A Conversation with Car Dogs Director Adam Collis

What makes the release of Car Dogs unique to Arizona is that it was written by Mark King, who based the story on his time growing up in Scottsdale at his father’s car dealership. What makes it unique in terms of independently made films is that is was filmed right here in Phoenix and utilized over 85 ASU students and 15 recent alums as part of the production.

Car Dogs centers around Mark, the son of the owner of a car dealership. Mark is asked to push his team to the limits to sell more cars than have ever been sold in a single day. Mark will risk more than just his sales reputation in this dramedy from director Adam Collis.

Dark of the Matinee sat down with Adam to discuss the making of Car Dogs, the ASU Film Spark program that taught students on set, and the excitement surrounding the film's premiere on March 20.

Adam Collis is an energetic presence, like someone who drank too much coffee. His verve is clearly fed from his passion for his new film Car Dogs. The film is one of a kind, blending real-life production with the classroom. The film has stars George Lopez and Nia Vardalos and features a high level of production value to it. "One of the cherished part of this production was that we got to give so many students experience for their future filmmaking," says Collis. And he can be proud of what the experience has lead to. Many of the students involved have gone on to get gigs on bigger shows and films including the new Transformers film that shot scenes here in the Valley.

And Collis couldn't be happier about it. "The story here of student career acceleration is all I could want." The ASU Film Spark program is a student career accelerator/Hollywood relations program based in Santa Monica, CA. "This program was born out of the culture of innovation at ASU," states Collis. Students were given all kinds of positions on the film from personal assistants to the stars of the film to production assistants to grip and camera positions. There is no precedent for such a real-life classroom experience in this field.

Car Dogs as a screenplay had been floating around for a while. "It went through many changes before the version you will see" on March 20. "The George Lopez part was originally written as a 24 year-old," says Collis. Lopez is given a chance to show his dramatic chops in the film as the role is not purely comedic.

Leading up to the filming of Car Dogs, students were given opportunities to take classes with working professionals. This worked to help train students and provide them with skills they can take directly into the film industry. Several of the key crew members on Car Dogs came with years of Hollywood experience to share with the ASU students. "Students were gaining academic credit while gaining what could be their first professional credit as well," explains Collis.

As for the film, Collis believes anyone can relate to the story the film tells. "Most of us have gone through the process of buying a car and will enjoy seeing behind the scenes." With any luck, the film will be a hit with audiences and the students involved will get the additional experience of seeing a film succeed. 

Car Dogs opens up at Harkins theaters on March 24th.