Before Star Wars, George Lucas worshipped at the altar of speed.
George Lucas's senior project at the University of Southern California in 1966. It was named for the lap time of the Lotus 23 race car that was the subject of the film. It is a nonstory visual tone poem depicting the imagery of a car going at full speed, and featuring the car's engine as the primary sound element. Shot on 16mm color film with a 14 man student crew, it was filmed at Willow Springs Raceway, north of Los Angeles, CA. The Lotus 23 was driven by Pete Brock.
Cinematography
Gritty 16mm that makes speed feel tangible.
Sound
Engine as orchestra — raw mechanical music.
Direction
Student Lucas already chasing pure kinetic energy.
Director
George Lucas
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Francis Ford Coppola saw this at USC and later helped Lucas form American Zoetrope.
Lucas originally wanted to be a race car driver until a near-fatal crash at 18 redirected him to film.
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