Check out a selection of photos from our “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary U.S. Premiere. Thank you again to everyone who attended this special screening, presented by MOONEYES and Humanist Films. Special thanks to Glen Tao and Zap Teshima for photographing the event.
Learn more about the live screening.
Continue the celebration by watching the virtual screening.
Left to Right: Shige Suganuma, Owner of MOONEYES; Dean Moon, Jr.; Ming Lai, Director; Chico Kodama, President of MOONEYES USA
On behalf of “Craft of Speed” and MOONEYES, thank you so much to everyone who attended our U.S. Premiere! We deeply appreciate you supporting our film and even more so MOONEYES. It was so special to see so many family, friends, hot rodders, racers, builders, craftspeople, designers, artists, enthusiasts, and the community celebrating with us. Thank you to everyone who traveled from afar to attend our event. Thank you for your standing ovation, kind words and, most of all, warm company and longtime friendship.
We hope you enjoyed the beautiful setting of our premiere—the Lions Automobilia Museum. It honors the legendary Lions Drag Strip, one of the most famous drag strips in southern California during the heyday of drag racing. Behind an unassuming door, they have an extenstive collection of not only dragsters but also race cars, hot rods, classic cars, and movie cars, including the original Batmobile, designed by George Barris. In choosing this unique venue, we wanted to create an unforgettable “cinema event” for you. Thank you to Lana Chrisman and your entire team at the Lions Automobilia Museum for your exceptional hospitality.
Our end credits are unapologetically long because so many people assisted in making our film. Independent filmmaking and distribution are extremely challenging. We are forever grateful to everyone who supported us and our documentary project. Our film simply wouldn’t be possible without you. Thank you so much to our talented crew, whom we consider not only as colleagues but also mentors. Thank you to our interviewees whose knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm fueled our film. A heartfelt thank you to our fiscal sponsor the International Documentary Association, generous donors, and strong supporters. Many thanks to the hot rodding, racing, speed industry, and car & motorcycle community for all your inspiration and assistance.
Most of all, thank you to Shige Suganuma, Chico Kodama, and Dean Moon, Jr. and your wonderful families. It’s been such a joy documenting your important story. Thank you for all your love and support. Our deepest thanks to all the MOONEYES staff, dealers, and racing teams in the U.S., Japan, and worldwide. Special thanks to Jim Dunn and his incredible family and team, who couldn’t attend because they were, of course, racing.
Our U.S. Premiere celebration continues with the Online Screening of our film from Saturday, 7/27/2024 to Saturday, 8/3/2024. Please stay tuned as we plan more special events for you—the awesome fans of MOONEYES.
See photos from the screening.
Our feature documentary, “Craft of Speed,” is a love letter to hot rodding. An independent film that’s been produced outside of the studios, it documents the incredible story of MOONEYES speed equipment company. It explores a niche subject that has become a universal one, which spans across the world and embraces many different cultures.
For 30 years, Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama, two Japanese/Japanese American hot rodders, helped save Moon Equipment Company, an iconic American speed parts company, rebrand it as MOONEYES, preserve legendary founder Dean Moon's legacy, and popularize hot rod culture in Asia. As Asian/Asian American pioneers in their industry, they battled against racism and xenophobia and ultimately created a global following. Now, Shige is attempting to grow hot rod culture despite declining interest in hot rods, and Chico is handcrafting a new race car to try to break a second land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats.
The Moon Equipment Company logo, with two eyes glancing to the side, is one of the most loved logos in hot rod history, car & motorcycle culture, and more generally pop culture. This iconic logo was originally conceived by founder Dean Moon and then refined by a Disney artist. It’s no wonder why the eyes resemble those of classic Disney characters.
Moon Equipment Company, now MOONEYES, has a long design history. Dean Moon had a strong sense of design and branding, not only creating the original logo but also carefully evolving it. Despite the different versions of the logo, the overall brand stayed unified and even grew more powerful. Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama, who took over the company after Dean Moon had passed, has maintained his enduring design legacy.
The speed industry and more generally the world of auto sports are filled with many logos, from established brands to emerging ones. Just look at any race car, and you’ll see sponsor logos emblazoned all over it. Naturally, they compete against each other for the viewer’s attention.
