The key to making a film like “F1” or “Top Gun: Maverick” is fairly simple: Make sure you include “what gets people out of their homes and into the theater,” says director Joseph Kosinski.
“I understand it takes a lot of effort to do that — I’ve got three kids myself and we’re all busy. So it’s about finding those stories that demand to be seen on the big screen.”
Something like “F1” has those big action scenes — the kind that make you grip the cupholders on your theater seat. But they also have human stories that keep you engaged.
Damson Idris, left, as Joshua Pearce and Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes in Apple Original Films’ “F1 The Movie."
“It can’t just be about cars and racing,” Kosinski says. “It has to be about people. Our story is about teamwork and redemption and second chances and all those things I think people can relate to.”
In the blockbuster, Brad Pitt plays a veteran driver who gets a chance to join an F1 team and end his career on a high. There’s a young upstart who sees him as a threat and works to make sure he doesn’t replace him on the team.
The story, which involves plenty of detail about the veteran’s past, uses races to get from one point to the next. Pitt, who’s also a producer on the film, was very collaborative.
“I find the best results come from that creative partnership and discussion,” Kosinski says. “It’s good to argue things out. The best idea wins … and it’s good to have that push and pull.”
Director and producer Joseph Kosinski on the set of “F1 The Movie.”
Before he even began plotting the race scenes, Kosinski got a chance to ride in a track car with Lewis Hamilton, a world Formula One record holder and producer of “F1.”
“It’s pretty incredible,” Kosinski says. “You start to see just how good these guys are at what they do.”
A trip in an F1 car, however, was out of the question. “That’s generally something they don’t want the director of the film to be doing while shooting.”
Quickly, he learned how much physicality it took to be in one of the elite cars. “These F1 drivers are like Olympic athletes. Their heart rates are like 170 and they lose five to 10 pounds of water through a race. The forces on their body are tremendous.” So naturally, Kosinski wanted to show that.
“Brad trained for four months and got himself in shape to be able to drive for hours at a time.”
Growing up in Iowa, Kosinski wasn’t familiar with F1 races, but remembers watching the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500 and NASCAR. “It’s only been in the last few years where it’s actually starting to make its way into America and catch on.”
Helping do that is his movie, “F1.”
To make it race on screen, the production needed “an incredible crew.”
“Top Gun: Maverick” needed the same elements and, yes, “I’m very lucky that I get to work on films at this scale. For me, it’s always looking for the next challenge and looking to tell a story that deserves to be seen on the big screen.”
“F1” is making another lap in theaters before it begins a streaming run.
