Senna - Dirty Champion?, You Decide!

Three-time world Formula One driving champion Ayrton Senna, as he sits in his Williams F1 racing machine. Image Credit: Working Title Productions

Senna - Dirty Champion?, You Decide!

Senna, the documentary-style movie, is a beautiful work of taking existing film footage and piecing together a seamless reflection of the passionate pursuit of a talented race car driver. It exposes us to a life pursuit where driving, and winning at the highest pinnacle of a discipline, is the only thing that mattered to a life couched in a strong spiritual connection with GOD. In Ayrton Senna's case, rightfully so.

This excerpted and edited from the producer's release notes -

For producer Eric Fellner, co-chairman of Working Title, SENNA proved a true labor of love and added a new dimension to the company by being the first documentary it would make.

"I used to be a fan like a lot of people and then lapsed, but from this period in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, I was absolutely fascinated and intrigued by Formula One," he says. "I just really wanted to make a film about that world and had met with Bernie Ecclestone to try to find to find a way in and couldn’t. We have never done a documentary before but this seemed the best medium to make a film about Formula One."

When the producers brought director Asif Kapadia on board, they knew they were hiring a talented filmmaker. The director of BAFTA winning feature ‘The Warrior’ and the thriller ‘Far North’, Kapadia is a graduate of the Royal College of Art, and has an eye for exquisite composition. Pandey says, "We interviewed a lot of directors for this. There was a lot of interest to do this project, but Asif got it right away."

Kapadia, while a sports fan, was not an F1 enthusiast and proved to have a completely unbiased approach to the producers’ subject matter. "Before the film, I had never read a book on Senna, never looked at one motor sports web site and never read a book on Formula One," begins the director. "I had never been to a race. So that’s where I came in to it – having a fresh set of eyes on the material."

"I could see that Senna was an amazing driver and had this deep spiritual side, which was really fascinating, and it became all about paring the film down to the bare minimum so that somebody who has never heard of Senna will get the film, understand the character and actually be moved by his story." He smiles. "It’s all about character."

"His story is amazing, and we have this great three-act structure to work with," says Kapadia. "You have his rise, his success, and then the challenges he faces when he gets to the top. There is the ‘bad guy’ Jean-Marie Balestre (France’s head of F1 racing), and the rival with four World Champion titles Alain Prost. Then there’s Senna’s personal side – his family, his girlfriends, the relationship he has with Brazil. There’s tension, drama, tragedy. It is absolutely what films should be, and it is all real."

"If you had written this story as fiction, you would say that it is a clever piece of writing," smiles the director. "One year Prost crashes into Senna at the slowest point of the track, in such a way that his own car was not even damaged. The following year, Senna crashes into Prost at one of the fastest points of the track, saying, ‘I don’t care what happens, I am going for it.’ It is very interesting how you are what you do and Senna and Prost’s characters are revealed by these two accidents."
END

A re-creation of a Senna helmet design sighted at the pre-premiere pizza party put on by MAZDASPEED Motorsports. The helmet was the work of Scott A. Crawford - SAC Design. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

Before going into last night's pre-release screening of Senna at the EDWARDS WESTPARK8 in Irvine (arranged by Dean Case and the folks at MAZDASPEED Motorsports), one conversation that was overheard stated that it was too bad that Ayrton Senna needed to intentionally take out Alain Prost in order to achieve a world championship in the last race of the season at the Japan GP ... it was a dirty move. This was a remarkable statement to overhear going in ... because it expressed the passion of someone who had decided exactly what had happened on the track during the second contact accident the two rivals shared.

The surprise and artful twist in this presentation brings this perception into question - Was Senna a dirty champion, or not?

There is an sage and age old adage in Hollywood that states ... "the camera never lies!" This adage, of course, is based on non-CGI (computer generated images) and relates to the truth that film images can, and will deliver.

Senna is a very wonderful movie and story well told, especially when one considers all of the film images that were gleaned from archives (the on-board shots were gold) in order to make this 104 minute PG-13 movie. Go see Senna for yourself and at the end, after seeing the film images, development, and exposure of the three time Formula One world champion, ask yourself ... Was Ayrton Senna a dirty champion? ... then decide!

You will never regret the experience.

Set for release in specific theaters on the following schedule:

August 12 - Los Angeles, CA - The Landmark

August 12 - New York, NY - Landmark Sunshine Cinema

August 19 - Austin, TX - Violet Crown Cinema

August 19 - Berkeley, CA - Landmark Shattuck Cinemas

August 19 - Cambridge, MA - Landmark Kendall Square Cinema

August 19 - Chicago, IL - Landmark Century Centre Cinema

August 19 - Detroit, MI - Landmark Main Art Theater

August 19 - Irvine, CA - Edwards Westpark 8

August 19 - Miami, FL - AMC Sunset Place 24

August 19 - Nashville, TN - Belcourt Theater

August 19 - Philadelphia, PA - Landmark Ritz at the Bourse

August 19 - San Francisco, CA - Landmark Embarcadero CTR

August 19 - San Rafael, CA - Rafael Film Center

August 19 - Washington, DC - Landmark E Street Cinema

August 26 - Atlanta, GA - Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

August 26 - Dallas, TX - Angelika Film Center

August 26 - Denver, CO - Landmark Chez Artistes

August 26 - Indianapolis, IN - Landmark Keystone Art Cinema

August 26 - Minneapolis, MN - Landmark Uptown Cinema

August 26 - Palm Springs, CA - Cinémas Palme d'Or

August 26 - Palo Alto, CA - Aquarius Theater

August 26 - Portland, OR - Regal Fox Tower Stadium

August 26 - San Diego, CA - Landmark Hillcrest Cinema

August 26 - Scottsdale, AZ - Harkin's Camelview 5

August 26 - Seattle, WA - Landmark Varsity Theater

September 2 - Charlotte, NC - Park Terrace

September 2 - Knoxville, TN - Regal Downtown West Cinema

September 2 - St Louis, MO - Landmark Tivoli Theater

September 16 - Kansas City, MO - Tivoli Theater

September 16 - Las Vegas, NV - Regal Cinemas Village Square

September 16 - Milwaukee, WI - Landmark Downer Theatre

September 23 - Santa Fe, NM UA - DeVargas Mall

For more information, go to - http://sennamovie.com

Universal Pictures and Producers Distribution Agency Present
in association with ESPN Films
a Working Title Production
in association with Midfield Films

