KEEP ON TROOPIN’

So our Editor ig decided to pop along to join photographer, David Hall as well as the boys from Definitive to check out one of the most fun shoots we’ve done yet. Here is his mini report on the behind the scenes action hanging out with 6 friendly Stormtroopers:

As we arrived at the shoot location, everything was friendly and jovial, Clive, one of the Stormtroopers and owner of the feature vehicle, had kindly provided bacon butties and coffees, and one by one various people pulled up, as Dave the photographer got his gear set up and the boys from Definitive likewise prepared their video rig. The six friendly local guys joining us vanished and in their place, six very serious looking Star Wars baddies marched purposefully towards us… an experience both thrilling and somewhat unnerving to be perfectly honest!

Ever since science fiction’s greatest film dynasty first hit the screens in the 1970’s generations  have developed a built in fear response to the image of the sterile white armour and vacant emotionless staring other worldly skull of the Stormtrooper helmet and the various Imperial bad guy derivatives. Like the instinct to dive behind the sofa at the sound of Doctor Who music… we all have something in our collective psyche that an image of either a big spider scuttling across the sitting room floor, or the white silhouette of a Stormtrooper moving straight towards you, sets the heart beating a bit faster as you try and counter the human ‘fight or flight’ response that it can’t really hurt you… can it?

Try looking one of these guys directly in the eyepieces and hold a normal conversation, whilst desperately telling yourself that it’s really just your mate behind that creepy façade… I tell you, easier said than done… you literally find yourself adopting that pseudo respectful deference normally reserved for awkward discussions with Policemen or Headmasters… just in case!

With everyone ready, the Troopers worked hard enacting the various routines for David’s busy camera; as the day drew on I noticed the guys were in full proper character… they really were a scout group sent to this strange rebel out-world on a mission from Lord Vader himself to intercept and retrieve their precious Troop Transport – the marching and the raised blasters all became a bit too conceiving at times, such as when one of the locals drove round the corner en route to her work-place to be confronted by six of the Imperial Alliance’s naughtiest boys, weapons drawn… her face was a picture and nobody needed to be a lip reader to clearly make out the Latin dialog being uttered from her mouth!

Like we say, being in the presence of these bad guys can be a little disturbing, and yet when they broke the seriousness by lining up chorus-line style and broke out into a rendition of the Muppets Me Na Me Na (a Trooper favourite apparently)… well, then it just got plain weird… and hilarious… they were just dudes beneath those intimidating ‘lids’ after-all… I was almost disappointed… but mainly relieved!

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“TRY LOOKING ONE OF THESE GUYS DIRECTLY IN THE EYEPIECES AND HOLD A NORMAL CONVERSATION, WHILST DESPERATELY TELLING YOURSELF THAT IT’S REALLY JUST YOUR MATE BEHIND THAT CREEPY FAÇADE… YOU LITERALLY FIND YOURSELF ADOPTING THAT PSEUDO RESPECTFUL DEFERENCE NORMALLY RESERVED FOR AWKWARD DISCUSSIONS WITH POLICEMEN OR HEADMASTERS”

ROLL CREDITS

THE MOVIE: Do you like our little film then? Be sure to let us know what you think and also to check out the website and Vimeo pages of those movie media clever clogs, Louis and Nate of Definitive. In those long running arguments as to which is the best of the Star Wars movies, there is definitely a new player in the running now! Great work guys! See more awesome automotive movies from Definative at: www.servingtodefine.co.uk

STILL SHOTS: Thanks also to David Hall Photography, for capturing all the glory of the Imperial Troop’s finest. Check out more of David’s amazing work at: www.davidhallphoto.com

ORIGINAL ARTWORK: A quick shout out also to the two artists who brought the T4 to life. For the incredible lifelike airbrush work on ‘that’ bonnet; the lady Sammy Cave (Kustom Sammy) of Re-Born To Be Wild (www.reborntobewild.com) and for mind-blowing marker pen magic on the side panels, Mr Russ Hyter-Smith esquire, a.k.a The Dirty Pen (www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dirty-Pen/362849360470079)… top drawer work guys!

THE CAST: Finally, special thanks to T4 Trooper Transporter, Clive Barzillia, a.k.a TK73511 Stormtrooper and the other armor-clad lovable bad guys (Shiny Shaun, Dirty Darren, Boss Man Robert, Biker Boy Andrew and Dark Side Peter), all from the South Wales Troopers battalion, for making the most fun and cool shoot yet.