Big Rig (film)
Encyclopedia
Big Rig is a documentary film by Doug Pray
about long-haul truck driver
s. The film consists of a series of interviews with different drivers, focusing on both their personal life stories and also the life and culture of truck drivers in the United States.
, producer Brad Blondheim, and lighting, sound, and general production assistant Jim Dziura
.
Filming took place over four different two-week roadtrips. The crew of three did not schedule interviews with truckers: they would drive into a truck stop
in their RV and approach the truckers for interviews. If the driver agreed, Pray would ride as the passenger and interview the driver for the day, while Blondheim followed in the RV. Most of the interviewees were very skeptical of the crew at first, and the crew was repeatedly thrown out of truck stops for soliciting interviews, which is typically not allowed.
Director Pray and producer Blondheim became interested in a trucker documentary after a series of road trips to various concerts during the filming of Pray's Scratch. In 2001, Pray and Blondheim shot and edited a 10-minute film as a proof of concept
for the film's production process.
For the film's music, producer Blondheim was inspired by the roots music featured in the film Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
. One of the music producers from Scratch interested them in the music of Buck 65
. The final cut of the film uses several contributions from Buck 65; about one third of this was composed specifically for the film.
The film was shot on a Panasonic Varicam
and edited by the director using Final Cut Pro
.
and AFI Fest, and was featured at a handful of other small film festivals. It was released on DVD in late 2008.
Doug Pray
Doug Pray is an American documentary film director, cinematographer, and editor who often explores unique subcultures in his films. His work includes Surfwise a portrait of the nomadic, 11-member Doc Paskowitz family ; Big Rig , a documentary about truck drivers; Infamy , a documentary about...
about long-haul truck driver
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
s. The film consists of a series of interviews with different drivers, focusing on both their personal life stories and also the life and culture of truck drivers in the United States.
Production
The film was shot with a crew of three people: director and cameraman Doug PrayDoug Pray
Doug Pray is an American documentary film director, cinematographer, and editor who often explores unique subcultures in his films. His work includes Surfwise a portrait of the nomadic, 11-member Doc Paskowitz family ; Big Rig , a documentary about truck drivers; Infamy , a documentary about...
, producer Brad Blondheim, and lighting, sound, and general production assistant Jim Dziura
Jim Dziura
Jim Dziura is an American film director, cinematographer, and editor. His work often involves heavily music-related themes and his subjects are often marginalized members of society...
.
Filming took place over four different two-week roadtrips. The crew of three did not schedule interviews with truckers: they would drive into a truck stop
Truck stop
A truck stop is a commercial facility predicated on providing fuel, parking, and often food and other services to motorists and truck drivers...
in their RV and approach the truckers for interviews. If the driver agreed, Pray would ride as the passenger and interview the driver for the day, while Blondheim followed in the RV. Most of the interviewees were very skeptical of the crew at first, and the crew was repeatedly thrown out of truck stops for soliciting interviews, which is typically not allowed.
Director Pray and producer Blondheim became interested in a trucker documentary after a series of road trips to various concerts during the filming of Pray's Scratch. In 2001, Pray and Blondheim shot and edited a 10-minute film as a proof of concept
Proof of concept
A proof of concept or a proof of principle is a realization of a certain method or idea to demonstrate its feasibility, or a demonstration in principle, whose purpose is to verify that some concept or theory that has the potential of being used...
for the film's production process.
For the film's music, producer Blondheim was inspired by the roots music featured in the film Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 21, 1991. In the episode, Grampa confesses that Homer has a half-brother, whom Homer immediately tries to track down. He eventually discovers...
. One of the music producers from Scratch interested them in the music of Buck 65
Buck 65
Richard Terfry , who uses the stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian experimental artist, MC and turntablist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country, rock, folk and avant garde influences.Terfry is also a radio host,...
. The final cut of the film uses several contributions from Buck 65; about one third of this was composed specifically for the film.
The film was shot on a Panasonic Varicam
Varicam
VariCam is a brand name associated with the specialized Panasonic video cameras that are mostly used to imitate the look and feel of motion picture cameras. They have been used for many feature films. VariCams' main feature is that the framerate can be varied from 1 frame/s to 60 frame/s, offering...
and edited by the director using Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is a non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and then Apple Inc. The most recent version, Final Cut Pro X, runs on Mac personal computers powered by Mac OS X version 10.6.7 or later and using Intel processors...
.
Reception
The film was an official selection of the Seattle International Film FestivalSeattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
and AFI Fest, and was featured at a handful of other small film festivals. It was released on DVD in late 2008.
External links
- Official Site
- Big Rig at IMDB
- Collection of press reactions at the Big Rig official site