The Coptalk: Drive Aware Series is all about saving lives and money

Coptalk: Drive Aware is not a feature movie. It is the title for a series of shows dealing with driver safety. The first production of the series is entitled, The Do's and Don'ts of a Carstop.

Below is the Artwork for the DVD

From my years as a Police Officer it became crystal clear that most law abiding drivers weren't sure what to do when they were stopped by a Police Officer. They were unknowingly putting themselves and officers at risk.

So why not produce a show about Carstops? Why not produce a whole series about driver safety from the eyes of a street uniform officer? A Series that would include subjects like; carstops, auto accidents, driver's inattention and impaired driving.

My idea was to produce a series that concentrated on enhancing the communication between the everyday law abiding driving public and the street uniform officer. A series geared towards saving lives and money.

To follow in the other productions outline I financed the production but received incredible discounts from my cameraman and editor. I was lucky enough to get the same cameraman from The Law of Divorce, but this time I listened more closely when he suggested we shoot the show on his Beta-Sp camera and not on film.

With very limited financing and a production crew of the cameraman and myself, I knew the script just wasn't going to fit within normal screenplay structure or screenplay writing. The script needed to set the stage for an adventure into the art of Guerilla Filmmaking.

The production entailed over twenty five locations throughout the St. Louis area and western Illinois. I enlisted family and friends to ask questions. I had every location mapped out with the exact shots needed making sure to check with the cameraman for any additional, possibly more creative camera angles.

Post-Production was also made easier because I wrote the script with editing in mind. Before going to the editor I had all the Beta-Sp tape transferred with time code to vhs. I then did an off-line edit picking the best takes. This allowed the editor to concentrate on specific shots; saves time and money.

I believe the production came together very well. Currently Coptalk: Drive Aware, The Do's and Don'ts of a Carstop is being distributed by one of the largest educational companies in the nation. To date no horrific distribution stories.

I was recently told by a retired teacher friend who is in the show that a former student teased him about being an actor on a driver's safety show. The friend told me the former student had gotten a traffic ticket but before the court would give him his license back, he had to watch a few safety shows. Yep, one of the shows was Coptalk: Drive Aware, The Do's and Don'ts of a Carstop.

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