Arcay Studios Provides Sound Design and Color Grading for Knight Rider Fan Film from Retro Recipes

Arcay Studios recently had the opportunity to work on an exciting retro-inspired short film project created for the popular YouTube channel Retro Recipes, owned by filmmaker and content creator Christian Simpson — better known to fans online as Peri Fractic.

The cinematic fan film, written, directed, and edited by Josh Turchetta, brings together two legendary vehicles from television history: KITT and KARR from the classic 1980s series Knight Rider. Featuring stunning practical photography, cinematic action, and faithful recreations of the original series’ iconic style, the short film quickly connected with audiences online, earning more than 115,000 views within its first few weeks on YouTube.

The production was filmed across Southern California, including locations in Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley, with several sequences shot at the legendary El Mirage dry lake bed — the same iconic location featured in the original Knight Rider opening titles. Rather than relying on AI-generated imagery or stock footage, the team recreated the classic visual style entirely in-camera, capturing the spirit and energy of the original television series through practical filmmaking techniques and real vehicle photography.

Christian Simpson is well known among retro tech and film fans for his Retro Recipes YouTube channel and his screen-accurate replica KITT vehicles — including both KITT and the villainous KARR. His passion for preserving classic television history and practical filmmaking helped inspire a project that feels both nostalgic and cinematic.

Arcay Studios handled the complete sound design and color grading for the project using DaVinci Resolve Studio. Koren Young crafted the film’s audio environment to capture the futuristic tone and intensity associated with the Knight Rider universe while maintaining a polished cinematic sound for modern audiences. The sound design process included enhancing vehicle effects, environmental ambience, dramatic transitions, and dialogue clarity to help immerse viewers in the action.

Color grading was also completed at Arcay Studios in DaVinci Resolve Studio, helping establish the film’s moody desert atmosphere, dramatic nighttime visuals, and retro-inspired cinematic look. Great care was taken to preserve the visual language fans associate with the original series while elevating the production value for contemporary viewers.

The project also features actor Sam Witwer (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Being Human, Smallville), adding another exciting layer for genre fans and longtime science fiction audiences.

At Arcay Studios, we love collaborating on projects that combine passionate storytelling, practical filmmaking, and cinematic post-production craftsmanship. Whether it’s a documentary, indie feature, fan film, or proof-of-concept production, we provide professional post-production services including sound design, audio mixing, dialogue editing, ADR, and color grading for filmmakers throughout Los Angeles and Southern California.

Watch the full short film below and experience this exciting return to the world of Knight Rider.

If you’re looking for professional post-production audio and color services for your next project, contact Arcay Studios to learn more about our capabilities and workflow.