Press Release: Brian Darwas releases short film on The Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop
Film maker Brian Darwas currently produces feature length documentaries on Hot Rod and Motorcycle Culture. All of which have gone on to win awards, and have been well received. He’s now changing things up a bit, making a handful short films that anyone can share freely.
“I feel it’s important to our scene that high quality moving images, which can both awe and inspire, are available to anyone at anytime. My goal is to reach the younger generation. The generation of people who grew up on the Internet, and turn to it as a source of new ideas and inspiration. I’d like to instill in them the notion that hot rods, motorcycles, and building stuff by hand is still cool and relevant.” ~ Brian Darwas
Each film will run anywhere from two, to five minutes. Once completed, they will be shared freely via the Internet, social media, etc. . . So, please share and help spread the word.
When asked why he chose to film The Rolling Bones Brian Darwas had this to say:
“The Rolling Bones drive their hot rods from New York to Utah. . . race them at Bonneville, then drive them back home. I’m not sure there’s anything else I could add that would give someone a better reason to document what they’re doing.”
To see more of both Brian and The Rolling Bones work check out:
Brian Darwas is a well know fixture in the Hot Rod community, and the Award Winning Director of “A Sweet Sicknessā, āThe Devil at Your Feetā, and āThe Road to Bonnevilleā. Building traditional hot rods since around the age of eighteen, Brian has been digging up old steel and turning it into traditional hot rods over on the East Coast for over a decade.
During this time Brian has turned out a number of cars, none of which have ever failed to impress even the most jaded Hot Rod Aficionado. He has certainly developed his own build style. The stance is always perfect and everything just seems to fit together. A lot of people can build a car using parts from many different sources, but taking those parts and making them work and fit as if they were meant to go together is something only few people can accomplish. Brian Darwas is one of those few.
Aside from building traditional hot rods as member of The Rumblers Car Club in New York City, Brian has also traveled the world as a musician.
– If you would like more information, or to schedule an interview with Brian Darwas please send an e-mail to: Brian Darwas –
PRESS RELEASE: Hot rod builder and filmmaker Brian Darwas talks about making “This is Long Beach” in new video!
Hot rod builder and filmmaker Brian Darwas talks about making “This is Long Beach” in new video!
“Hot rod builder and award winning filmmaker Brian Darwas talks about the making of “This is Long Beach” in a brand new video just released by Atomic Hot Rods.Ā In his latest film, Hot rod historian Brian Darwas shadows three generations of custom car & hot rod aficionados, The Long Beach Cavaliers.Ā Each generation, from the 1940’s to present, recounts detailed memories and pays homage to the cars that bonded them in a lifelong brotherhood all while chopping a 1947 Ford in Brad Masterson’s Kustom’s car shop in historic Lynwood, California.”
Top four questions asked about “This is Long Beach”:
Q: What prompted you (Brian Darwas) to make a film about the Long Beach Cavaliers?
A: History is a big part of hot rod and custom car culture, and I wanted to make a film that was rich in that history.Ā The Cavaliers are one of the oldest car clubs (est. 1947) that managed to survive through the ups and down of it all, so naturally they were a perfect fit.
Q: What was the filming process like?
A: I just sat each generation of the club down in front of the camera and let them reminisce about what life was like as they were growing up in Long Beach, and how the car culture of Southern California played such an important role in their lives.
Q: What was your favorite thing about making this film?
A: Just getting to hear real stories from real people that lived it.Ā Seeing these guys speak so fondly of a time period that I’ve only read about was really an awesome experience.
Q: And your least favorite?
A: Nothing, I enjoy being able to make movies and sharing them with the world.
Film maker’s bio:
“Brian Darwas is a well know fixture in the Hot Rod community, and the Award Winning Director of “A Sweet Sicknessā, āThe Devil at Your Feetā, and āThe Road to Bonnevilleā. Ā Building traditional hot rods since around the age of eighteen, Brian has been digging up old steel and turning it into traditional hot rods over on the East Coast for over a decade.