In creating the key art of “Craft of Speed,” these were the daunting challenges that we faced. How could we honor MOONEYES’ rich design tradition and enter the competitive branding space of the speed industry and motorsports?
To create our film’s logo and movie poster, we worked with award-winning design director/graphic designer Sven Igawa of Igawa Design. We’ve had the honor of working with him for more than 20 years. He’s designed our production company’s brand identity and the key art for almost all of our films. A veteran in the field, he’s worked with many respected brands, including Crank Brothers, HBO, Icon Aircraft, Mountain Hardware, PlayStation, Quicksilver, VF Corp, and Western Digital.
As part of his intensive design process, Sven created many iterations of the “Craft of Speed” logo. We loved how the final logo resembled the strong frame of Chico Kodama’s land speed race car with its thick lines and reflected the painstaking work of the MOONEYES craftspeople with its precise curves. We also appreciated how the logo also felt fast in an unconventional way with the unique shape of the letters, especially the “S” and “E” in “SPEED.”
Building on the logo design, Sven designed many versions of the “Craft of Speed” movie poster. The final poster features Chico Kodama wearing a racing helmet as the primary image and him and his rear engine modified roadster against the dramatic backdrop of the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah as the secondary image. We love how Chico looks deep in thought as he tries to break his second land speed record. The direction of his gaze to the left also nicely matches our tagline that interprets MOONEYES’ lofty mission: “Honor the past. Build the future.” The yellow background and black type convey MOONEYES’ famous team colors.
The description line, “A Documentary about MOONEYES,” above the “Craft of Speed” logo is in type that is reminscent of pinstripers. MOONEYES worked closely with legendary artist/pinstriper/car designer, Ed Roth, and continues this strong tradition of art and pinstriping with Hiro “Wildman” Ishii and Michi Natoo, who are their resident artists/pinstripers.
We realize that even a beautiful logo has no meaning unless the company behind it gives it power. Dean Moon and his storied company created iconic speed parts, built renowned race cars, supported the hot rod and racing community, created hot rod history, and contributed to car & motorcycle culture and ultimately pop culture. Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama have passionately continued his strong legacy. Hopefully, our own humble logo will gain significance over time as we celebrate the important work of Dean Moon, Shige Suganuma, and Chico Kodama.
We’re huge admirers of legendary graphic designer Saul Bass and his famous collaborations with filmmakers. We’ve had the privilege of working with many talented graphic designers over the years, who have elevated our work. We’re deeply honored to work with Sven and his company on this and all of our major projects. We like to think of him as our own Saul Bass.
“Craft of Speed” recently received a prestigious Silver Remi Award in the “Features - Documentary” category from the 57th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.
Elana Scherr, Senior Editor/Features of “Car and Driver,” says about the film, “It’s too good a history to go unshared.”
“Craft of Speed” will be celebrating its U.S. Premiere, presented by MOONEYES and Humanist Films. A live screening will take place at the beautiful Lions Automobilia Museum in Rancho Dominguez, California on Saturday, 7/20/2024 and then a virtual screening for the U.S. will be held from Saturday, 7/27/2024 to Saturday, 8/3/2024.
To buy tickets to the “Craft of Speed” U.S. Premiere:
craftofspeed.eventive.org
To learn more:
craftofspeed.com
humanistfilms.com / @humanistfilms
igawadesign.com / @igawadesign
Recently, my father-in-law discovered a Matchbox MOONEYES Special diecast car at our local Target. It was an extraordinary find. Over the years, MOONEYES and Hot Wheels/Matchbox have created many highly collectible diecast cars. While it might just be a cool diecast car to many people, it’s very meaningful to us. It pays homage to the gorgeous 1932 Ford coupe built by Willie Masayoshi Dorsey and Tim Cunha that inspired Chico Kodama, the President of MOONEYES USA, to build his own race car and start land speed racing. Willie let Chico drive the race car at the epic Bonneville Salt Flats, and Chico was instantly hooked. Tom Malloy, who now owns the race car, graciously allowed us to film this work of art. One of our favorite details is a memorable quote above the dash by Fred Larsen, a skilled Moon Equipment Company machinist, a legendary land speed racer, and Chico’s beloved mentor: “Put your foot in it!” This and all of the beautiful race car lettering was done by Hiro “Wildman” Ishii, MOONEYES’ resident artist and pinstriper. My father-in-law gave his lottery win to his grandson. It’s not just a fun toy but an incredible piece of history.
