BEHIND THE SCENES>> AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT KEN BLOCK’S GYMKHANA FOUR, PART II
By now, almost everyone on the internet has seen Gymkhana Four. If you haven't, do so now before proceeding.
So with that, let's take our second and final look at the production of the film.
Larry: Not everything in Gymkhana for was all CG. There were a good number of real flames throughout the set.
Linhbergh: Please tell me you made S'mores after you shot this photo.
Linhbergh: At this point, I've been on a few commercial shoots of various scales in production. Gymkhana 4 is, by far, the biggest production I've ever been on. There was a good 80 or so people on set at all times and with a production this big, it's important to have one thing: amazing craft services.
Imagine photographing the going ons of the production then be randomly greeted by a girl carrying a tray filled with fruit parfaits or hot chocolate. That's what craft services is.
Larry: I especially like the soccer ball which was used as a damper for the crane.
Linhbergh: Tire smoke never gets old –ever.
Linhbergh: One of the coolest piece of film equipment was this DIY "bullet-time" camera array build with a whole lot of GoPro cameras. I didn't know what the resulting shot was going to look like, but after seeing the final piece, it left me rather impressed.
Larry: I like the part when it changed camera angles.
Linhbergh: Here's the director of Gymkhana 4, Ben Conrad, walking through the War of the Worlds set scoping out shots. Ben was the creative lead for the movie "Zombieland."
Linhbergh: Ken also walked through the war torn set.
Larry: …and there goes the neighborhood!
Linhbergh: Larry, this photo hurts my brain.
Larry: It's those DC Shoes. They must help Ken defy gravity!
Linhbergh: I'm not sure if I'd look this relaxed after my airplane split in two and crash landed….
Larry: Don't worry, he had his fire suit on.
Larry: A good thing about being on the War of the Worlds set was that there was an infinite amount of locations to shoot from.
Linhbergh: Personally, I think you were trying to relive your paparazzi days.
Linhbergh: I'm sure after working for "Zombieland," Ben grew an appreciation and taste for severed human limbs…
…but if you were a zombie, severed limbs gets old. A good book and a cup of coffee is what keeps this zombie happy. Classy zombie is classy.
Linhbergh: At some areas, the set looked more suited for the 8 millionth installment of "Final Destination" than for the War of the Worlds.
Larry: Ken should stop leaving his toys around. I would hate to be the one to clean up after his playtime.
Linhbergh: To the right is Ken's next engine swap.
Larry: Is that an 2JZ? I hope so.
Linhbergh: After shooting at the War of the Worlds, the crew moved onto the Bates Hotel set which was used in the movie "Psycho."
Larry: I'd like to meet this Jim Connor the 4th and I'd like to ask him to stop leaving tire marks all over the Universal Backlot.
Linhbergh: The Bates Motel bathroom is a bathroom I'd definitely not want to use.
Linhbergh: There was usually a lot of dead time in between shots, so all the crew members became very acquainted with their smart phones.
Larry: I think he was trying to call his girlfriend, but for some reason, she wasn't picking up….
Larry: It was weird to be a tourist attraction, so the crew members decided to turn the tables and take photos of all the incoming tourists.
Linhbergh: One thing that was interesting was how excited the tourists got when they spotted Ken Block. Imagine how all the teenage girls react to seeing Justin Bieber and you'll have some idea how it was for Ken.
Linhbergh: Even ninjas have to practice their ninja-ing.
Linhbergh: This shot was for one of the opening title sequences. Its rather impressive to see this photo, and to see how it was put together for the final film.
Linhbergh: This man has been covered from head to toe with fire retardant goo…
…for the badass man-on-fire man sequence.
There's no CG going on here. That's a real man walking with real fire.
Larry: Marty McFly's Delorean can travel in time only in a straight line. Ken's Ford Fiesta can do it sideways.
Linhbergh: Gymkhana Four has generated a lot of hate. But when this is your cubicle/office/workspace, its hard to hate on a man who's moved all the chess pieces in his favor. If I was Ken, I would do everything he's done exactly.