During this time Brian has turned out a number of cars, none of which have ever failed to impress even the most jaded Hot Rod Aficionado. Ā He has certainly developed his own build style. Ā The stance is always perfect and everything just seems to fit together. Ā A lot of people can build a car using parts from many different sources, but taking those parts and making them work and fit as if they were meant to go together is something only few people can accomplish. Ā Brian Darwas is one of those few.
Aside from building traditional hot rods as member of The Rumblers Car Club in New York City, Brian has also traveled the world as a musician.”
It is Speed Week in Bonneville. It’s not just drivers of cars and motorcycles, who are obsessed with speed. They share their passion with cyclists like Tom Donhou from England, and Fred Rompelberg from The Netherlands
Tom Donhou got inspired by the speed records on the salt flats. He designed and built his own bicycle. Not because he wanted to race at Bonneville, but because he wanted to see and feel for himself, how fast a bike could actually go. This beautifully made short documentary shows his hard work and the precision with which he works.
Tom Donhou builds his own bikes. No flashy work from low-wage countries, but hard work in a barn in picturesque Norwich. His land speed record bike is not a piece of soulless carbon. It is a a work of art and love, welded with hand-made precision. He made an authentic bicycle, just to see how fast it could go. Donhou’s short documentary tells how it feels to be in the slipstream of a car.
The video shows the love for the bike, and depicts Donhou’s exquisite craftsmanship. Donhou has no salt flats, dragster, rich sponsor or a specially developed bike. He just wanted to see how fast he could cycle on his road bike. And that is over 80 mph (128 km/h), behind his old Ford Zephyr, and later about 102 mph. (160 km/h) on the roller.
The world record, almost 269 km/h on the Bonneville salt flats, is still in the hands of former professional bike-rider Fred Rompelberg (who is from the South of the Netherlands, where the landscape is never flat).
You’ve got to love the Swedes. The’ve invented beds that fit into a Mini (courtesy of Ikea) and they’re the master of nail-biting crime-series (a lot of that credit goes to Denmark too). It’s the land of Pippi Longstocking, mind blowing design, nature is ‘quite’ beautiful, they’re really in to hot rods and custom cars….and Ā its Volvo country.
Here’s some great video footage. See if you can find the living crash test dummy, theĀ recurringĀ female form that fits just wonderfully in the safety belts and the happily smokings men in their otherwise very safe Volvo’s.
Dave Welles of Seabright Hot RodsĀ Ā posted this wonderful video of pre war Dry Lake racing. Dave is the son of a hot rodder and a dry lake racer and when he raced his AV8 roadster, his brother Tommy Lorbeer took his 8 mm camera with him.
This is what Dave Welles says about the video onĀ their wonderful websiteĀ Seabright Hot Rods Ā
My Uncle Tommy Lorbeer wasnāt really kin. He was my dadās best friend. Tommy raced with my dad at the lakes in the late 30ā²s, flew a P-38 in WWII, drove a Porsche in the early 50ā²s, and had the first VW Van in Riverside. He was alway ahead of the curve. As kids, weād never heard a stereo system before when he flew a fighter jet from the left speaker to the right ā at full volume. Man, we all hit the floor. In 1940 he bought a newfangled toy, an 8mm camera, and took it out to Harper Dry Lake. My cousin found the reel and I had it digitized. My son Connor edited it and added the sound.
On Memorial day, May 28 2012 Dave writes:
I posted this 8mm film on our website awhile back. It was shot by my uncle at Harper Dry Lake in 1940. Youāve probably already seen it, but I watched it again this morning in a different light. I realized that, within two years of the time it was made, virtually every young man pictured would be in a uniform, fighting a war.
Bless āem all.
Chances are you’re watching this video wide-eyed with anticipation (perhaps some drooling is going on?) But who are those guys and even more: what cars are they driving?
Jamie Barter, our hot rod contributor watched the footage and has all the answers: “Ok I’ve been doing a little looking It is looking like the footage was shot at the October 4th 1940 scta event”
0:05s – 0:05: #9 Bill & Tom Spalding T modified. Riley OHV heads Mercedes roots blower. Post war Don Blair rebuilt it into The Goat.