“Craft of Speed” will be celebrating its U.S. Premiere, presented by MOONEYES and Humanist Films. A live screening will take place at the beautiful Lions Automobilia Museum in Rancho Dominguez, California on Saturday, 7/20/2024 and then a virtual screening for the U.S. will be held from Saturday, 7/27/2024 to Saturday, 8/3/2024.
To buy tickets to the “Craft of Speed” U.S. Premiere:
craftofspeed.eventive.org
To learn more about “Craft of Speed”:
craftofspeed.com
In our feature documentary, “Craft of Speed,” we tell the incredible story of MOONEYES, one of the most famous brands in motorsports. While many people know and love their attention-grabbing logo of two eyes glancing to the side, few people know the long history of the company, which started in the hey day of hot rodding in the 1950s. Our film takes you behind this renowned logo to its rich human story.
For 30 years, Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama, two Japanese/Japanese American hot rodders, helped save Moon Equipment Company, an iconic American speed parts company, rebrand it as MOONEYES, preserve legendary founder Dean Moon’s legacy, and popularize hot rod culture in Asia. As Asian/Asian American pioneers in their industry, they battled against racism and xenophobia and ultimately created a global following. Now, Shige is attempting to grow hot rod culture despite declining interest in hot rods, and Chico is handcrafting a new race car to try to break a second land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats.
My team and I started the project in October 2019. After four years of passionate work, the film is now completed. We survived the devastating pandemic, tough economy, widespread social unrest, and many technical challenges. Our film wouldn’t be possible without the support of Shige Suganuma, Chico Kodama, Dean Moon, Jr., the Mooneyes family, our sponsors, donors, and supporters.
I served as the Producer/Writer/Director as well as the Director of Photography/Editor/Colorist. For more complex interviews or larger scale events, I worked with Tuan Tran as a Producer/Co-Director of Photography. He did all of the gimbal and drone photography. We also recorded our own sound. In addition, we did our own behind-the-scenes photography.
Because of the pandemic, it was difficult and cost-prohibitive to travel to Japan with long quarantine times. So I worked with a local crew to film the scenes there: Kan Taniguchi, Producer; Peter Grasse, Producer/Mr. Positive; Meng Du, Assistant Producer/Mr. Positive; and James Honeycutt, Director of Photography.
The film’s 4096 X 1716/2.39:1 aspect ratio was inspired by the epic landscape of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and Chico’s long rear engine modified roadster. Framing, composition, and camera movement were very precise to convey the craftsmanship of Mooneyes in creating their famed speed parts. Wide framing with ample negative space were used to express the loneliness of the craftsmen in their demanding work. The camera was often voyeuristic, peeking through windows or doorways to get a glimpse of the inner world of the craftsmen.
In the scenes of the breathtaking Bonneville Salt Flats, I was influenced by some of my favorite nature photographers, Ansel Adams and Sebastiao Salgado. In the scenes of the MOONEYES craftsmen and the vintage machines in the historic MOONEYES Machine Shop, I paid homage to the industrial photography of Irving Penn and Lewis Hine.
Because of my subject of passing history, I explored the Japanese concept of “mono no aware” (“the pathos of things” or “sadness about the impermanence of things”) through the film’s aesthetics, specifically nuanced framing, composition, camera movement, and editorial pacing.
I’m a huge admirer of Edward Hopper’s transcendent artwork. While he’s described as a realist painter, his paintings often depict scenes that are very evocative and even melancholic. Even though it wasn’t intentional, I think that in conveying the complex idea of “mono no aware,” the film resonates with Hopper’s powerful artwork.
