Breaking New Ground
The motion picture industry has always been home to innovative Genius. John Sarviss, (SAG/DGA) is no exception. Most know John Sarviss as a world-class helicopter stunt and cameraship Pilot.
This is anything but an aviation story. It’s a story about career changes, insight, and innovation.
He entered the film business full time some 20 years ago, sometime after beginning his aviation career in the US Army as a Warrant Officer Helicopter pilot during the Vietnam Conflict. “I flew helicopters in every imaginable environment before I came here. I had more “real” diversified experience with helicopters than any “film pilot” that was working full time in the business.. “I probably still do”. That included years as a Medevac pilot, spraying crops, stringing wire, external load, Mountain Rescue, North Sea Offshore, Forest Fire Fighting, TV News, Radio Traffic Reporter to name just a few, Sarviss states. He’s licensed to fly Commercially in the US, Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Germany and hold a US Aviation Mechanics License.
He’s flown as camera/stunt helicopter pilot for some 130 plus features, 35 TV series and several hundred commercials. After moving here at the bequest of a couple of producers in the early 80’s, he attended UCLA film school majoring in Cinematography and Directing, and immediately moved on to work with aerial/2nd Unit cinematic greats such as Rex Metz, ASC, David Butler, Michael Chevalier, Don Morgan, ASC, and numerous others. “They were instrumental in my knowledge base”, acknowledges Sarviss, “I couldn’t have had better tutors. They were the best aerial Cameramen/2nd Unit D.P.’s in the world during their careers. I credit them for the inspiration to pursue my dreams in this business”. “I always had questions. They always had the right answers.”
As he became more knowledgeable, Sarviss noticed that there were few jobs he has done where I didn’t notice that something had room for improvement to make the 2nd Unit director and DP’s job easier and safer. “I’ve always had an eye for invention and improvement. Sometimes it’s a curse”. Camera mount construction was first on the list.
Designing, building and operating anything with a camera on it seems to come natural to John. Johns’ Radical Camera Cars has a state of the art fab shop he owns in Leona Valley, Sarviss credits his father (an engineer for NASA and he was instrumental in the construction of the first series of Mercury Space capsules) with the gift of his design and “a natural curiosity about how things work”.
I have 8 x 10 glossy photos from NASA’s archives of my Dad strapping in Alan Sheppard for the first Space shot”, Sarviss says. “He was one of Werner Von Brauns’ right hand men”.
He began to manufacture dozens of helicopter camera systems in the 80’s thru the mid 90’s and soon became bored with flying “in and out of hangers and down the middle of streets six inches off the ground”.
“I legally got to fly a helicopter down the Las Vegas Strip six inches off the ground in 1996. No one’s done it before or since. I doubt if anyone could ever get permission to do it again”, say John.
Approached by stunt man Gil Combs in 1999 to build a jack knife trailer at his shop, John single-handedly designed, engineered and built a Jack Knife Truck from the ground up and, as soon as it was finished, the phone call came in from “Matrix Reloaded” and the two were off. The trailer worked flawlessly. John realized the ground based camera platforms were a new challenge and he sold his half of the Jack knife trailer to Gil Combs and began building the now famous Camera Kart. I had never really been exposed to the ground vehicles much, prior to that. I noticed there was huge room for improvement…”
”Once I made the mental commitment to go ahead full bore with this, I wanted to start with a clean slate on all the vehicles, design-wise”. “My expertise and talent has always been in the area of getting stuff on film whether it was flying, driving or floating”. “I just have a knack for it and I could care less about being ‘on-camera’”. “I was fortunate enough to be asked to direct, only weeks after I got into the Screen Actors guild”. “A producer just figured “I got it”, and asked if I was interested in drirecting, so I said, “Why not?” “I did 43 setups my first day, and I’ve even directed a TV pilot, but I prefer to do this.”
“There’s all this wonderful new technology in camera systems which can be operated remotely from up to 1 mile away and allow the stunt camera vehicles to be driven like they were designed.” “The camera operator and all other associated crew are now out of harms way. The action is real time and less CGI”. “Ultimately, CGI costs stunt performers work. I don’t believe in that.” Sure there instances where you have to do it, but it’s really rare, I believe”.
Right out of the shop, John knew the Camera Kart was a winner, he just had to convince Production personnel it was a viable, revolutionary idea.
