Just Drift/Ziptied All Star Bash 2009!

If anyone is remotely interested in cars, motor sports, or action sports, it is a MUST to experience what is known as All Star Bash. I was thinking this was going to be the best non-pro event to attend, my thoughts quickly changed to the BEST DRIFT EVENT IN THE STATES, period. No big sponsorships, no TV cameras (except Hero Productions :-), corporate America was non existent. Only the people who have a real passion for the motor sport. It simply does not get better than this. The event took place at Willow Springs International Raceway on two separate tracks within the raceway. Drivers had a rare opportunity to drift on Streets and the second track for the event was the now legendary, Horse Thief Mile (HTM).

It was a last second decision to go. We looked at the clock as it read 12 o'clock and decided it was going to be worth it. Took off around 1am Saturday morning to get to the track early so we could start the day. The drive was exactly 6 hours, am I crazy? No. I had the same passion and determination as a driver and that carries over quite well into this realm. "You have to be working while the next man is sleeping if you want to get ahead". Words from my dad that have stuck with me my whole life. Driving through the night, no sleep, just to get to a drift event to film? Yes.

I knew the event was going to be "hot", but I didn't know it was going to be HOT. Temperatures were well over 100 degrees causing most cars to overheat and causing me to run the car parked with the A/C on full blast between filming. Even with the heat, drivers were still doing what they do best. At an invitational only event, everyone was trying to do their best and they did not disappoint. People from Socal to Norcal, Arizona to Washington, big ups to those from South Dakota to CHICAGO! Everyone showed up for this event. Its that big of a deal.

This is my biggest event to date. I still have very little experience, but that did not stop Charlie from Just Drift from granting me my media pass. I know it was nothing, but just as easily as Charlie said "yes" to my request, he could have easily said "no, we need experience". So I must give a special thanks to him, thank you Charlie. I hope this video can put me and Hero Productions on the media map. I normally publish videos in 2-3 days, this has taken me a full week of non stop editing. I feel it is by far my best to date and I can not wait to view the feedback and responses from everyone. I even got a hand from Corey over at coredesignz to help me with my logo for this one. Visit him at www.coredesignz.com

I had a blast. I've driven many events, spectated many, but non can compare to All Star Bash. I met so many cool people and finally put some faces to screen names and cars that I've seen on the net for years. I hope the tradition lives on and by this time next year, I can be posting the 2010 rendition of All Star Bash. I do hope you like what I have composed here. I knew I wanted to get this video out while the buzz of ASB was still apparent. Too everyone that was there, you guys were awesome! Next year I hope to meet even more of you crazy animals.

With that said, I present to you, Just Drift/Ziptied All Star Bash 2009 by Hero Productions!

Just Drift/Ziptied All Star Bash 2009 from Andrew Zaragoza on Vimeo.

Feeling the heat at Thunder Drift!

Its been 7 months since the last time I paid a visit to Thunder Hill in Willows, Ca. Enough time to forget exactly how hot it can get. Having the hot sun beat down on you with only a hat for shade, it can be unbearable for some. Only few can take it, luckily, I love to film or else I would have packed it in early. I miss driving drift events, but with every event I film, I enjoy being part of the media more and more. I took this opportunity to play with a few settings on my camera, as well as test out my new Velbon UP 40DX II, which I HIGHLY recommend for anyone who shoots similar footage. The mono pod allows you to be very mobile. I was running up and down the skid pad, jumping on barriers with ease. Get one, you will love it. I recommend this particular mono pod because it has a smooth tilting head. That is a huge advantage over other stationary mono pods.

The video itself is not the most exciting one. I was not able to get many angles, its just a big square skid pad, 4 corners, basically 4 angles. Not only was there minimal spots to shoot from, but there were not many drivers. I don't remember what the exact number was, but it was very few as you can see from the video. Good thing the drivers were good so I got some great footage. A bitter sweet moment when I filmed the collision with the wall, we hate to see it, but at least we got the shot. The video was shot in 60i HDV. I moved away from shooting 24 frames per second in this video, it seems like shooting 60 frames makes for a cleaner look for fast moving objects. I tested out many different shutter speeds, from 1/8th to 1/2000th. The majority is in 1/100th, the others will be for testing that I might post up soon. This day was meant to fine tune some settings and do some experiment's before All Star Bash in Socal next week. Be on the look out for that one! For now enjoy what I have so far, and please comment with anything that's on your mind after watching this video. Follow to vimeo for the best quality by clicking on the title. Any questions, email me at localstreethero@gmail or post here or on the vimeo page.
Thanks,

Hero Productions
Andrew Zaragoza (Local Street Hero)

ThunderDrift 7-18-09 Thunder Hill Willows, Ca from Andrew Zaragoza on Vimeo.