Growing up, I always found deep appreciation and meaning in various forms of media that facilitated my passions, interests, and aspirations. I remember watching the first of the Fast and Furious movie with my father when I was in middle school, and I really did love it. I could see myself as Vin Diesel: the man behind it all, cool and collected, but willing to do anything for his family. As the movies continued to come out, it became almost religious for me to attend the first possible showing. Since it was so popular from the start, it was easy to get my like-minded brother involved. We would share our thoughts on the films, the characters, the filming, the setting, and where we hoped to see it go next. I even bought the original Fast and Furious poster from the first movie, which is still hanging on my wall back home. The saga is more about just fast cars, cool fights, and pretty girls. It’s a symbol of what I value most in life: progress, family, and love.
The original goal I had for the creation of this story world was to explore it and pay tribute to Paul Walker, who unfortunately died a few years ago. When I watched the scene in the seventh film where Paul Walker and Vin Diesel drive away from each other one last time, almost as if they were saying goodbye, I felt emotions for these characters I was unaware were there. It shocked me in all honesty. How could a scripted film evoke such powerful emotions and thoughts from me? I’ve watched plenty of movies people call “sad,” but have never cried before while watching anything else. I figured that if the movie can have this effect on me, it must do the same for the majority of this audience (who I remember was crying along with me during the film). I wanted to know the exact reasons behind the power and meaning this franchise has on its audience.
I did not have a clear path while creating this story world. I hoped it would lead me to the important parts that could explain my questions, which worked out perfectly in my opinion. Before my first post, I rewatched the entire saga over a few days since school had just started. It was by rewatching that I realized that I cared so much because I was able to relate, essentially putting my selves in the shoes of each of the characters, as well as a unique individual, yet imaginary, member of their crew.
I began by writing about the real story of Racer X, who gives context for the setting of the movie and the character of Dominic Toretto. I continued by summarizing the plot of the first movie, which vividly placed the audience in the storyworld. I continued with a character map, showing the relationships of characters, followed by an analysis of a fan-fiction piece. However, after that, I was stuck. The storyworld I chose appeared to be too big to analyze movie by movie, or character by character. This made me realize that the same is for the audience of the films, who are not all fanatics but still love the saga. It was here that I realized that there must be some common theme or connection that allows anyone to relate to the story, and excite them, regardless of how big of fans they are or how much they love exploding cars. I reverted back to my personal reason for choosing this storyworld: “I don’t have friends. I got family.”
The deeper I dug into the saga, the more I understood that it’s appeal comes from the relatability everyone has as an underdog, someone who may do bad things for a good reason, someone who loves their family more than doing what’s right, someone who hopes their past does not determine their future, and someone who loves love. With those central ideas, I delved deeply into the characters and their roles in the production of the films. Learning the significance of the impact the stars have as producers, musicians, and characters helped to explain to my audience and myself more about what makes the Fast and Furious so popular. Their Instagram posts show love to the fans and their contributions to the storyworld, as well as their love for one another in the real world and not just on the paid set.
The only way to do this storyworld was to write it “a quarter mile at a time,” like Vin Diesel would have wanted me to. Each post led me to the next, until eventually, I made the realizations that allowed me to dissect 20 hours of disheveled movies and short films into a cohesive storyline with timeless themes and life lessons. I would have done this the exact same way if I were to start over, except for the fact that I would have probably included my own critiques of each movie and short film. I thought that would clutter the Tumblr in regard to the intended purpose of this project. Additionally, I probably would have tried to download the game and give a critique of it. Overall, I touched on what I really wanted to and made clear points and connections that I intended to initially. I not only learned a lot about the creation of a storyworld and how it becomes successful, but also about myself and how I choose to perceive the world around me and my own storyworld. We learned about what makes a hero, what allows for stories to be popular to all audiences, how to engage audiences on a deeper level than just cool CGI effects, how to build off a story that you planned, and most importantly, how to continue a story even with life’s wildcards being thrown in the mix. These were my main take aways, and I made sure to incorporate these components into my Tumblr.
I also feel like I was able to pay my own tribute to Paul Walker and the franchise I always learned life lessons from. I’d like to know if other people feel the same way I do about the characters being good guys who do bad things, or whether my bias clouded the storyworld with and overly optimistic and happy overlay. Another question I have is do you think your love for the saga will continue in the next three films, or will the tragic death of Paul Walker have a negative impact on the love people have for the show?
In conclusion, my love and admiration for The Fast and the Furious grew deeply during this project, and I really hope that whoever read my posts was able to see it. It’s much more than just a series for me. It’s a connection to my family, as well as insight into the themes that matter most in my life.
Thank you to everyone who has read. I genuinely hope you enjoyed it!
