Movie director reveals how car scenes are actually filmed and there's one big surprise

Hollywood car scenes aren’t always filmed speeding down a real highway; in fact, many never leave the studio.

That cinematic blur of scenery you see outside the windows is often created with high-tech screens and clever lighting, not miles of asphalt.

Filmmaker David Ma recently pulled back the curtain on TikTok to show exactly how it’s done, and it’s more elaborate than most viewers imagine.

His behind-the-scenes reveal includes one surprising detail that changes how you’ll see on-screen driving forever.

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The surprising studio secret behind Hollywood car scenes

In his TikTok video, Ma explains that the secret behind many Hollywood car scenes is a setup called the Car Process Rig.

This involves parking a real vehicle in a studio and surrounding it with massive LED screens that display the passing scenery.

This might be a neon-lit city street, or maybe a winding desert road.

Above the car sits a huge, oblong light panel that mimics the sun or streetlamps, casting realistic shadows and reflections.

And here’s the part most people don’t expect: the footage isn’t added later.

It’s already playing during filming so that the movement naturally reflects on the car’s shiny surfaces.

This approach has huge advantages over shooting on location.

“Shooting in a studio versus a location offers us much more control over the weather, the time of day, and allows us to quickly reset for as many takes as we need,” Ma explains.

In fact, the Car Process rig can switch from the Moab desert to Los Angeles traffic with the push of a button.

This is something that would take hours, permits, and a convoy of crew members in the real world.

Not every movie shies away from location shots

Of course, not every Hollywood car scene is filmed this way.

James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke is often shot on actual roads, and parts of the Fast & Furious franchise rely on real driving for wide, action-packed shots.

Well, perhaps not the scenes from Fast & Furious because some of them defied physics.

But even big-budget productions often use the Car Process rig for close-ups, controlled dialogue scenes, or moments where safety and timing are critical.

Fans on TikTok were almost universally fascinated.

“That is so cool. I always thought they put the car on a big tow truck and the actor pretends to drive,” one wrote.

“What would make it more realistic is the actors KEEPING their eyes on the road,” another joked.

At the very least, it seems like British actor Rowan Atkinson may not have relied on high tech effects while starring in the Johnny English films.

After all, he famously asked for the Rolls-Royce Phantom he used for the movie to be customized with something unique, so it’s unlikely that was just a prop car in a studio.

Also, if you’ve a ton of money, you can buy Batman’s fully functional Tumbler that was actually driven in The Dark Knight Trilogy, which is pretty awesome.

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