Larry: It's a good thing that his e-brake handle is orange so he knows where it is at all times.
Larry: This is a Sony Phantom camera. It is responsible for all the slow motion shots and shoots at an impressive 1,200 frames per second.
Larry: This is the sound stage where they filmed the Epic Meal Time sequence and Ken's epic donut sequence.
Larry: I was brave enough to climb the rickety stairs to get a nice overhead shot.
Linhbergh: It should be noted that this is the Epic Meal Time set in the sound stage.
Linhbergh: In the New York streets backlot area, it was amazing to know that every building was accessible with multiple floors.
Larry: In this scene, the director told Ken to go nuts on the streets of New York and if you watched the film, he surely did.
Larry: I don't know why more Hollywood blockbusters have Bollywood style dance numbers…
Linhbergh: Seeing this photo makes me wish all motor races ended with a Bollywood dance number! Imagine how much more exciting the 24 Hours of Le Mans would be with a celebration like that!
Larry: That's a real explosion. No CG here.
Linhbergh: It's rather amazing to think that Ken does all his own stunts.
Larry: Apparently, the Epic Meal Time guys want to be Bollywood stars….
Linhbergh: Not all takes go smoothly. Ken accidentally ran over a grip boy in one of the New York street scenes. Luckily, Ken had his phone on him to notify the the family.
Larry: Everyone tried their hand at directing the film.
Linhbergh: Being a professional hoon is a hard work. Everyone needs a break every now and then.
Larry: I knew apes knew how to use simple tools, but knowing how to use a Segway is on a whole different level….
Linhbergh: The production used a whole slew of Canon 5D Mark IIs, Sony Phantom cameras, and a few Red Epic cameras. Check out the size of that lens! You jealous yet, Larry?
Larry: Yes.
Linhbergh: No matter how many times I see a car burn up rubber, it never gets old. The best part about being around tire smoke so often is after you get home and clean out your ears. White cotton swab turns instantly black.
Linhbergh: Ken is quite versed with using the universal hand sign for drifting.
Larry: I thought he was just telling everyone to hang loose!
Linhbergh: It was Ryan Reynolds' first time seeing Ken's new Ford Fiesta. That explains his facial expression.
An office with a view? How can you complain?
First it was Ken Block driving into LAX airport, then fake New York city. Next thing you know, he'll be doing Gymkhana Five on the International Space Station.
After every hero shot, the crew gathers around a camera screen to see the resulting shot.
Linhbergh: This is the wall which Ken drove through. The wall was lined with explosives to enhance his visual impact as the Ford flew through. They shot two takes with the wall and each time, it took an hour for clean up and repair of the wall or should I say "wall" as it was made of styrofoam.
Larry: Every shot was meticulously planned with precision.
Linhbergh: After the day's shooting is done, Universal deploys a fleet of street cleaners to clean up the tire marks. It's amazing to see the pavement the next day as it looks brand spanking new!
Larry: Ken relaxed for a bit…
…before he had to drive through a wall.
Linhbergh: A wild Larry Chen has appeared.
Linhbergh: For the ladder/ape man shot, they originally planned the stuntman to be wired up to the crane for safety reasons.
But after some practice, the stunt crew figured out that they can safely shoot the scene without the help of wires or cranes.
Even Ken did some practice runs through the scene before committing.
But once he committed, the scene turned out perfectly. It was a one shot deal and they got it.
Larry: That is the smile of a man who takes his hoonage seriously.
Linhbergh: It's hard to ignore the power that the name Ken Block has across the mainstream media. In 24 hours, Gymkhana 4 racked in more than a million hits on YouTube. And in that 24 hours, there isn't anyone that can polarize the internet more than he can. People may hate on what he does, how he does it and the productions he creates, but if there's one fact about Ken and his Gymkhana series is that the whole industry is trying to play catch up.
I'm looking forward to see what the future has for Kenny and the rest of his Block.
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