Why do cars in movies set in earlier eras always look brand new?

Why do cars in movies set in earlier eras always look brand new? - Blue Die-cast Toy Car Across Outdoor Fountain

Whenever I watch a movie or TV show set in an earlier era, all the cars look brand new. In fact, better than brand new; the paint is rich and deep, highly polished. They all look as though they completed a full restoration yesterday. Streets full of cars like this look ridiculous to my eye. Why don't the moviemakers throw a little dust on some of them? Or use some old cars that have not been perfectly restored. Using these perfect cars detracts from the movie, IMHO.

Is this deliberate un-realism or just sloppiness? Other aspects of set-in-the-past movies and TV also tend to look brand new or "better" than they actually did: Paint on buildings, wallpapers, shop signage, etc. I even saw this phenomenon in a scene set in a black section of town in the south before WW2. It was totally implausible that everybody would have had a brand new car.



Best Answer

Because the owners of the cars keep them like that. I will base my answer on three sources:

  • Barn Find Hunter series by Hagerty on YouTube. In one of the episodes, Tom Cotter visits a collector who has acres of old cars. He lives close to LA with a stash of cars that he take cares of because he rents them for movies, music videos, events, etc. I assume that, like any rental, the cars need to be returned in exactly the same state. It makes no sense to try to "wear" them for movies if that wear could result in real damage. Why they rent? There is a channel called Tavarish where he bought a Lamborghini Murcielago from Fate of the Furious. It was really, really, really, beaten - painted, beaten, painted, glued, painted, and so on - which lead to second source. They had three of them in the film, wrecked two of them, and sold the remaining one at loss.
  • Mighty Car Mods (also a YouTube channel) visited the shop that created some of the cars for Fast and Furious. The cars always appeared new, but were not. The body was created just for the movie if the car need to feature in movie; they usually rented ones appearing in the background. They are painted to order.
  • Third issue is movie continuity. Some scenes can take days, weeks, or even months to film. They are not filmed in "movie chronological order". There are many more things to pay attention to if the car is damaged. Is the dust in the same spot? Are the rust marks the same? With a brand new looking car your only care is that the look is always "pristine".

Also personal opinion. The only "beaten" car culture (especially in USA) is the rat rod which makes it useless to fake typical, if the movie is not about that particular culture. It would be unreasonably time consuming to find cars that are period specific but are not too good looking. Bill Burr said same thing in one of his interview with Conan O'Brian. That in F is for Family he wanted to avoid this fake look that if the time is 1971 everyone have brand new cars that came out in 1971.




Pictures about "Why do cars in movies set in earlier eras always look brand new?"

Why do cars in movies set in earlier eras always look brand new? - Black Coupe on Black Surface
Why do cars in movies set in earlier eras always look brand new? - Aerial View of Parking Lot
Why do cars in movies set in earlier eras always look brand new? - Vintage Mercedes Benz Sedan



Why are old cars used in movies?

Surrounding the movie characters \u2014 be they a 1950s family or 1920s mobsters \u2014 are dozens of pristine cars from that time period. Classic cars are an essential set dressing in historic films needed to give the setting authenticity.

Are old cars in movies real?

Yes, movie studios do use actual classic cars in many cases, also known as \u201chero cars.\u201d Think of a hero car like the star. It's too expensive and precious to go blowing up, so it has a stunt team. The good thing about a stunt car is that it only has to be good-looking from afar.

What happens to cars after they are used in movies?

What Happens After Production Wraps? Hero and prop cars are often gifted, sold, or placed in museums once filming completes, or raffled for charity. Cast or staff members of the production often pick up the gifted or sold ones while other vehicles go to auction for sale.

Where does Hollywood get its old cars?

LOS ANGELES -- Ever wonder where Hollywood manages to find all those vintage cars for films like "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" or "The Hunger Games"? Local Los Angeles business Cinema Vehicles has been the largest supplier of vehicles to films, television and commercials in the country for over 40 years.




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Artem Beliaikin, Pixabay, Kelly L, Mike B