Inspired by Japanese folding “byobu” screens that depict expansive narrative, historical, and natural scenes, I tried to replicate them cinematically with long pans that slowly reveal its subject matter and invite the viewer to contemplate the images and their meaning.
The film is observational in its approach. So I needed to be nimble, responsive, and unobtrusive. I modeled my approach after photojournalists and video journalists who work and travel with minimal gear. This required a camera kit that was small, light, fast, and powerful.
After a lot of research, I chose the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 as my main camera. Because it’s a micro four thirds camera, it’s very compact. I paired it with an equally small Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 II ASPH. POWER O.I.S. lens, which covered most of my shooting.
The GH5 is also very powerful, being able to shoot Cinema 4K (4096 X 2160) at 400 Mbps, 4:2:2/10 bit, ALL-Intra. When it came out in 2017, it was one of the highest spec’d cameras in a small form factor, with a relatively low pricepoint. I shot everything in V-LOG L in order to, as Panasonic claims, “gain wide dynamic range with 12 stops.” The GH5’s image quality is beautiful—sharp with natural colors. Its Dual I.S. feature allowed me to shoot handheld and not need a gimbal.
My Co-D.P., Tuan, owns a Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S, which is a nice complement to my GH5 for lowlight shooting. He also has a Panasonic Lumix DC-GH4, which we used for a C camera or backup camera. In addition to a collection of Panasonic and Canon lenses, he has a set of fast Rokinon prime lenses, which we used for shallow depth-of-field interviews.
Tuan was also equipped with a Canon C70, and our Second Unit/D.P. in Japan, James Honeycutt, was outfitted with a Canon C300 Mark II. Both cameras matched well with the GH5 and GH5S.
To film Chico Kodama doing land speed racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats and create an immersive feel, I used the GoPro Hero8 Black and GoPro Hero9 Black, mounted on the side of Chico’s race car. Both cameras have HyperSmooth 2.0 and 3.0 electronic image stabilization, respectively, which effectively eliminates any camera shake.
Because the GH5’s LCD is a bit small for my eyes, I chose an Atomos Ninja V for monitoring. At 5 inches, it’s the ideal size for easy viewing. Plus, it’s the perfect size to match the GH5’s compact body. With 1,000 cd/m2 (nits) brightness, it’s bright enough for most outdoor situations. However, at the Bonneville Salt Flats, I had to add a SmallRig cage and sunhood to the Ninja V to block out the blinding sun and reflective salt.
I appreciated all of the Ninja V’s monitoring tools, including the waveform monitor, focus peaking, aspect ratio guides, and 2X magnification. I loved how it could shoot to ProRes 422 HQ, allowing me to easily view the footage on a QuickTime player and immediately edit it on Adobe Premiere Pro without having to transcode it first, which is time consuming.
For the Ninja V’s storage, I opted for a Sony AtomX SSDmini, which fits flush with the back of the monitor. With its whopping 2TB size, I could shoot an entire day without changing the SSD and spending precious time downloading it. The SSD was ideal for long interviews because I didn’t have to keep switching out SD cards and disrupt the interviews.
To mount the Ninja V onto the GH5, I used a combination of a beautiful, strong 8Sinn cage and inexpensive, but well-made SmallRig parts. I love shooting handheld so I appreciated the sculpted right grip of the 8Sinn cage, which molds perfectly with the GH5’s grip without adding too much bulk. I balanced the left side of the camera with a SmallRig universal side handle. Everything was mounted rock solid with SmallRig NATO rails and clamps. Plus, I could easily adjust, reconfigure, or disassemble the camera rig.
Because my camera rig was relatively light, I could hold it all day. If I needed to rest or move, I could let it hang down or sling it to my side with a comfortable Peak Design Slide Lite strap. Because I’m also a photographer, I like being able to operate my video camera like a still camera.
For an onboard mic, I opted for a Deity V-Mic D3 Pro and later a Deity V-Mic D4, which are relatively small and have a super cardioid pick-up pattern. I loved how the mics have stepless gain knobs so I could adjust the gain on the fly and avoid using a preamp/XLR microphone adapter, which would’ve made my camera rig bigger and taller.
