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MCB: Were you involved at all in mounting the light scanner to KITT?
PH: Yes.
MCB: How difficult was it?
PH: The hardest part was designing the unit and figuring out what will work. Trial and error is normally how you find that out.
MCB: How involved were you in the production of the commercial?
PH: They were going to shoot the cars for the NBC commercial, so I had one of my guys, Adam Gonzalez, make sure that the lights worked properly. Then something happened when they were doing a stunt for the commercial and the unit was damaged. We took it back to the shop and found that some soot got on the circuit board and had to replace a part!
We got a phone call a couple of nights later and they wanted to get some more shots for the commercial. They told us that they needed a light in one of the cars for the spot because the other car was being used on the set for the filming of the show. We headed down to Union Station in Los Angeles where they were filming the shoot. We had to install the unit right there on the spot. We had to install it away from where they were shooting and the lighting was very poor, not your ideal conditions. The hood was removed from the car and we got started. There is a whole process to the install the unit--you don't just put the light in. We have to place the tint, the diffusing material and the lights, then of course test everything and get all the settings right. A request came over the PA and they asked for the car. "How much longer before you guys are ready?" The pressure is always on. All of a sudden we hear "How long would it take to put the light in the other car?" We had 5 minutes to go on this car and now they wanted it in the other car?? The guy replies, "5 minutes we will be done with this car, but if you want it in the other car, 1 hour!" He radios it in, the lady over the radio replies, "Great, bring the car down!" So we were all done--mission accomplished again. We hung out on the set and watched the production. It's very interesting to be able to be on the set and see how everything works and see how long it takes for a 15 second commercial spot.
MCB: Were you around when they filmed it, and if so what was your role?
PH: I was only on the set a couple of times, mainly at the warehouse where the cars are built.
MCB: Did you witness any stunts from the upcoming movie?
PH: No.
MCB: Did you get to meet the cast, producer, director, etc.?
PH: Yes, I met them all.
MCB: How many KITT cars were made for the two hour pilot movie?
PH: I think a total of six, a remote control car, a driver-less car that is driven from the top of the car, two attack vehicles, two KITT cars, and they did have one just for a special scene (but not counted as one of the cars).
MCB: How many light scanners did you create?
PH: Three final units, and seven before that.
MCB: In the original TV series, what kind of lights were used for the KITT car's light scanner?
PH: Incandescent side markers with resisters and other components.
MCB: Since you invented the trademark KITT light scanner, do you have any plans to sell them for Mustang enthusiasts? Do you have an prototypes for sale?
PH: We may sell the prototypes on eBay and our website, autoi.com.
MCB: What other shows or movies have you worked on?
PH: We have worked on many different productions:
- "2 Fast 2 Furious" 2001: Designed vehicle lighting, installed Street Glow products, technician on site for repairs and additions to lighting with second unit stunt team. When we first started we only had two weeks to get 42 cars completely outfitted with StreetGlow lighting products. Then out of nowhere the producers came to us and told us we only had seven days! Myself and two of my guys got all of the vehicles done in the seven days as well as five extra Dodge Ram trucks. We worked over 18 hour nights in the warehouse to get it done. We worked at night so we wouldn't be in the way of the other workers trying to get the other stuff done to the cars. There were about 360 vehicles in that warehouse. I was then asked to stay in Florida for about 5 months for the production of the film. (View Photos)
- 3 "Monster Garage" shows, working with Jesse James and his staff to provide and install lights for the ambulance wheelie car, the skull graphic on the side of ambulance with red LEDs for the eyes, Californeon lighted pin stripping on top, eight Whelen super bright strobes to replace incandescent flashers, and StreetGlow products for the inside to glow red and blue for under. On the "Zamboni Ice Machine" we added StreetGlow purple neon glow under the Impala and custom purple neon for the iron cross design in the rear panels. For "Hearst Grave Digger" we added purple StreetGlow products inside the Hearst, Whelen super bright strobes for the tail lights and headlights that were painted red with our tint spray, plus red LED eyes in the skull head. (View Photos)
- For the "Honda Civic Nation" commercial we worked on 35 Honda Civic cars with complete StreetGlow neon kits inside and out (completed in 3 days by 4 of my staff).