Michael Bay and Terry Leonard needed no sales pitch. They immediately grasped the high speed vehicles huge potential and Sarviss was off to Miami to shoot the now famous freeway chase sequence on the Mac Arthur Causeway for “Bad Boys 2” for Bay, and the entire “2 Fast, 2 Furious” for Leonard. “Theyre both incredibly smart, insightful and talented. I was really blown away at how fast the recognized the potential….”
Now with dozens of credits that the vehicles have been used on, the rest, is, as they say, history.
He now has a stable of five vehicles that have literally revolutionized ground based photography.
The CameraKart is a racing go-kart that has been extensively modified to accept cameras either radio controlled or fixed. It will out handle, out brake, and out accelerate any other camera platform in the world. “It took about 3 years to really perfect it”, John states. We have even shot other cars from “under” other cars. The camera was maybe an inch off the ground. Along the journey, through Motorcycle jumping great “Johnny Airtime”, he met Art Lanier, his technician he insists on having on every job. “Art Lanier is probably the most knowledgeable person I have ever met about any aspect of anything to do with a vehicle. He never ceases to amaze me. He has been instrumental in nearly every aspect of setting up all these cars. I turned him loose on the kart to tune and set it up when I first built it at the bequest of Johnny Airtime. I was amazed at what I got back. It was a monster. He is probably the most experienced racing kart mechanic in the world. I simply won’t do a job without him. I can say enough good about the man. He makes sure the cars are perfect and allows me to concentrate on my driving which takes 125% of your attention span if you’re going to be safe about it. There’s simply no room for error.”
The Black Bird F-1/Indy type car RCC Built started with a Van Diemen Formula car chassis and was built up from there. It is capable of speeds in the 150+ MPH range. The fasted we used it has been around 120-140 MPH for a Kawasaki commercial on Las Vegas’ NASCAR track. It has reverse and as has been in service for 2 years….
The Off road car is based on a V8 Rail design and again, modified for strictly camera work. It is as blindingly quick and nimble as the rest of the corral. A mid-engined LS-1 Corvette motor and a race prepped, ratchet shifted TH350 Trans and Speedway Engineering quick change rear end gets the car off ripping and, for legs it sports 24 inches of wheel travel cushioned by King Off-Road Triple by-pass position sensitive race shocks. Sarviss thinks it ‘handles like a cat on carpet” even on the street. It is capable of speeds of up to 120 MPH, even in the dirt. Straying a bit from his single cockpit designs, John wanted the capability to use any camera system on the vehicle. “I felt limited by the inability to take camera people along. This vehicle handles so well, it deserves the potential for using any camera system. It’s simply amazing, he adds. It has an almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution. “That’s nearly impossible to design, much less build.”
The H-1 “Hummer” Stunt truck is probably the most amazing thing on wheels to ever hit Hollywood. It is based on an H-1 chassis that was lowered 14 inches and stretched 18 feet. It was modified to accept Goodyear airbags and is smooth as glass. It can maintain a sideways “slide” of 45 to 50 degrees indefinitely at 60 MPH due to its remote control, four wheel drive and independent steering to simulate 4 wheels drifts and skids and has complete repeatability. It can turn 360’s in nearly its own length. It accepts any vehicle, intact, with no cutting out engines or slicing up chassis. It is a 2 person operated vehicle, and has a patent pending. The picture vehicles are loaded from a hydraulic lift in less than 5 minutes and there are untouched and pristine when we take them off.
There are more vehicles in the works. Stay Tuned…..
As far advise for aspiring drivers out there?
Sarviss adds, “Look, It obviously takes world class skill to be a working stunt driver in this business, no doubt about it, and I have worked with nearly all the greats. Now, take it one step further. Stunt drive with a camera on board, leading or following that vehicle inches away sometimes, never lose ‘frame’ get it in 1 or 2 takes and be smooth about it. What does that take?” We’d say nearly super-human. “Sure, Ive tried to take it to a new level and possibly even an art form but “There’s a lot of guys out there who make there living doing this whether on motorcycles, cars, airplanes, helicopters or whatever who have broke new ground on their own.” “They all need to be acknowledged and recognized. Especially at the stunt awards”.
“Whether it be subjective or objective, all the stunt driving, close calls, near misses and crashes in the world don’t mean a damn thing if you cant get it on film, make it believable and do it safe.” We all want to go home in one piece at the end of the day.” There’s a list five miles long of people I need to thank for where I’m at and what I’m doing.
Johns’ Radical Camera Cars can be checked out on the web at www.radicalcameracars.com