For interviews, I chose a trusty Sennheiser ME 64 cardioid mic and Sennheiser EW 100-ENG G3 wireless lavalier mics into a Zoom F4 field recorder and later a Zoom F6 field recorder. The 32-bit float recording capability of the Zoom F6 allowed me to record the extremely loud sounds of land speed racing or drag racing without distortion.
For camera support, I used a workhorse Sachtler DV-8 tripod as well as a Manfrotto 290 MM294C4 monopod for more mobility or tighter areas. For gimbal shots, I employed a Zhiyun-Tech Weebil Lab.
It took a long time to build this camera and audio kit, tailoring it to my needs. And it continues to evolve. However, it satisfies most of my requirements for it to be small, light, fast, and powerful. Despite the hard work to perfect it, you ultimately want it to disappear so that you can concentrate on the moment, operating it without thinking.
I edited and color graded the film with Adobe Premiere Pro initially on a Mac Pro (Late 2013) and later a MacBook Pro (2023) with a M2 Max chip. For storage, I used a massive amount of G-Technology drives and ultimately a giant OWC ThunderBay drive.
Composers, Sven Faulconer and Anthony Loomis, created the powerful music, inspired by the cyclical machine sounds of the historic MOONEYES Machine Shop. Sven composed the beautiful music for the Academy Award-winning short documentary, “The Elephant Whisperers.”
Sound Supervisor/Sound Designer & Editor/Foley Artist, Jeff Hutchins, designed the immersive soundscape. He’s known for his exceptional work on “SpongeBob SquarePants” and has won five Emmys and seven Golden Reel Awards for excellence in the sound industry.
And Dialogue Editor/Re-Recording Mixer, Bruce Greenspan, edited the dialogue and mixed the sound. He mixed the terrifying sound for the Netflix docuseries, “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer.” We did the final review of our 5.1 mix at Monkeyland Audio, owned by sound industry veteran Trip Brock.
Design Director/Graphic Designer, Sven Igawa, designed our beautiful key art and advised on the titles of the film. He’s created successful brand identities and advertising campaigns for many international companies, including HBO, Mountain Hardware, PlayStation, and Quiksilver, and has won numerous awards in identity, packaging, and collateral.
“Craft of Speed” recently received a prestigious Silver Remi Award in the “Features - Documentary” category from the 57th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.
Elana Scherr, Senior Editor/Features of “Car and Driver,” says about the film, “It’s too good a history to go unshared.”
“Craft of Speed” will be celebrating its U.S. Premiere, presented by MOONEYES and Humanist Films. A live screening will take place at the beautiful Lions Automobilia Museum in Rancho Dominguez, California on Saturday, 7/20/2024 and then a virtual screening for the U.S. will be held from Saturday, 7/27/2024 to Saturday, 8/3/2024.
To buy tickets to the “Craft of Speed” U.S. Premiere:
craftofspeed.eventive.org
To learn more about “Craft of Speed”:
craftofspeed.com
The “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary will be celebrating its U.S. Premiere, presented by MOONEYES and Humanist Films. A live screening will take place at the beautiful Lions Automobilia Museum in Rancho Dominguez, California on Saturday, 7/20/2024 and then a virtual screening for the U.S. will be held from Saturday, 7/27/2024 to Saturday, 8/3/2024.
SYNOPSIS:
For 30 years, Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama, two Japanese/Japanese American hot rodders, helped save Moon Equipment Company, an iconic American speed parts company, rebrand it as MOONEYES, preserve legendary founder Dean Moon's legacy, and popularize hot rod culture in Asia. As Asian/Asian American pioneers in their industry, they battled against racism and xenophobia and ultimately created a global following. Now, Shige is attempting to grow hot rod culture despite declining interest in hot rods, and Chico is handcrafting a new race car to try to break a second land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats.
Four years in the making, this 2-hour feature documentary covers the entire history of MOONEYES. This version of the film has “burned in” captions to increase accessibility. Be one of the first to see this new and extraordinary film, which recently received a prestigious Silver Remi Award in the “Features - Documentary” category from the 57th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.