SENNA

Directed by Asif Kapadia
Written by Manish Pandey

WINNER
Audience Award World Cinema Documentary
2011 Sundance Film Festival

WINNER
Audience Award for Best International Feature
2011 Los Angeles Film Festival

Trailer: www.youtube.com/sennamovie

... notes from The EDJE


[Article first published as Senna - Dirty Champion? You Decide! on Technorati]

REVIEW: Driven to Race

Driven To Race documentary movie poster outside of premiere screening which kicked off the 2010 MAZDASPEED Motorsports Star Mazda Race Series season. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

REVIEW: Driven to Race

“Driven To Race” or The best Documentary that every wannabe Race Driver should see.

This past Wednesday night March 10^th, 2010 we got the chance to preview and see what could have been the basis of the best racing movie since LeMans. “Driven To Race”, is by far one of the best documentaries ever made about open wheel racing, and where the world finds these new up and coming drivers. While this is not news to those of us who have spent any time at all around Motorsports, it is eye opening for people new to our industry.

This documentary follows the 2008 Star Mazda Race Series. Interviews with Team Members, Sponsors, Drivers, Crews, Officials, and the behind the scenes look at what goes on in one of the best run race series in the US today. While not being the biggest fan of open wheel racing after Karting, I did spend many years working in almost this exact division of Motorsports. (I worked around Formula Ford, Sports 2000, and Formula Atlantic series, and shifted focus to production based series using cars with fenders, doors, and roofs).

But I watched this film with great understanding and also wishing above all else that this small production studio (three people) will have a far reaching effect on all those who see this film. Many movies, some with major stars and multi-million dollars budgets, have failed to covey to the viewer what this great independent film has accomplished, on a budget that most productions would have spent on “Craft Services” (snacks) .

“Driven To Race” if distribution can find a way to get this out to more than just the Teams and Officials that were filmed during the production could be the next Oscar nominee for a documentary.

Cargo Productions followed the series throughout North America for the 2008 Star Mazda Series. The men at Cargo Productions started with a plan to go to one race and see what would happen. They wanted to see if they found a spark, and if they had discovered a series, sport, or industry that would tolerate these outsiders following them around for an entire season. Had they met with resistance, or friction among the teams or officials, they would have called off the plan. Or if the subject matter have proven too dull, or hard to follow, again they would have walked away.

What this small but energetic group had found was the wonderful, real world drama that comes with a quest for victory sometimes against all odds. The people at Cargo Productions took hundreds of hours of film, countless interviews, and must have worn out many pairs of sneakers to follow the teams, officials and drivers around as they followed the exploits of the 2008 Star Mazda Series. While I'm sure there was enough footage shot to have made a complete multi week series for the “Speed” Channel, (and maybe that can still happen) the group at Cargo edited down all those hours first into a three and a half hour movie. Then with more thought about how long anyone can sit still and watch a documentary, they went back to the editing room and whittled it down to the final two hour version we got to see before almost anyone else in the world.

There is no romantic sub plot, evil team owner, or prima donna race driver with an ego bigger Stallone or Cruise as in movies past. What you do get from this film is an real understanding of what really goes on, and some of the hard work that goes on to compete in a race series.

It's not my place to tell you how they do it, or who wins what. But to tell you if you enjoy, understand, or have a friend who is new to Motorsports, than this is your film. I just wish they had made this film when drivers such as Pruett, Dismore, Lazzaro, Ave, Nadeau, Till, Fish, and others were coming up through the ranks on their way to Pro Driving Careers.

I hope the Discovery Channel, or Speed pick this film up and give it a good showing. This film is a must see if you want to make a career in Auto Racing, weather it be Open wheel, road racing, or any other form of Motorsports. The people at Cargo Productions hit the nail on the head. You only hope it will be this good, but above all else, this is the real story of what it takes. Luck, Money, Talent, Desire and Dedication.

Cargo Productions is an independent production company generating content for television, films and the internet. Founded in 2008 by Jeff Krueger and Brian Spillane, the company is currently in production on a documentary feature and reality television program focusing on the world of auto racing.

Jeffrey Krueger

Jeffrey Krueger (Producer) was Executive Producer for the award winning short film “The Salesman”, written by and starring Cargo Productions co-founder, Brian Spillane. His latest short film, “Intruder” (written by and starring Jeff), has been featured in the Long Island Film Festival and the Lake Havasu Film Festival, among others.

Jeff has been writing and acting in plays and films for over 10 years. He most recently wrote and starred in his original work, The Legalities of Love, which premiered at the Huntington Beach Playhouse in Huntington Beach, California.

Brian Spillane

Brian Spillane (Director) has been writing, acting and directing on stage, film and television for over 15 years. In 2001, his first independent film, “The Salesman” won Best Mockumentary Short at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. Videos Brian has written and/or directed have been featured on The Discovery Channel and the CW Network, and in 2008, he received his first Telly Award™ .

Special thanks to Dean Case and the entire cast and crew at MAZDASPEED Motorsports.

This story compiled from Cargo Production web site, viewing movie, and personal experiences.

By: Dicken Wear, Editor-in-Chief