Crash Frontier Announces First Behind-The-Scenes Documentary – A Deep Talk with the Filmmaker

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YouTube filmmaker Crash Frontier is known for his visually stunning, adrenaline-fueled action films, seen by millions on each release. With his first behind-the-scenes documentary on the horizon, he opens up to Game Geeks News about the creative process behind his viral hits. From balancing complex physics simulations in BeamNG.Drive to navigating the demands of storytelling in the age of algorithms, the creator sheds light on the unique challenges he faces as a digital filmmaker.

Game Geeks News: Fans have been eagerly waiting for a deep dive into how you create your films. Can you share a few challenges from your production process, and what surprised you the most when you first started your YouTube journey?

Crash Frontier: Absolutely. There are so many things that keep production busy and fun, but it’s always a complex task. First of all, BeamNG.Drive, the physics engine I use to create these films, was never designed for movie-making. It’s a vehicle physics simulator with basic movie-making capabilities introduced by the developers a couple of years ago. The community really pushed for the ability to create and record 3D scenes, so they added features like camera paths and replays. But at its core, BeamNG isn’t a movie-making tool.

However, if you get creative, combine it with other software, and think outside the box, it definitely has the capacity to help you create the physical simulation layout for the story you want to tell. When I uploaded my first film, Highway Hell, during lockdown, I thought it would be just a small project. I invested a few hundred hours into it, thinking lockdown would only last three weeks. That film, about a committed crime and a subsequent police chase, ended up with 18.5 million views, which I never expected.

Game Geeks News: Since you’re dealing with a physics simulator, creating scenes according to your vision must be quite the task?

Crash Frontier: Yes. Everything has to follow the laws of physics. You can’t just command a car to flip three times—you need to create a real physical reason for it to happen. So, if you want a car to flip, you’ll need a ramp at the right angle for it to flip when it drives over it. It’s like an actual movie set with actual stunts.

This is where the trial and error process comes in. You might have a vision in your head, but the testing phase can take a long time, depending on the complexity of the film. For example, in my latest movie Colossal Chase, which will be the focus of my upcoming behind-the-scenes documentary, I had a huge challenge with moving a massive, immovable ship on a trailer. In BeamNG, everything has weight, and this ship was enormous.

I eventually solved the issue by using invisible walls that had zero friction to guide the ship. Getting the physics right can take hundreds of attempts, especially when working with hundreds of cars in one scene. If one car doesn’t behave properly, it’s a cut, and the scene needs to be reshot. Once I’m done with the physics part, I’m usually happy to move on to post-production, as the physics work is definitely more complex than the editing. The overall challenge in my job is balancing storytelling, reading the data, catering to the YouTube algorithm, and working with the limitations of the simulator itself.

Game Geeks News: Since some of your films feature quite extensive CGI, is there a particular tool or software you absolutely cannot live without during production, and how are such visual effects produced and integrated into the final film?

Crash Frontier: There are many. First off, BeamNG.Drive for the physics simulations, Adobe Premiere Pro for editing, and After Effects for VFX work are essential. After Effects is more of a compositing tool, though—it doesn’t handle complex CGI production. For that, I usually use a program called EmberGen by JangaFX. It’s fantastic for real-time rendering of explosions and simulations. I first used it in my film Final Attack, where I created a three-stage explosion in the desert. That explosion didn’t exist in BeamNG.Drive, so I had to create it in post, making it look like it interacted with the environment. It involved meticulous shot-by-shot work, combining aerial shots from BeamNG landscapes with EmberGen explosions in After Effects at the right camera angle for both exports. It was probably one of my biggest challenges yet, but I can’t live without EmberGen now.

CGI volumetric explosion workflow in EmberGen (JangaFX)

In the past, I used Blender quite extensively. In my film The Cult from 2021, I composited an alien creature that I rigged and animated in Blender into the film—again, shot by shot, since aliens are neither riggable nor animatable in BeamNG.Drive. Since that movie was set at night, all the light sources in the respective shots, coming from specific angles, had to be reproduced in Blender so that the alien was lit accordingly in each shot when it was overlaid with the BeamNG footage.

