in here often and I broke my collarbone a month ago so I've been down for a while.

I've done several Tbird based videos for the Joel Bender Summer Blast and videos of my car at the track in the past. Good luck with your project! I look forward to seeing it! What equipment are you using (Cameras, Lenses, Audio recorders, etc.)? What are you editing with? It's amazing how far the cameras, software and available LUTs for color grading have come.

Here's a sampling of some of my works from years ago. I look forward to seeing what you turn out. I'd be happy to help in any way I can. Just let me know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idyMHO0fxGA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hZbnyviOVQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTPPugAJ9bs

A really good night at zMax:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv2rT6IkhpY

I also made the intro for ProDyno:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ITgDq77m8E

 

[billyjguthries]

Sounds cool. Sorry, I'm late to the thread, I don't check in here often and I broke my collarbone a month ago so I've been down for a while.

I've done several Tbird based videos for the Joel Bender Summer Blast and videos of my car at the track in the past. Good luck with your project! I look forward to seeing it! What equipment are you using (Cameras, Lenses, Audio recorders, etc.)? What are you editing with? It's amazing how far the cameras, software and available LUTs for color grading have come.

Here's a sampling of some of my works from years ago. I look forward to seeing what you turn out. I'd be happy to help in any way I can. Just let me know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idyMHO0fxGA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hZbnyviOVQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTPPugAJ9bs

A really good night at zMax:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv2rT6IkhpY

I also made the intro for ProDyno:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ITgDq77m8E

i'll watch your videos this or next week and will come back with feedback

 

[Rick_Leuce]

Hello,
I’m going to start a new thread soon, once I finalize a couple decisions. But here’s an update.
I’ve moved to a new state.
I bought a 4th Super Coupe.
I am contemplating selling my second Super Coupe (1990 5-speed, Oxford White paint, blue cloth interior, non-moonroof, no keyless entry, runs and drives but ANTILOCK light is on).
I don’t want to sell it, but for the right price I would let it go. I’ll do an in-depth on it later with pics/video.

I want to seriously commit myself to the story I’ve been daydreaming about since 2012 and that I’ve had a pretty good concept of for the past couple years. I want it to be a series (TV-style, but available online through Youtube or something similar). I am contemplating writing it as a book first with some Youtube clips; offering some kind of hybrid experience where you can see and hear the things In a way thats hard to describe. Between the two, I may be able to offer at least a pretty good entertainment experience. It may be out of order, but I’ll do what I can. Selling an SC may help me to save money on insurance, storage, and allow me to spend more money on the remaining cars. But thats not all I’ve come to say.

I need to get a routine going where I make concrete steps towards the writing, filming, and attracting an audience. So I’m going to make lots of little blog videos about how I got my first car (1991 SC 5-speed) the concept behind the story, what it means to me, and why I think this story is so important that I’m willing to drive myself insane and spend so much of my free time and money on it. It’s partially because I believe Hollywood has forgotten how to make the films people love, and because there is an important message that’s taken me a while to put together. I’m trying to make several points at a time and there is a lot of symbolism and nuance. It’s honestly amazing I picked a Super Coupe for this role, because it was honestly supposed to be a Mustang and it just wouldn’t have been the same story. I mean it, my SC has taken the story in a whole new direction that literally no other car could and it would take me hours to explain why; and I think I will, in the form of podcasts/blogs/etc. so I’m honestly going to start that soon. Sorry if these “updates” with no real action have been a turn-off. I’ve moved, gotten a new job, and new house, and new car, so a lot has been happening. This will be one of the last posts I make to this thread because it’s time to start doing and stop teasing about what I’ll be doing. Have a great day everyone!

 

[BLOWN38]

Good luck! Get er dun!

 

[Tim Groth]

Any updates on this?

-Tim