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The Key For Brad Pitt’s F1 Film

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The Key For Brad
Pitt’s F1 Film

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"Grand Prix" (1966) © Warner Brothers Entertainment

Realism and a Hint of 60s Classic

WORDS BY Sam Hitt

PHOTO EDITING BY Anna Ruch

The Key For Brad Pitt’s F1 Film

Realism and a Hint of 60s Classic

WORDS BY Sam Hitt

PHOTO EDITING BY Anna Ruch

Image

© Warner Brothers Entertainment (1966)

U

sing a specially designed air cannon to launch engineless cars toward their demise at 100 mph, John Frankenheimer’s “Grand Prix” (1966) came as close as possible to recreating an authentic Formula 1 accident.

Barrelling through the iconic tunnel feature at the Monaco Grand Prix, Pete Aron, portrayed by Hollywood star James Garner, refuses to let his faster teammate Scott Stoddard (English actor Brian Bedford) pass. As the two exit the tunnel, the camera, which vibrates in rhythm to Garner’s car, switches between close-up shots of Garner, looking stubbornly resolute, to Bedford, sweating with anxiety, then back to a view from the nose of Garner’s car. The two are engaged in a close proximity dogfight. 

Suddenly, Garner’s face, with the camera still positioned on the nose of his car, explodes with panic. With the gearshift locked in place, a panic-stricken Garner raises his hand to warn Bedford of his car failure. But it’s too late; Bedford is too close. Garner slams on the brakes. The two touch wheels. Garner launches off the track and into the waiting arms of the Mediterranean while Bedford loses control, slams into the guardrail, and careens toward a cliff on the side of the track. The camera then switches between a side profile of Bedford fighting his out-of-control car to a distance shot of his car going airborne before returning to a close-up of Bedford upside down colliding with the cliff.     

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Film stills of Scott Stoddard (Brian Bedford) and Pete Aron (James Garner) during Monte Carlo Grand Prix crash scene in Frankenheimer’s “Grand Prix." (1966) © Warner Brothers Entertainment

It’s no surprise that, since receiving the 1967 Academy Award for Best Film Editing, the depicted race experience has captivated audiences for more than half a century. “The graphic pleasure of looking at parts of cars, at cars on the road, at landscapes speeding by, is the best thing “Grand Prix” offers,” Tim Brayton, a film critic at Alternate Ending, writes in a 2017 review. “Turning a high-speed death-defying stunt into a collection of beautiful pictures assembled with visceral effectiveness.” 

Practical effects, such as those used in “Grand Prix,” rely on tangible props and live filming, while today’s direct competitor, CGI, consists of special visual effects created using computer software. Each strategy is simply a tool in a larger toolbox, but the graveyard of movie history is littered with scores of projects that have been ruined by CGI technology that wasn’t quite as cutting-edge as the filmmakers believed.

In late 2024 or early 2025, seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton and Academy Award-winning actor Brad Pitt are teaming up to create their own Formula 1 film. The biggest challenge with an action movie, as always, is deciding how to express power, speed, and tension in a way that is tactile, tangible and — like “Grand Prix” — will age more like wine than milk. It is too early to know if they will nail it, but it seems clear they have learned some lessons from Frankenheimer’s classic.

“The graphic pleasure of looking at parts of cars, at cars on the road, at landscapes speeding by, is the best thing Grand Prix offers.”

TIM BRAYTON

Daniel Riccardo shot during the 2022 French Grand Prix, Circuit Paul Ricard. July 24, 2023 at 2:22 p.m.

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James Garner driving through the Monza banking in “Grand Prix.” (1966) © Warner Brothers Entertainment

Hamilton told GQ in a recent interview that realism and accuracy were forefront in his mind when signing on to the movie, “My point was: Guys, this movie needs to be so authentic.” 

Fortunately, director Joseph Kosinski is well-versed in getting the most out of practical effects. His latest film, “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), was nominated for six Academy Awards in 2023, including Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Editing. Sound, visual effects, and editing will all be top of mind when trying to bring the experience of driving a Formula 1 car to life. Luckily, the vast majority of the team that worked on “Top Gun: Maverick” — including producer Jerry Bruckheimer — are on board for the new Formula 1 film. 

A lot of the same principles behind the practical effects used in “Top Gun: Maverick,” dubbed by New Yorker film critic Richard Brody to be some of the most impressive and exciting—and strikingly simple—action sequences that I’ve seen in a while,” are set to be used in the upcoming Formula 1 film. 

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Lewis Hamilton © GQ

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Tom Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick.” (2022) © Paramount Pictures

“You can't fake the G-forces. You can't fake the vibration. You can't fake what it looks like to be in one of these fighter jets,” said Kosinski on the decision to use practical effects for “Top Gun: Maverick.” “So we wanted to capture every bit of that and shooting it for real allowed us to do that.” 