Game Geeks News: How does your background as a filmmaker influence the way you create your action films?

Crash Frontier: So, I studied film directing in Berlin over 10 years ago. Even before that, back in 2008, I was uploading cinematic animations on YouTube—mostly with disaster and action themes. Action has always been my genre. My studies in Berlin helped me learn key principles like the 180-degree rule, sound design, and pacing.

In the end, though, with any arts-related field, learning by doing is key. Curiosity is key. The same goes for technology. I’ve always been a proactive person, constantly experimenting and finding ways to combine different software in ways they weren’t originally designed for. There’s this urge of discovery in me. I enjoy creating innovative solutions to unique problems in unconventional ways. It’s just my thing.

Game Geeks News: What inspires you most when developing your stories? Are there any movies, artists, or real-life events that influence your work?

Crash Frontier: I have a huge passion for classic action films, particularly those from the ’90s. It was a time when CGI was emerging, but filmmakers still relied heavily on practical effects and miniatures. Each film back then brought a leap forward in visual effects innovation, and I think that’s why movies like Titanic and Dante’s Peak hold up so well today.

You can really see the dedication and passion that went into those films, and that same inventive spirit is what I try to bring into my productions. I feel connected to that drive for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

Colossal Chase still frame

Game Geeks News: Your chase sequences are extremely popular, and many commentators say they remind them of Hollywood. How do you approach designing such high-tension scenes? Is there one key element that always drives your planning?

Crash Frontier: It’s all about building tension step by step. Action scenes follow a natural breathing rhythm—breathe in, hold, then exhale. The “holding your breath” moments are where the big explosions or major action beats happen, then you need a release before building up the tension again. This rhythm is crucial, especially in today’s digital world where attention spans are short.

I think the latest figures show the average attention span is six seconds, which is incredibly short. You don’t want to bore the audience, but you also need room for that breathing rhythm, so it’s all about balancing storytelling with keeping the audience engaged. YouTube analytics is a huge help in understanding what works and what doesn’t.

Game Geeks News: Tell us about that—what role does “big data” play in your productions?

Crash Frontier: Big data plays a massive role. YouTube’s analytics is essentially a backend system that collects millions of data points and puts them into graphs based on your inputs. It tells you exactly how your video is performing, even compared to other creators. I feel like a lot of people don’t use it to its full potential, and to be honest, it’s quite complicated when you first come across it. But if you understand how to read the data, it shows you exactly what you need to improve.

It’s like having an algorithm as your boss, but instead of guessing, it gives you all the insights you need to understand why a film is underperforming. And since we’re all digital storytellers now, pretty much crafting user experiences (UX)—whether that’s on YouTube, Instagram, or anywhere else—understanding the algorithm and playing by its rules is essential. Otherwise, it’s like steering a ship without a steering wheel in a sea of competition.

Game Geeks News: With YouTube’s algorithm playing such a significant role in content visibility, how can you be certain your videos are both discoverable and appealing to a broad audience time and time again?

Crash Frontier: You’re absolutely right. Today, you’re constantly catering to an algorithm that, in turn, caters to an audience. This doesn’t only apply to social media but to all modern businesses that operate in a digital-first environment. In my case, while likes and comments are great motivators, they’re just two of the many KPIs to consider. That’s why I actively use YouTube’s Community Tab to engage with my viewers. I often run polls to see what kind of film they’d like to see next or even which title sounds more exciting. This feedback shapes the direction of my projects.

I even ask them which title they prefer over another. Getting the title right is crucial, as it pairs with the thumbnail to grab attention. After working on a film for weeks or months, the last thing you want is to choose a title that doesn’t resonate with your audience. It’s a small detail, but it can make or break the momentum of a release. That’s why involving the community in these decisions is so important—they’re the first to click!


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By Jonathan Watson 1 October 2024

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