Herbie comes to Peoria IL

This past weekend was the culmination of a project that was a long time coming. Herbie vs. Challenger was yet another personal project in my series of story-driven collections. I have an instant fascination for vintage memorabilia, Herbie not being an exception. When I found out from a friend that he had restored a 64' VW bug to Herbie glory my imagination kicked into high gear. However, until I could find a contestant worthy of standing side by side with this American legend I was at an stand still.  Wesley, the Herbie's owner, and I combed the streets looking for options. "Would this mini cooper work?" perhaps. What does the owner say?

Until a month or two prior to the shoot we didn't have any workable options to move forward on. I then noticed a 2010 yellow challenger sitting in a drive on my drive to and from Peoria. It was a perfect melding of past and present and it's bright yellow exterior would pop in any photo. It had the energy needed for the theme.

Production:
In the way of production we were faced with a couple of hurdles. First off... location. We had to find a great scenic location while finding a rural enough road to minimize traffic congestion. This was difficult, but we managed to find some great spots just outside Hanna City. See my earlier scouting post for location photos.

The theme/plot:
What can I say, I wanted to create an action series that involved somewhat cheesy to best recreate the classic Herbie feel. My villian (Kyle Motsinger), I didn't want him to be seriously evil, but I wanted him to be more of a lovable villian. A character with a devious foundation and a structural frame of egotistical arrogance. For Herbie, I wanted a character that appeared inexperienced at first, but who in fact had a few tricks up her sleeve as well - Red Bull anyone?

In Christ,
David Price
Black Olive Photographic
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