What the production team behind the new Formula 1 film is hoping to avoid at all costs is a “John Wick: Chapter 4” (2023) catastrophe. The CGI in the movie was so bad it led film critic Robert Pitman to write, “CGI simply isn't the future of action movies, as is proven by ‘John Wick: Chapter 4.’” The franchise, helmed by a stuntman-turned-director, had made waves by feeling so much more visceral than the Marvel-style fight scenes. But the fourth installment’s reliance on CGI proved a critical failure.  

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The CGI effects in “John Wick: Chapter 4” (2023) were poorly received by film critics. © Lionsgate

“You can't fake the G-forces. You can't fake the vibration. You can't fake what it looks like to be in one of these fighter jets. So we wanted toand shooting it for real allowed us to do that.” 

joseph kosinski

“Grand Prix,” released two years after Keanu Reeves was born, has withstood the test of time largely due to its commitment to realism. Much of the footage was captured documentary-style during actual race weekends. According to second-unit and helicopter cameraman John Stephens, “Scenes with the actors and actresses would be staged right in the pits during the actual races.” At one point, for the Monte Carlo Grand Prix, Frankenheimer had 18 different film crews scattered across the course. It also doesn’t hurt that the production team practically built a full grid of 16 Formula 1 car replicas. 

However, filming during actual race weekends and using hyper-realistic props by themselves would not have been enough to bring Formula 1 to life. The true magic of “Grand Prix” comes from the technical solutions, which were revolutionary for the period, pioneered to capture the on-track racing experience. 

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"Grand Prix" (1966) poster art by Saul Bass. © LMPC via Getty Images

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In "Grand Prix" (1966) car-mounted shots, handheld 65mm quick-cut afforded viewers time to experience the sensation of Formula 1. © Warner Brothers Entertainment

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Monica Barbaro and Tom Cruise on set in “Top Gun: Maverick." (2022) © Paramount Pictures / Alamy

For the coming Formula 1 film, Kosinski is working with the Mercedes-AMG team to create the cars being used on set, turning Formula 2 cars into functional Formula 1 replicas for the fictional APXGP team, according to reporting from The New York Times

In terms of practical effects, some of the filming took place during actual race weekends, and technology developed filming “Top Gun: Maverick” – namely, cameras mounted on fighter jets – was adapted to use in race cars. Finally, specialized cameras and microphones were strategically placed around race courses during the 2023 Formula 1 season to capture the entire audiovisual experience.

Commenting on the racing experience portrayed in the film, Hamilton had this to say: “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.”

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Frankenheimer’s use of varied split screen shots provides a unique experience for the “Grand Prix” (1966) viewer. © Warner Brothers Entertainment

“[Younger people] are so used to CGI being a tool of big movies that when you shoot something for real, it feels innovative,” Kosinski told The Wrap in a 2022 interview, where he discussed “Top Gun: Maverick” and the upcoming Formula 1 film.  

Vintage and, in turn, tangibility are in vogue. While it is far too soon to tell how the effects used in today’s movies will resonate with audiences thirty years from now, history tells us that a commitment to realism has a better chance of aging well. 

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Spectators along the track in Frankenheimer’s “Grand Prix” (1966). © Warner Brothers Entertainment

At this digital-first moment, younger audiences – and society at large – crave the feeling of tangibility, particularly as part of a resurging interest in vintage culture. Take record players for example; A once almost defunct relic from the time before streaming, these clunky devices have experienced a cult revival. Gen Z consumers, in particular, are most likely to purchase vinyl records, according to research from the Recording Industry Association of America.

"In 'Grand Prix' the execution is slower, more thoughtful, and more cinematic. With this approach, the audience is given time to experience the sensation of driving a Formula 1 car."

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Frankenheimer’s use of varied split screen shots provides a unique experience for the "Grand Prix” (1966) viewer. © Warner Brothers Entertainment

Just reconsider “Grand Prix.” The movie feels so authentic and has withstood the test of time largely due to its commitment to realism. 

The sheer mix of different angles and styles – everything from the car-mounted shots and handheld 65mm frames to quick-cut inserts and magnificent helicopter footage – may seem familiar to audiences today, except in “Grand Prix” the execution is slower, more thoughtful, and more cinematic. With this intentional approach, the audience is given time to experience the sensation of driving a Formula 1 car. 

While “Grand Prix” is undoubtedly a cinematic artifact from a bygone era of moviemaking, the speed and intensity still feel palpable to modern audiences. Whether Hamilton and Pitt’s new film will last remains to be seen, but its commitment to realism suggests it could far outlive its CGI counterparts. 

As Bryan Curtis wrote in a 2016 cultural comment on film for the New Yorker, “We’ve reached a point where directors and audiences no longer derive authenticity from what looks ‘real’ but from what looked real … And real is an awfully flexible word.” 

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