My friend Lee hired me to help him with a film he’s making. He needed to film some pick-up shots in Arizona. I agreed to help him for my day rate.
He picked me up in a run down red 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit sixteen valve. The car was an essential element of the film he was making. He didn’t tell me about the car’s electrical problems until it started to rain.
“Hey Lee it’s raining why don’t you put your windshield wipers on?”
“That's because they don’t work.”
“They don't work.”
“Nope. I don’t need them anyway. I’ve learned to drive without them. I just stare into the distance, it’s a trick of the mind.”
It turned out the only thing that worked were the headlights and the passenger window and I was grateful for that. No air-con, just sweat and warm water there and back.
Lee would stick his arm out of the window to change lines. It was a primitive means of transportation but we got there alright. Our first stop was in Quartzsite Arizona where we shot at a grave site. We set up the camera and we were just about ready to shot when it started to rain. We stood there in the rain and waited for it to stop. It didn’t stop. It came down progressively harder. We were soaked to the bone before we grabbed the camera and retreated to the comfort of the Rabbit. We sat in the car and ate turkey sandwiches. Lee’s wife made them for us. I was dry. But Lee was still getting wet, because Lee's window didn’t roll up.
