Naughty & Nice

Pro tip: Watch the film below first.

Teamwork makes the dream work. (Spoilers below)

As played out as that quote may be, it’s extremely relevant to this situation.

With the help of Rotiform’s Brand Manager, Carl Taylor, Video Production Manager, JJ Larson wrote a script that was not only complex (compared to most Rotiform films) but would demand a larger cast and crew than normal. On top of that, the media team would be shooting at some unsavory hours to get this done under the veil of night. With only two weeks until Christmas (the film’s launch date) the team pulled together to make it happen over two 5-hour night shoots. Toss acting, costumes a couple minor stunts into the mix, and a lot can go wrong—but not this time, all because of an amazing cast and crew. We hope the dedication and passion that went into making this film is evident, and that you were as entertained as us when we were creating it.

Now let’s talk about the film.

As you’ve probably noticed over the years, Rotiform loves to make films—especially around the holidays when we break the mold of our normal releases from the past year. This time around we wanted to do something extra special and relatable: A short film paying homage to the Dr. Seuss classic, with our own car-nerd twist on it, with a movie poster to announce the release.

In our very loose adaptation of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” we find our main character, played by Jason Whipple, experiencing what lowered car enthusiasts dread most: a cracked oil pan and demolished carbon splitter.

A double whammy that’s enough to cause anyone to go full Grinch, especially around the holidays. A convincing performance by our very own Grinch, coupled with the destruction of a carbon lip and 64oz of that sweet, sweet maple [corn] syrup helped add to the realism of the scene.

The Grinch ditches his wide body VW Mk7 GTI and heads out on foot through the neighborhood. Our green fur-iend has found the perfect home to seek his revenge—complete with a Porsche GT3 and G-Wagon parked innocently in the driveway. As the Grinch enters the property, we wanted an extra display of aggression here, with a swift punch and kick to the yard decorations. No stunt people were hired for this film, so we took it easy on the snowman (actually, snowwoman). The tree on other hand was full send.

Breaking and entering through the chimney didn’t align well with our stunt budget ($0), but an opened window (that wouldn’t stay open) was within reason. It made for a way creepier entry to the house and allowed us to track the Grinch from the bedroom to the living room with red and green lights setting the festive tone.

We were determined to squeeze as many levels of destruction into this film as possible, because we’d be pissed too if our roads destroyed our car.

Once in the living room, the Grinch saw multiple methods of mischief at his furry fingertips. Some 120fps slow motion shots paired with real time footage of cookie pillaging, eggnog spiking and tree thrashing really sent home the psychological state of our leading man. It was a real treat to watch Jason execute a flawless “Thumb Dexterity” cork pop in full costume. Those gloves have 3-inch foam extended fingertips in them. Not an easy task.

If you ever want to shoot cookies exploding off someone’s face in slow motion, we highly recommend Tate’s crispy ginger boys—totally worth the price tag.

The cast and crew always review the shots in a film like this. Yes, it adds time to an already rigorous shoot, but in the end it’s worth it.

After ransacking the living room, the Grinch isn’t done yet, and the roof’s lights catch his eye. This particular stunt took the most planning.

If you’ve never been to Southern California, we’ll fill you in on a little fun fact. Every property is elevated from the street – much more than it needs to be. The GT3 that the Grinch is stealing could only make it out of the driveway in reverse, so this scene took many takes to get right and many adjustments were made along the way. In the end it all worked out and the Grinch was feeling a lot better about the evening.

The original Grinch story doesn’t end on a low note, and despite 2020’s best efforts, neither did our rendition. Keeping in line with holiday cheer, you’ll find the actual fuzzy, happy ending. Sure, in the Grinch’s mind he thought B&E, vandalism and grand theft auto might make him feel better after taking such a hit to the scene points (and lip and syrup pan), but in the end he was just needing a lift from our favorite British-American.