It’s about time, right? I nearly killed myself making this documentary… so it sure feels great to see this up there. I also found out recently that the retail release that nobody ever saw is up on Netflix as well. It would be interesting to know who got paid for that. Regardless, it is awesome that such a large audience has access to it like that.
Be sure to visit the Slide America IMDb page and give it a vote/review!
2009 Motion Graphics Reel from Andy Sapp on Vimeo.
My 2009 reel showcasing my motion graphics efforts. Short, sweet, and right to the point. EnjoySoundtrack: Motor by SebastiAn
Tyler sent me an awesome picture from Super Autobacs in West Covina, California. It is really rad to see the OG copy of Slide America on the shelf with the likes of Best Motoring, Mischief, and Getaway In Stockholm.
2008 Driver Profile – Andy Sapp. from Andy Sapp on Vimeo.
This edit is well over a year in the making. This cut is as close to perfect as I will ever get it. This video is the most thorough, polished, and complete example of my abilities behind the wheel… and my abilities behind a computer. Period.This digital short showcases the past 3 years of my professional drift effort. Features amalgamated footage from Formula Drift and Nopi Drift events, as well as various Nopi/NDRA demos, grassroots competitions, practice events, SPEED TV, and other television appearances.
Very very special thanks to everyone who provided me with the footage to edit this video.
Soundtrack by Slayer.
Keep drifting fun. OR ELSE.
I came across these cool press kits I designed and had printed for SEMA back in 2006. We were looking for some company backing to help offset the cost of the documentary. I threw these press kits together extremely fast to make it back from the press in time for Vegas. Two years have passed since then, and now that I’m looking back on these… I think they turned out to be a slick piece of collateral.
The press kit starts out with a brief synopsis of what the project was about, and what our goal behind it was.
It talked about media partnerships, and what we had to offer as a marketing platform.
It overviewed unique impressions through all media outlets, and discussed partnership options for sponsorship.
Lastly, a DVD of the 1st teaser trailer was attached to the back inside cover via a cool gel disc holder.
Off all the prospective partnerships… the only one to step up and show faith in what we were doing was Exedy Racing Clutch. Most of the other companies were either turned off because of the street-drifting in the documentary, or fell under the “all talk, no action” clause that seems to plague the industry.
Regardless, these press kits are very cool, and will be something I will cherish forever. To me, these still mark the beginnings of this project… and are a small part of a larger picture of what this project later became.
I stopped by Fry’s Electronics today… after hearing a rumor that the 2008 retail release of Slide America could be found there. The retail version hit stores February 5th… and after checking all the major players (Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Wal-Mart) to no avail, you could say I was a bit confused.
It felt really good to see this on the shelf at Fry’s:
I felt a major sense of accomplishment seeing it in a retail environment like this. This project has come so far… and to see it… not only on the shelf – but placed & tagged face out was amazing. We still have not been sent any of this copy… so this was my first time seeing it in its retail skin.
How could this joyous encounter be overshadowed by a sense of dissapointment? The fact that I had to buy my own copy to get one makes for a good start. I really dislike the artwork on the DVD. I understand the need to appeal to a broader market that may not know about drifting… but I don’t fall into that demographic, so I’m unsure of its effectiveness. This cover is not what Slide America is (to me). I fought every aspect of this cover design. In the end… all I asked was for the Slide Style logo be placed on the back. Somehow even that request fell by the wayside.
I suppose that all success comes with sacrifice. With that in mind… I can let the petty details go, and know that at the end of the day… we did it. We really did it… and nothing can ever take THAT away.
This is the BRAND NEW Slide America Trailer16,385 Miles, 30 Days, 19 Cities, One Nation.
Slide America 2008 Trailer. from Andy Sapp on Vimeo.
This trailer will be included on the upcoming retail release available in stores everywhere February 2008.
The retail release will have the same documentary (with minor edits), but will be crammed full of extra bonus features.
I launched the new Slide America website today! The new site has a ton of new content, and turned out to be a very cool site!
Slide America got reviewed by IGN… and I am blown away by their thoughts. The totally saw my vision and intent behind the documentary. From the feel of a skate video, to no generic techno music, right down to the absence of the typical “drifting started in the mountains of Japan” preface that accompanies nearly every drift video. This review is simply AMAZING.Click to read the review on IGN.
The Slide America Premiere got featured on the official Formula Drift podcast: The DriftZone!
Take a look:
Antonio Alvendia shot some pictures of us for his Drifting Book follow-up about drifting lifestyle & culture. We will be featured in his second drifting book for shooting and making Slide America. It’s definitely an honor to be recognized for making this crazy digital film. We had fun hanging out and eating Cracker Barrel with Antonio while he was in town.Here is one of the shots he e-mailed me. It turned out SICK!
The red carpet world-premiere for Slide America could not have gone better. Being the night before Round 2 of Formula Drift here in Atlanta… we had a large segment of the drift industry right here in town. We were WAY over-booked on seating, but a huge part of Team Falken got stuck at the track performing emergency repairs all night. It was a hectic night for me… I wanted to stop and talk to everyone, but was constantly pulled in a million different directions. It was crazy.
My favorite part of the night, was just sitting back and listening to the theatre’s response to different parts of the documentary. I’ve easily seen each section thousands of times… so it was definitely a treat to hear the entire theatre yell, cheer, laugh and roar. No matter how much you pour your heart into something… there’s always that grey area of uncertainty about how receptive people would be. I think Slide America passed the test.
I nearly killed myself making this documentary (literally). I worked harder on this thing than I have ever worked on anything in my life. I never thought I would see this project come to fruition… let alone completed, and in front of the eyes of my closest friends, family and colleagues within the drift industry. This premiere really was a magical night for me… one that I will never EVER forget.
My family.
DriftZone Interview.
DriftMechaniks are always making moves. Always.
Angie Romasanta interviewing Antonio Alvendia. DGTrials’ Eugene Chou to the left.
Drift Alliance’s Ryan Tuerck, Chris Forsberg, Tony Angelo, and Vaughn Gittin, Jr.
The theatre.
Shout to Collective Efforts.
I’m on the big screen!
We got the proof back for the Slide America disc art today. We are going to run the discs using both matte and gloss black inks. It will look like a spot UV, but with actual inks. I’m super excited to see how these turn out!
The magenta represents where the matte black will be screened.
After a year in the making – Slide America is finally complete!
I won’t lie… after completing the final author of the DVD, I watched the documentary the whole way through. Once the credits ended… something came over me, and I couldn’t help but cry. This project means the world to me. The fact that I had this crazy idea in my head to begin with… then to see it come to fruition, and transformed into the final product is simply amazing. Words can’t really describe the feeling of accomplishment now that it is complete. I feel like this documentary is really really different… and I think people will be surprised – this isn’t your stereotypical “import racing” DVD. I really feel like I am giving something back to the drift community… and that is a priceless feeling
I have 1 iMac G5 & 3 MacBook Pro’s cranking out all the final renders and video compression for Slide America. The DVD Authoring is complete… I’m just waiting on everything to be compressed MPG2 so I can rip the master.Every computer in this room has the processors burning at full-speed… all with the fans on high. It is extremely loud, and definitely a good 20 degrees hotter in this room right now.
