Director of Photography / Documentary
“You don’t think about breathing, you know, but when you can’t breathe it, it’s life.”
Our production company, Copper Hound Pictures, recently released a short documentary about a vintage race car driver named Santo Spadaro. The film began as a showcase of Santo's passion for classic race cars and his journey as a driver, but it quickly evolved into a deeper story.
Directed by the talented Pippa White, the documentary takes viewers on a journey through some of the most beautiful race tracks in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The interview portion was filmed in New York.
Tim Llewellyn served as the Director of Photography, Steadicam Operator, and Colorist.
Santo Spadaro, a vintage sports car racer and mechanic, contracted COVID-19 and struggled to recover from its debilitating effects. Through his own words, Santo recounts his experience of being hospitalized, his struggle to regain his health, and his journey to get back to his passion for vintage car racing.
The film highlights cars from the golden era of vintage car racing in the 1960s and 1970s, which was Santo's happy place as a kid. He was drawn to the shapes, sounds, and speeds of the cars, as well as the passionate and motivated people who surrounded them. His father was a vintage car mechanic for 77 years, and he himself grew up watching and being intoxicated by the whole scene.
The film also explores Santo's journey of recovery from COVID-19, which was not an easy one. He talks about the promise he made to himself of not shaving until he felt whole again and the healing process he had to go through. He had to unpack his life and figure out where he was and what that place meant to him. He had to reconcile what is today with what was yesterday and try to fit everything back in where he unpacked it.
Despite the challenges he faced, his community of friends, family, and clubmates were supportive of him and helped him get through the tough times. They were respectful of his debilitated self and had a good tempo of checking in and making sure he was okay. The film shows how a strong community can make all the difference in one's recovery.
As a team, Copper Hound Pictures is proud to have been a part of this project. We hope that the film will inspire viewers to embrace the importance of friendship, community, and the joys of racing, even during difficult times.
For those interested in the technical side of the project we filmed on RED digital cinema V Raptor and Dragon cameras with Zeiss CP.2 and Milvus lenses along with a Steadicam Aero30.
