Building Blocks Research Task No.2 | 18/11/23

Ford v Ferrari (2019 Film)

Film Plot:

American car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) battle corporate interference to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966
Directed by James Mangold (Logan (2017), Girl Interrupted (1999), Indiana Jones 5 (2023), 3:10 to Yuma (2007))
based on a true story

What were they trying to do? Racing sequences interlaced with very intimate moments (ie. between Ken Miles’ and his wife/son and Shelby’s story of redemption, and their own friendship) : not just a biographical story about racecars, but a larger battle of personal achievement, a good ole underdog story!

What do you find interesting about it?

Interested most in the film's seamless execution of the practical effects (blend of CGI and real, captured footage), cinematography and sound design. Additionally, the style of the time portrayed (1966), paying attention to the type design of the sponsors, colors on screen, and how speed/motion was captured.

What ideas does it spark? Want to learn more about how the cinematography and sound design was executed so well, what I can take from that and use for my motion image type specimen for Speedracer.

Ford v Ferrari (Sound Editing Vanity Fair interview)

Headline: ‘Ford v Ferrari’ Sound Editors Explain Mixing Sound for Film | Vanity Fair

Bio:

sound editor Don Sylvester and sound mixer David Giammarco talk through the sound mixing process for Ford v Ferrari with Vanity Fair
Ford v Ferrari gained acclaim for it’s spectacular sound design, (Best Sound Editing Academy Award nominee)
breaks down the layering of dialogue, music, and effects and the elements work together for the film

What do you find interesting about it? It was really interesting how they talk through moments where, for example, “man becomes part of the machine” : the sound fades as Christopher Nolan’s character has an “internal moment”. The emphasized lack of sound (breath only) makes the next sound more impactful. Crafting score along side effects to go with the key of the engine was also intentional! < sound design playing a major role in the storytelling. Additionally, the process of recreating sound of racing in open cockpit created first by layered wind effect, atmos ambiance swell, gear change/engine revving was so technical and fascinating. Especially how the engineer has control on where sound is placed, based on where a car crash happens for example: swerving sound happens over head of listener. I wrote down more examples of sounds they used to refer to later (ie. tire suspension, break squeaks and pedal thumps, engines, crowd cheers) It was important to the sound design team to get the actual GT40 foley sound (The Ford GT40 : racing car designed and built by the Ford Motor Company, grew out of the "Ford GT" (for Grand Touring) project, an effort to compete in European long-distance sports car races, against Ferrari, who had won the prestigious Le Mans race from ‘60 to ‘65)

“Fortunately we found a collector in Ohio who built a GT40 from genuine Ford parts with all the tailpipe and engine and sounds that we need (...) and on his local track, we recorded a couple days of recordings for this car and that's the hero car that we hear and I’ve seen other GT40’s this is the real thing” - Don Sylvester

“If were in a shot where you see on screen [audience on exterior of the car], I’m keeping the engine with the car, when were in the interior of the car, the engine sounds are all around us” - David Giammarco

Wanted to do more research into the context of my typeface (specimen), expose myself to more racecar language and history and understand more how to portray speed to an audience to connect my typeface with racecar detailing/visuals. I found the interview with the sound editors fascinating learning about the engineering aspect of placing sound around a theater depending on what is happening on screen and overall the impact sound has on the way a film’s story is told.

What ideas does it spark? Visual motion of the speed, but also incorporating the sound of speed. Gave me an idea of what effects I should look for / gather in making my moving image. Suggested the idea of playing with L & R / sound placement, turning letters into race car silhouettes themselves and have them zoom past possibly?

Ford v Ferrari (Cinematography Deadline interview)

Headline: The Art Of Craft: Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael Discusses Upcoming ‘Trial Of The Chicago 7’ & His Approach To Shooting ‘Ford V Ferrari’ Racetrack Action | Deadline

What do you find interesting about it? I found the impact of where a camera is located for a shot on the sequence’s ability to portray speed fascinating (ie. the difference of an aerial of the track vs. upclose on a speeding tire)

“We didn’t specifically look at Grand Prix, but I remember in [James Mangold’s] office during prep, that movie was just running on a loop, and I kept, just out of the corner of my eye, taking it in and going, ‘Look how they just hold on this hard mounted onto the chassis, close-up frontal’—[noticing] just how long they hold on the POV from the cockpit. There’s no aerial shots, no fancy wrap-arounds, no fancy camera cars. It really feels basic—gritty, I guess.” - Phedon Papamichael

“But obviously, it’s a race car movie, so conveying the speed is the main thing. By being wide angles and low to the ground, and seeing the asphalt strobing by, that’s what gives you the sense [of speed]. You’re not tracking them with drones or helicopters. You’re always in it, on the ground, at the speeds they’re traveling. The wider the lensing, and the lower you are, and the closer you can get to these cars, the faster it looks.” - Phedon Papamichael

What ideas does it spark? Place type in front of moving image, possibly find historic footage from races from the 1960’s / “Golden age of sportscar racing”, edit together shots that are close to the action and can portray that kind of speed.

Ford v Ferrari (Production Design LA Times Interview)

Headline: How color drove the visual style behind ‘Ford v Ferrari’ - LA Times

What do you find interesting about it? Overall I found the commitment, Audoy expresses, the production team had in getting every detail right, knowing there are people who could watch the film who would know if anything was out of place/ historically incorrect really amazing. In acknowledging that every meticulous detail had to be right on, the film becomes so much stronger! It solidified for me, the art of great production design starts with research and I felt myself through this type project, taking a similar dive into history and developed obsession!

“Neither of us are car gurus, so we had to become experts in the material. We did a deep dive into all the imagery of the period and, visually, we were inspired by the 1966 film “Grand Prix” for its visceral look at racing.” - François Audouy

“We needed to represent the race in a very macro way and divided it into four different pieces. The grandstands, VIP boxes, car pits and press boxes were all built at the Agua Dulce Airpark in Santa Clarita, Calif. We collected over 300 photos of Le Mans, and the organization provided us with never-before-seen footage of the 1966 race, which allowed us to detail the set with the period-correct banners, advertisements, posters and signage.” - François Audouy

What ideas does it spark? In the same way Audouy had great attention to being historically accurate in recreating the film’s 1966 period set, I want to use footage in it’s exact, original aspect ratio, 1960’s racecar sound for the backdrop of my Speedracer specimen, giving the typeface a fuller, now historically referential context.

Sources Cited

Ford v Ferrari (2019) Directed by James Mangold. Available at: Disney Plus (Accessed: 18 November 2023)

Grobar, M. (2019). The Art Of Craft: Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael Discusses Upcoming ‘Trial Of The Chicago 7’ & His Approach To Shooting ‘Ford V Ferrari’ Racetrack Action. [online] Deadline. Available at: https://deadline.com/2019/12/ford-v-ferrari-cinematographer-phedon-papamichael-the-trial-of-the-chicago-7-the-art-of-craft-interview-news-1202812909/ [Accessed 18 Nov. 2023].

James, D. (2019). How color drove the visual style behind ‘Ford v Ferrari’. [online] Los Angeles Times. Available at: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-12-27/ford-v-ferrari-production-design [Accessed 26 Nov. 2023].

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