In the belly of the Cinema Vehicles shop in Norcross, Georgia, Andy Cerven was working on a shiny, black Model T. It’s one of those old-timey Fords with a small windshield and tires that look like they belong on a mountain bike. Even though it’s 100 years old, the car started up.

Cerven, a mechanic, flicked a few switches behind the steering wheel. He’s the kind of guy who’s more comfortable with his head under the hood rather than in front of a microphone.

“Back when I was a kid, watching my dad create Eleanor kind of gave me the path to get into loving classics,” he said.

Eleanor is the classic Mustang from the film “Gone in 60 Seconds,” released in 2000. Cinema Vehicles built it for the remake of the movie starring Nicolas Cage. 

Cerven’s specialty is older cars. “Antiques like 1920s and on. I mean, I’ve worked on 1910s,” he said. “I have worked on pretty much anything gasoline powered.”

Cerven is part of a team of seven that creates the vehicles here in Georgia. Cinema Vehicles also has a Hollywood facility. He works alongside his dad, general manager Ron Cerven.

Ron said his team also takes on specialty builds. “We’ve done everything, including building spaceships. … I mean, if it’s going to be on the screen, and they can dream it up, we’ll figure out how to build it,” Cerven said.

Part of the shop is an enormous warehouse that stores vehicles grouped by decade. That’s because when a car or truck appears in a film, layers of production go into getting it ready for the camera. Think of it like makeup for a vehicle. Filmmakers might need NYPD cruisers for a crime show set in New York. Or maybe the movie is set in the 1980s and requires a beater station wagon. 

The Georgia operation has been behind many of the cars we’ve seen in some of our favorite movies and shows for over 40 years. Over the past few years, Atlanta’s role in Hollywood productions has grown significantly. 

The right vehicle can make or break a scene. “There might be 15 cars from the 1920s running around the block to make it look like a street scene, you know, so they’ve all got to run and drive and, you know, do what they do,” said Ron Cerven.

It can cost up to $100,000 to build up a single vehicle.

When Hollywood productions stopped because of the strikes, work here slowed down. Now, with productions back in swing, it seems like every movie needs a car.

“Chaos, absolute chaos,” said Tyna Wall, who does a little bit of everything at the shop. “We do have more stuff coming in. So, it’s been a change of pace, a change of dynamic, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it,” she said.

Wall’s job is like costuming for cars and trucks.

Imagine a movie scene in which a vehicle gets shot up and then explodes on a remote stretch of highway. Beforehand, Wall might remove the gas line, strip the car of flammable material and drain all the fluid. And because directors often need multiple takes, Wall might prep the same vehicle over and over. 

Take one car that appeared in a crime scene chase.

“It left. It came back with bullet holes. And they’re like, now we need to cover this up and repaint it, and it’s going back out. It’s going to get blown up tonight,” Wall said.

Working at Cinema Vehicles can be fast-paced and stressful, but Andy Cerven said the job has its perks.

“It can be fun, especially when we’re stunt prepping cars. I go out and cut doughnuts and make sure that they’re doing that, slide breaks, a little bit of drifting. We have some fun,” said Cerven.

It’s also fun, he added, to see his work on the big screen when his cars get their 15 minutes of fame or ride off into the sunset.