History Main / DrivingADesk

* Conan O'Brien does this, too, but... he's ''[[TropeNamers actually driving his own desk]]'', "turning" with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOgV-WEE1Ec a prop steering wheel]]. Subverted when he actually [[http://vimeo.com/9004717 drove a motorized desk around the Universal Studios lot and had a drag race with a guy in a forklift]].

* The scenery vibrating or moving around to a degree that the passengers would be rattling around like peas in a rattle and the vehicle would be bottoming on its' springs. Especially noticable if the back projection is slow - cranked to give an impression of speed.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/{{Airplane}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Drive-desk-Airplane_9032.jpg]]]]

* In the ''Music/{{Madness}}'' JukeboxMusical, ''Our House''. Joe and his friends sit in his [[TheAllegedCar alleged car]] while a moving road is projected into the background to the tune of "Driving In My Car". The road changes to a rollercoaster track, then [[Film/ANewHope Death Star trenches]] while the gang swing lightsabers.

* PlayedForLaughs in the music video for Music/{{Madness}}'s ''Driving In My Car'', where random footage is used for the backdrop.

* In ''Series/{{MADtv}}'''s parody of ''Music/TrappedInTheCloset'', there's a scene where Music/RKelly drives in front of a green screen image ''without a car'' (he at least still has a steering wheel).

* Done purposefully in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': This is seen in Xander's dream in "[[{{Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E22Restless}} Restless]]" when his girlfriend Anya is driving their ice cream truck. "I think I've figured out how to steer by gesturing emphatically."

-->-- '''Joel''', ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', ''Film/TheCrawlingEye''

* The driver wildly twisting the steering wheel left and right when they are driving on a straight road.

Rear projection essentially fell out of use with the advent of the ChromaKey, which nonetheless kept some of its problems. It was finally sealed up with the prevalence of computer graphics, miniaturization of camera technology, and special-built flatbed-like vehicles to carry and film cars (such as the one [[http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q26/extremehead/crash91.jpg shown here]]). Used nowadays, rear projection or poorly done chroma key is mostly considered a SpecialEffectFailure, or a special shoutout to films of the past. The [[TropeNamer trope name is a reference]] to how they always end up looking like Creator/ConanOBrien who has a recurring [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XMeUWMDyOg comedy bit where he "drives" his desk]] out of the television studio using (deliberately cheap-looking) rear projection effects.

* Notably averted in ''Film/{{Ronin}}'', with the actors being driven around in right-hand-drive cars (in France, where everyone drives on the right) so they could act in sync with the actual driver, and spliced with external shots.

* Many of Creator/AlfredHitchcock's movies. Especially notable for its rather seamless use in ''Film/NorthByNorthwest'', in the scene where Roger O. Thornhill gets attacked by the crop duster. Also notable for the very un-seamless (seamy?) scenes in ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'', where the rear-projection is so bad it sometimes looks like Scottie is driving on the wrong side of the road. PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/FamilyPlot'', made at a time when this technique had fallen out of vogue.

* [[Recap/TheMinistryOfTimeS03E01WithTimeOnHisHeels The season 3 opener]] of ''Series/TheMinistryOfTime'' is an homage to Creator/AlfredHitchcock. As such, the driving scenes use this method deliberately to make them look more like a Hitchcock movie.

* ''WesternAnimation/TazMania'': In "To Catch a Taz" (an homage to Creator/AlfredHitchcock films, especially ''Film/NorthByNorthwest''), this is revealed to be happening during a chase scene when Wendal gets out of his car (which is on rollers) and casually walks up to Taz as the scenery continues to race by in the background.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** Used for the famous forest speederbike scene in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. Averted, as this was done with chroma key, and Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher shot on full size speederbikes in front of a blue screen as can be seen here: http://www.starwars.com/return-of-the-jedi-behind-the-scenes
** ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]'' actually had a cut rear-projection scene of Luke and [=C3PO=] driving in Luke's landspeeder looking for R2.

* Spoofed in ''Carrotblanca'', where during a flashback the rear-projection is actually live-action to further distract from the animated characters.

* ''[[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow The Rocky Horror Show]]'' starts with Brad and Janet sitting in a wooden car prop they're meant to be driving.

* This tended to happen in a lot of tokusatsu shows, including ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' and the ''Series/MetalHeroes'' series (carrying over into their American adaptations, ''Franchise/PowerRangers'', ''Series/VRTroopers'' and ''Series/BigBadBeetleborgs''), typically when depicting the in-suit actors together with the giant robot/giant monster/vehicle footage or the like. As time went on, this lessened in favor of better digital effects; the various American shows used green-screening but no rear projection which could look better or worse than the Japanese footage.

%% * Lampshaded and played for laughs in a PublicServiceAnnouncement starring [[Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace Selena Gomez]] and her mom.

* Played straight in ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''.

* Lampshaded and played for laughs in a PublicServiceAnnouncement starring [[Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace Selena Gomez]] and her mom.

* A staple of ''Series/TheMightyBoosh'' starting with series 2.
* Parodied several times on ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'', with the GreenScreen suggestion.

* The surfing scenes on ''Gidget''.

* Done purposefully in the 1960s pastiche ''Film/DownWithLove''.