Capturing the pure intensity of drag racing on TV is very difficult, but this amazing documentary from Greendotfilms and commissioned by Jim Jannard, the founder of RED Digital Cinema comes pretty freaking close. This short film “Fire Breathing Monsters” does more than just show on-track action — it takes you behind the scenes with the drivers and gets their true feelings on what makes the sport great. The RED camera gear gets all the action with such incredible derail — and in slows-motion, no less — that you swear you can almost smell the nitro.
Red Digital Cinema was started back in 2005 by Jannard, the founder of Oakley. Jim’s always had an interest in drag racing, even sponsoring Scotty Cannon when he was wheeling a nitro powered Funny Car. Not only has Jannard reached the top of the world in the sunglasses market, his Red Digital Cinema gear sets the bar for video quality.
This video does an outstanding job bringing out the true passion that drivers like Antron Brown, Tony Schumacher, Ron Capps, and John Force have for drag racing and its fans. Getting some incredible shots and angles helps bring to life the pure brutality of a nitro car as it launches, and in the case of Capps, just how heart-pounding an explosion can be. You also get to hear the drivers explain what its like to try and pilot a nitromethane-fueled animal that has a mind of its own. Nobody sums it up better than Force when he says, “drag racing, it’s the ride of a lifetime”.