- A GMC commercial for the quad steer SUV we worked on 8 cars with StreetGlow products. The commercial showed a Supra drifting in center with show vehicles on the outside to show the sharp turning by the GMC.
- We did the graphics for the real cars of Jada Toys Import Racer collection. Our company logo Auto Indulgence was used on the toys.
- We have worked with George Barris in providing & installing lighting for some of his projects.
- We worked on the graphics for RJ De vera's project vehicles, including Pepsi and many others.
- For Corel Corp we worked on their ProCreate Semi truck project, which included complete custom white neon lighting for under the truck and trailer. We like challenging jobs and this one was one of them. They had cut out the side of the trailer to allow us to add lighting with no hot spots or dark spots in order to have their logo glow, with only three inches to work with!
MCB: What do you do for living?
PH: I own and operate Auto Indulgence, Inc. I started my business in 1988 with automotive neon and specialty lighting. We started out just supplying parts for friends and people on the street that saw our products, then things started growing. We set up shop out of my garage, then added a phone and fax line. I worked at Marriott Hotel as a manager and only did Auto Indulgence as extra income. I got laid off in 1992 and decided it was time to open shop. We started in the city of Lomita for 6 years, then moved up to a building twice its size in 1998. 16 years later we are still going strong!
We appeared in "The Wall Street Journal" in August of 1993 for our involvement with neon for cars and we were also in the "Daily Breeze" newspaper in September 1993 that did a follow up of The Wall Street story. We have been in many different magazines such as "Auto & Parts" newspaper, "Sign Builder", "VW Trends", "Sign Business", "Mini Truckin", "Truckin", "Sport Compact", "Super Street", "Max Power", plus Tokyo, French, German magazines and many more.
MCB: Tell us a little bit more about what Auto Indulgence does.
PH: Auto Indulgence has been bringing quality products to its customers for years. We stand behind all of the products we sell to ensure our customers of quality products. We carry Altezza lights, clear corners, clear bumpers, LEDs, light-up pin striping, light-up wire, custom EL Californeon, StreetGlow neon, billet grills, light-up logos, flashers, strobe lights, engine dress-ups, flexible LED strips, under car neon, neon speaker rings (used for rims too), head light conversions, HID lighting, colored bulbs, super-white head lights, Voice Power, non-sealed head lights, upgrade wire harness, and so much more.
As projects come in, it is very important to us to uphold the highest quality and provide each project with the best work possible. If it doesn't look right we will make it right, taking that extra effort to be able to walk a way from a job knowing we did right.
MCB: Besides Auto Indulgence, what else do you do?
PH: I bought the "California Truck Jamboree" car show event in 2004 and have continued its tradition to put on one of the largest and best car shows in Southern California. The company has been around for over 20 years. The company wasn't doing good in the early 2000's, and we were able to turn it around and have increased the numbers by 400% and continue to make this family event a success. Our next event "California Truck Jamboree PLUS" will be held June 29th, 2008 in Irvine, CA. The "PLUS" means that we have opened the event to all vehicles, custom bikes, hot rods and cars. For more info please check out our website at www.truckjamplus.com. We are very proud to have Truckblog, Muscle Car Blog's sister site, as one or our sponsors.
MCB: What do you do for hobbies?
PH: I like to go snow skiing, mountain biking, offroading, and white water rafting. I enjoy video editing and photography, and I like to shoot models, vehicles and outdoor backgrounds. A lot of our ads and posters for the Truck JAM events were photographed by myself. Most of our Truck Jam DVDs were produced by me, but I tend to be picky with how things should be done.
MCB: What do you drive and why?
PH: I drive a full-size Chevy 2500 HD crew cab 4x4 with a 7-9" Cognito lift kit which was done by my friends at StreetShock in Redondo Beach. I've always been into trucks and love to go offroading. I have only owned one car, a 1983 Toyota Corolla, and even took that offroading and launched it over jumps! All my other vehicles have been trucks, including a Toyota and the rest have been Chevys. Every vehicle I have ever owned has been customized.
Pierre, thank you for taking so much time to give us this exclusive interview, photos of the LED light scanner you made for KITT, and the videos!
Related Links
• View all Auto Indulgence Knight Rider 2008 photos
• View all Auto Indulgence related photos
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• Interview with Ted Moser at Knight Rider Online
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