John Sarviss is an innovator in the world of camera cars. His passion and expertise have been a winning combination over the years, and he has created some of the most exciting car chase scenes on film to date.John Sarviss brought his pilot expertise to the entertainment industry 20 years ago by flying helicopters for commercials, features and television series. Before that, Sarviss served in the U.S. Army as a Warrant Officer Helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. He also worked as a Life Flight Medevac pilot doing everything from spraying crops to reporting radio traffic.
In 1993, Sarviss opened a fabrication facility to restore vintage race cars—a labor of love that eventually led to the creation of a sideways-steering, computer-controlled tractor-trailer, or Jack Knife truck. Soon after its completion, Sarviss received a call from the production team on the set of the 2003 film “Matrix Reloaded.” The “Reloaded” team had recently flipped the truck they were testing and needed a replacement immediately. Sarviss was there with his truck, ready to go. “It was then that I realized,” Sarviss tells 411, “that the ground-based camera platforms were a new challenge and began building my now famous CameraKart."
Los Angeles [after finishing his work on the “Matrix Reloaded”] I began work on the CameraKart. After it was finished, I e-mailed photos of the kart to director/cameraman Toby Phillips, formerly of Area 51 Films. He wrote a spot based around the Kart for Hyundai. We shot it in Vancouver, Canada and, after that, we never looked back."
Designing and building the karts and cars in the Radical Camera Cars fleet which includes The CameraKart, The Balck Bird, The Off Road car and H-1 Hummer Stunt truck, is just the first step in the entire process for Sarviss. In order to capture the shots, Sarviss himself actually drives the karts and cars. “Generally speaking, F-1 and Indy drivers nearly all got their start in karting. There’s not much else out there for the budget that will make you a better driver and teach you how to really drive. Whether I’m driving or flying, the operation of the vehicle has to be second nature so that you can concentrate on the shot, yet still know when things have the potential to get out of hand very quickly and take immediate corrective actions to insure everyone’s safety.”
And, although the camera itself is operated by a wireless remote, Sarviss explains that he has to have a cameraman’s eye. “You could be the best driver in the world,” he tells us, “but if you can’t put the camera where the director and DP want it, it’s an exercise in futility.”
Sarviss doesn’t go it alone, however; he usually takes along former world champion race mechanic, Art Lanier, who makes sure the karts are set up precisely and relieves Sarviss of the burden of multitasking. “I have never known anyone better at what he does,” says Sarviss.
Aside from capturing the shot and driving the karts, there is also an element of danger in the work that Sarviss does. As Sarviss explains, “anyone who says it isn’t stunt work, hasn’t driven a CameraKart 6 inches off the back of a picture car sitting an inch off the ground with the lens 2 inches from the pavement on a windy mountain road at 70 mph and the car that you’re behind and filming has had its brake lights purposely disconnected. This is SAG stunt work. You are performing a stunt to capture a stunt on film.”
Recently, Sarviss had the opportunity to put all of those skills together once again when working with Michael Bay on the upcoming Summer Thriller, “Island,” starring Ewan Macgregor and Scarlett Johansson. “We used the CameraKart on several chase sequences,” said Sarviss. “Michael Bay has been a fan of the Kart since he saw us perform on the project ‘Bad Boys 2.’ We were an integral part of the Ferrari chase sequences in Miami at speeds over 110 mph through traffic. I remember Michael telling me to drive the car like I’d stolen it, so I did.”
The future for Radical Camera Cars is one of further innovation and expansion. Sarviss’ new office in South Carolina recently opened in order to cater to production that has moved to that part of the country due to tax incentives. “We will be able to service clientele from Miami to Main and from New Orleans to Chicago quite easily and all the vehicles are in the process of being duplicated for that specific purpose.”
There are also several new vehicles in the works. Vehicles that, according to Sarviss, will be as revolutionary to the film industry as the CameraKart was to the conventional camera car. But that’s all he’s saying. What those cars are, no one will know until they are unveiled on the Radical Camera Cars Web site in a few weeks.
For now, Sarviss will say that what’s most important to him is capturing shots that have never been seen on film before and doing this in the safest, most professional way possible. “Whether it be subjective or objective, all the stunt driving, close calls, near misses and crashes in world don’t mean a damn thing if you can’t get it on film, make it believable and do it safe.”
www.radicalcameracars.com