Our deepest thanks to Shige Suganuma & Family; Chico Kodama & Family; Dean Moon, Jr. & Family; the entire MOONEYES family; our esteemed interviewees; our talented crew; our loving families; and all of our generous sponsors, donors, & supporters. Special thanks to our gracious host, the Lions Automobilia Museum. This U.S. Premiere is dedicated to MOONEYES fans, for whom we made this film.
“CRAFT OF SPEED” U.S. PREMIERE
LIONS AUTOMOBILIA MUSEUM
Rancho Dominguez, California
Live Screening
Saturday, 7/20/2024
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Reception
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Screening
Lions Automobilia Museum
2790 E. Del Amo Blvd.
Rancho Dominguez, CA 90221
*The ticket price includes museum admission.
Virtual Screening
Saturday, 7/27/2024 to Saturday, 8/3/2024
U.S. Only
*After this film becomes available on 7/27/2024 at 12:00 a.m. PDT, you’ll have 7 days to start watching. Once you begin, you’ll have 4 days to finish watching.
Buy tickets:
craftofspeed.eventive.org
mooneyes.com
craftofspeed.com
Left to Right: Tuan Tran, Producer/Co-Director of Photography; Ming Lai, Director; Chico Kodama, President of MOONEYES USA / Day 1 of shooting at MOONEYES, Santa Fe Springs
We’re excited to announce that “Craft of Speed” has won a prestigious Silver Remi Award in the “Features - Documentary” category from the 57th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. Started in 1961, the WorldFest-Houston is the oldest independent film festival in the world. With so many film festivals all over the world, it’s very special to have such a long history of supporting independent film. The festival is known for recognizing emerging talent and has presented many renowned filmmakers with their first awards, including Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ang Lee, Ridley Scott, Robert Rodriguez, Robert Townsend, the Coen Brothers, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, and David Lynch. It's extremely tough to get selected by a film festival and even more so to win an award, especially from an older and more established festival. So this is an unexpected honor. Our deepest thanks to WorldFest-Houston; Shige Suganuma, Chico Kodama, and the entire MOONEYES family; our insightful interviewees; our talented and hardworking crew; our generous sponsors, donors, and supporters; and our loving families.
To learn more about WorldFest-Houston:
https://www.worldfest.org/
To learn more about “Craft of Speed”:
craftofspeed.com
To see the iconic MOONEYES Dragster on display at historic MOONEYES headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California or at popular MOONEYES events, like their New Year’s Party at Irwindale Raceway in Irwindale, California, is very special. It’s instantly recognizable with its MOONEYES logos and yellow paint. It looks fast even standing still, with its Dragmaster chassis and Moon Equipment Company speed parts. It’s not just a famous race car, but a literal time machine that takes you back to the heyday of hot rodding and drag racing. It was Dean Moon’s test bench for his innovative products. The original dragster is on exhibit at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing while the replica one lives at MOONEYES Santa Fe Springs. This faithful reproduction features a chassis built by Dorin “Dode” Martin of Dragmaster, the same company that built the chassis of the original dragster.
To see the MOONEYES Dragster run is even more special. We had the honor of filming and photographing it, driven by MOONEYES owner Shige Suganuma, along with the equally renowned Dos Palmas dragster, driven by hot rodder, journalist, and author Tony Thacker. This “test and tune” at the Irwindale Dragstrip was in preparation for the dragsters’ appearance at the upcoming Dragstalgia at Santa Pod Raceway, England, which will celebrate 60 years of U.K. drag racing. As Shige and Tony took turns running the dragsters, we were transported back in time to when Dean Moon and his driver Dante Duce drove the original dragster. We love seeing these beautiful race cars in museums and car shows, but we enjoy watching them run even more.
Thank you to Shige Suganuma, Chico Kodama, Emi Suganuma, the MOONEYES crew, Tony Thacker, the Dos Palmas crew, and the Irwindale Dragstrip. Special thanks to Tuan Tran Video for their support.
To read Tony Thacker’s in-depth article on the Mooneyes Dragster and Dos Palmas:
https://www.motortrend.com/features/mooneyes-dos-palmas-gas-dragsters/
To learn more about the “Craft of Speed” Mooneyes Documentary:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/