0:10s – 0:17s #8 Danny Sakai Modified outfitted with Mal Ord speed equipment.
3:28s – 3:30s #69 Bob Knapton / Jim White (aka Jim Harrell of Harrell speed equip.) Mod was later run by Doug Caruthers and is still around as Art Chrisman’s #25 dragster.
3:28s – 3:30s #6
3:33s – 3:36s 1938/39 Ford Phaeton with dark padded top in unknown to me
3:42s – 3:45s #32 1928A roadster
3:35s – 3:46s Tommy Lee Kurtis Offy special
3:50s – 3:54s 1940 ford coupe from earlier in clip appears to have had a rollover
3:54s – 3:56s #244 Arnold Birner’s ’28 A roadster
3:56s – 4:00s #265 1932 roadster Hornets
4:00s – 4:15s Bob Rufi’s Streamliner
4:15s – 4:19s #286 Sakai modified.
4:20s – 4:24s #2 entered/driven by Bill Spading. Roadster owned by Bill Kurten. Riley OHV Engine owned by Gene Von Arx.
4:24s – 4:39s Earle Bruce ’40 Ford Custom
4:29s – 4:29s #44 sprintcar streamliner class
4:40s – 4:43s #155 T modified
4:43s – 4:47s #270 T modified
4:47s – 4:54s #265 ’32 roadster
4:54s – 4:56s Tommy Lee Kurtis Offy special
4:56s – 4:59s #265 ’32 roadster
We wanted to highlight the custom cars in this fantastic movie footage.
So below are a few screen shots of these cars.
(0:58s – 1:04s) The 1938 Lincoln Custom in this movie is amazing. We have not been able to find out much about the car but Ron Brooks shared two photos of this amazing early Custom Car with us some time ago. Ron was told the car had an Hall created padded top. The car has some wonderful lines and a bit of an European look with its running boards removed. It is amazing to see it driving.
(2:53s – 2:54s) A nice looking’32 Ford Vicky with white wall tires, 1939 Ford taillights and chrome license plate surround mounted on the back, possibly with a recessed plate. The car has a nice custom feel to it. But unfortunately we have never seen any other photos of it.
(3:33s – 3:36s) The 1938/39 Ford Phaeton with dark chopped padded top is also unknown to us. It looks to have a Custom grill that could be based on a 1938 Lincoln? It is an really great looking car with removed running boards and stainless rock guards on the rear fenders.
The photo shown above is pasted together form several stills.
(4:24s – 4:39s) 1940 Ford is obviously Earl Bruce his Roy Hagy Chopped coupe. Two things are typical for this car. The chopped rear window (most chopped 1940 coups have stock heigh rear windows) and the front fender flares at the bottom. And again this early custom car has its running boards removed… This really was hot in the late 1930′ early 1940’s.
This movie show use one new thing about the Earl Bruce coupe that we had not seen before. Apparently the early version of this car used the 1939 or 40 standard headlights. We had only seen photos of this car with the 1940 Ford DeLuxe headlights.
THE CRAFT AND PHILOSOPHY OF WOODEN BOAT CARPENTRY. A MOVIE BY KAT GARDINER
You’ve got to love this short film about the craft and philosophy of wooden boat carpentry. There are so many similarities between the way custom car and hot rods builders are working and the way the wooden boats are built.
Starring Andy Stewart
with
James McMullen
Greg McCrosky
Nathan Walker
A Food Chain Production
Shot & Edited by Kat Gardiner
GoPro & Music Supervision by Nathan Walker
Titles by Slow Loris
Music by
Your Heart Breaks “Instrumental #1”
Dana Falconberry “Please Sparrow”
Sea of Bees “ALIEN”
Special Thanks to:
Brad Goldthwaite, Kristin Stewart, Jessica Lynch, Mike Quinn & Mission Control, Will Murphy, James McMullen, Clyde Peterson, Dana Falconberry, Julie Ann Bee, John Baccigallupi, Frank, Benoit & Greg.
