[craigster59]

We were doing a 50's period film, shooting at a recently shut down drive-in theater. The production company advertised for individuals with 1940-50's cars and reached out to a few car clubs.

The film was supposed to take place in a small town in Texas (similar to Last Picture Show) and on the day of filming the guys brought in their cars. Of course they were washed, waxed and spit shined.

The director brought up the fact that this was rural Texas and the cars would have been covered in dust and grime. We would usually have the stand by painter and special effects come out and spray some water based aging and throw some Fuller's Earth on them to give them "the look".

Well, no sooner had the director mentioned the dustiness, I watched in horror (along with the owner) as the Production Designer bent down, scooped up a few handfuls of dirt and gravel, tossed them onto the hood of the car and started swirling her hands and grinding the dirt into the paint while at the same time telling me "Come on, let's get this done".

It's still one of the biggest emotional breakdowns I've seen on set by the time the director, UPM and others were done berating her in front of the cast and crew.

I'd just leave it alone and enjoy driving your beloved vehicle.