By: Ronald (Ray) Wu
Formula One is a one-seated driving sport commonly called the “Grand Prix” when used in terms of racing. It can be dangerous because crashes are common. A man that used to race in Formula one, Brad Pitt, is now returning to the sport after suffering a crash 3 decades ago.
“A guy who raced in the ‘90s, has a horrible crash, kind of craps out, disappears and then races in other disciplines,” says Pitt, describing his past (DNYUZ).
Joseph Kosinski, the movie director for “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Tron: Legacy”, “Oblivion”, etc., revealed that he was interested in race car driving. This inspired him to recruit Brad Pitt, who already had some racing experience, to start brainstorming a movie about Formula One. He believes it would make Pitt proud if a movie based off Formula One could represent his return. Hence, they started to film the movie “APXGP”.
“[The movie actors] were captured at real races with real drivers, and that’s certainly been an inspiration for me in conceiving this project that’s been almost two years in the making” Kosinski said. “I like doing ambitious projects, and this one is probably the most ambitious I’ve ever taken on. Our aim is to make one of the most authentic racing films ever.” (DNYUZ)
Some locations for filming were the British and Hungarian Grand Prix, so members that helped to make APXGP don’t have to build a makeshift stadium.
“I’ve spent time with Joe, trying to make sure we’ve got the best camera positions,” Lewis Hamilton, a Mercedes Driver explained. “The frame rate is different, so it’s going to look fast, faster than it does on TV. You will have seen what Joe did with the fighter jets in ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ with the dogfights, which was pretty epic. Bringing that technology and viewpoint into our world, it’s going to be amazing,” Hamilton continued (DNYUZ).
At the Silverstone circuit, the racecourse where APXGP was shot, a meeting with the race director discussed problems and concerns to ensure that they could film the movie at top quality. Some thought it was surreal to have Brad included in the movie, because he was going to race after the crash.
“We have been able to work together to provide unprecedented access to live moments, which I am sure has never been done before at this level in a filming project”, the filming president said.