Specialist Production Vehicles
Standard rental vans simply aren't built for the rigors of a film set. When you hire a production vehicle, you require specific dimensions, secure lashing points, heavy-duty suspension, and interiors that won't degrade under the constant loading of C-stands, sandbags, and Pelican cases. Our approach to production vehicle hire focuses on matching the right chassis and body type to the specific department it serves.
Support Vehicles and Utility Vans
The backbone of any unit base is the support fleet. These vehicles need to serve multiple functions, from acting as temporary wardrobe fitting rooms to transporting catering supplies across muddy location fields. We assist productions in selecting vehicles with the appropriate capacity and payload limits to avoid overloaded axles, which is a common issue when moving dense film gear.
Utility vehicles specifically configured for locations departments often include built-in racking, exterior work lighting, and robust tail-lifts. Access is another crucial factor; a massive 7.5-ton box truck might carry everything, but it won't make it down a narrow alleyway for an urban night shoot. We balance volume requirements with physical location constraints.
Picture Vehicles
Beyond behind-the-scenes support, productions frequently require picture vehicles—cars, vans, or trucks that appear on camera. While we don't maintain a static museum of classic cars, we facilitate the logistics of sourcing, transporting, and preparing picture vehicles for the day of the shoot. This involves coordinating low-loader transport, ensuring mechanical safety for stunt or driving sequences, and managing the handover to the action vehicle coordinator.
Vehicle Preparation and Selection
The preparation of a production vehicle begins long before it arrives at basecamp. A proper selection process reviews:
- Capacity vs. Access: Ensuring the vehicle can physically reach the unit base without grounding out or exceeding height restrictions.
- Production Requirements: Matching the payload limits to the specific department (e.g., lighting requires higher payloads than wardrobe).
- Power and Lighting: Ensuring vehicles have adequate interior illumination for early call times and late wraps.
- Cleanliness: A clean vehicle is a safe vehicle. Dirt obscures damage and creates trip hazards for tired crews loading out in the dark.
Advantages and Limitations
Choosing dedicated production hire over standard commercial rental offers distinct advantages. The primary benefit is reliability; vehicles are maintained with the knowledge that a breakdown costs a production thousands per minute in lost shooting time. The main limitation is lead time. Specialist vehicles—such as camera tracking vehicles or fully racked grip trucks—are in high demand during peak shooting seasons and require careful advance scheduling.
By assessing your call sheets and location lists, we can recommend a tailored fleet mix that minimizes excess rental days while ensuring no department is left without necessary transport support.