Director,
you must have some kinda charm! They were willing to come racing up in their cars???
Nope. No charm at all. I just did what very few young filmmakers
are willing to do - I asked. It never even occurred to me NOT to just
ask them.
I fully understand that most people would rather buy some stock
footage and do it as a visual effect but I was (and still am) more of
a physical filmmaker. VFX are a great tool for many things. Asking
people to provide a service or help out is also a great tool. I am in
no way a charming guy but I have always considered myself a
“professional” even when I was 15, 16, 17. I walked into the local
police station with a script, a schedule and a suit and tie. I walked
out with an agreement. When I showed the film everyone was
amazed and asked the same question you did: how did you get the
cops to do that? I answered the same way I answered you; I asked.
I was thinking then as I do now - why wouldn’t you ask?
I think the younger you are the better. I would get a very different
reaction now than I did when I was 17. The cops loved the idea of
helping out this 17 year old kid with big dreams. And a smaller town
helps, too. The local paper even came out and did a little piece on the
cops showing their support to a local filmmaker.