Private Project

Who's Driving?

An engineering student, studying autonomous vehicles, seeks understanding of the broader implications.

  • Adam Lowery
    Director
  • Adam Lowery
    Writer
  • Adam Lowery
    Producer
  • Kayla Hall
    Principal Photography
  • Micah Hardyman
    Principal Photography
  • Kat Vivaldi
    Principal Photography
  • Valerie Whitney
    Principal Photography
  • Adam Lowery
    Principal Photography
  • Adam Lowery
    Editor
  • Charles Dye
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Sociology, Technology
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 17 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Adam Lowery

Though technically trained as a physicist and engineer, Adam Lowery has been an avid admirer of the cinematic arts since his childhood. He is currently a graduate student of Virginia Tech, working towards his terminal degree. When he's not caught up in a difficult problem set, he can usually be found watching foreign cinema, volunteering at his local independent theatre (The Lyric), or, more recently, making short movies. His hope for the future is to one day make a film that is considered a "classic."

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Director Statement

The transportation industry is constantly evolving to improve traffic efficiency, conform to popular trends, and meet the needs of urban development. Cities, in particular, offer commuters an immersion into a microcosm of transient-orient systems (cars, buses, trains). Cars, and by extension driving, are unique to this system, in that they allow individuals to exert far greater control and assert their own decision making.

In this film, I seek to examine America’s attraction towards car culture from a sociological standpoint, and illuminate how pop culture may be reinforcing it. I was inspired to create this film while working as a team lead of my university's, Virginia Tech, autonomous vehicle team. Given the predominance of driving, especially in the Southern United States, I hope this film can segue into a larger discussion about an impending, transformative technology.