Film production courier for kit, rushes and locations
Dedicated vans that work to the call sheet: kit from hire houses to set, drives from location to post-production with a signed handover at each end, and costume and props wherever the unit has moved to.
- Works to call times, day or night
- Signed handovers for drives and rushes
- Locations across mainland UK
How production transport requests actually arrive
Production transport rarely follows office hours. Requests come off the call sheet and the day's problems, and the timing is set by when the camera needs to roll. A typical shoot day might send us calls like these:
| Time | Request |
|---|---|
| 5.00 am | A replacement lighting package from the hire house to unit base before the 7.00 am call |
| 10.30 am | A lens that failed its morning check, swapped at the camera rental house and run back to set |
| 1.00 pm | Costume alterations collected from the costume house and taken to location |
| 7.30 pm | The day's drives from set to the post-production house after wrap |
| 11.00 pm | Props for tomorrow's scene moved to the next location |
Each is a dedicated van, booked for that run alone, so nothing waits for a depot or another customer's collection. We work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which is how a night shoot, an early call or an urgent kit swap mid-shoot is covered.
Rushes and drives: keeping custody unbroken
Footage is the one thing a production cannot replace. Most productions keep more than one copy of the day's material, and good practice is to send the copies by different routes, so a single accident cannot take out every version. We carry the copy you give us and follow the handover routine you set.
- Named handover on set
The DIT or data wrangler hands the drives over, ideally in a sealed or labelled case, and the collection is signed for.
- Direct drive
The driver goes straight to the post house, with no depot stops and no other collections on the way.
- Live progress
The production office and the post house can follow the job and plan the ingest.
- Signed delivery
The receiving person signs, and the proof of delivery records their name and the time, with a photo where useful.
If your studio or post house has a content security protocol, send it to us when you book and we will tell you which parts of it we can meet. Our guide to proof of delivery explains what a delivery record shows and how to use it if something is queried.
Camera, lighting and grip kit
Hire houses prep kit to a checklist and release it against the production's paperwork, so the collection needs the right reference and a named contact. Camera packages travel in hard cases that are heavy for their size; lighting and grip packages add length and bulk with stands, flags and track.
| Kit | Typical vehicle |
|---|---|
| A replacement lens, monitor or camera body | Small van |
| A full camera package in flight cases | SWB or MWB van |
| A lighting package with stands and cable | LWB van |
| Large lighting or grip orders, heavy cases | Luton van with tail lift |
These are typical choices; exact capacity depends on the vehicle model, and we confirm at booking. For individual high-value items, see our fragile and high-value courier service. Edit workstations and storage arrays going between post and production offices are covered under IT equipment courier.
Costume, props and art department
Costume often needs to arrive hanging, not folded. Tell us whether garments travel in bags, on rails or in skips. A rail needs a vehicle tall enough, and a Luton has typically about 2.0 metres of internal height. Props and dressing are frequently one-off, fragile or both: a period clock, a sculpted piece, a hero prop with no spare. Pack them as if they were going by parcel carrier, even though they will be loaded once and unloaded once.
Remote locations and unsociable hours
Locations do not come with goods-in doors. We deliver to unit bases in car parks, farmyards, forest tracks and village halls across mainland UK, from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands. A dropped pin and the locations team's crew directions save a driver from following a sat nav into the wrong field. Give us a mobile number for a runner or marshal, because signal is often weakest close to set.
Scottish islands, Northern Ireland and other offshore locations are not part of our standard coverage, so ask us before planning around them. Long runs are checked against drivers' hours rules (a maximum of 10 hours' driving in a day), and a very long route may need a second driver or an overnight plan, which we tell you about at booking. Late-night returns after wrap are often best planned as an overnight delivery that arrives before the hire house or post house opens.
FAQ
Common questions
Can you take today's drives from location to our post-production house tonight?
Yes. Give us the unit base or set address, the name of the person handing over (usually the DIT or data wrangler), the post house address and the name of the person receiving. We plan around wrap rather than office hours. The driver goes direct with no other collections, and the post house signs for the drives with a name and time, so you know exactly when the footage arrived.
How do we know who has the drives at every point?
When the job is allocated, we tell you who the driver is. You can follow the van during the job, and both handovers are recorded with a name, time and signature, with a photo of the sealed case where useful. If your production or the post house has its own content security protocol, send it when you book and we will confirm which parts of it we can meet.
Can you collect from a camera hire house first thing?
Yes, at whatever time the hire house agrees to release the kit. Many prep and release kit early by arrangement, so check with them, then book us for that time with the production's collection reference. Tell us the number of cases and the heaviest one, so we send a van with enough room, or a Luton with a tail lift for a lighting package.
Our location doesn't have a postcode. Can you still find it?
Yes. Send a dropped pin for the unit base or the vehicle entrance, plus any directions the locations team has written for crew, such as which farm track to take. Give us a mobile number for a runner or location marshal who can meet the van, because remote sites often have poor phone signal close to set.
Do you work through the night for night shoots and early calls?
Yes. We run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including bank holidays. A 4.00 am delivery for a 6.00 am call is normal for us, and so is a midnight collection after a night shoot wraps. For a very long run, such as the south of England to the Scottish Highlands, we check the plan against drivers' hours rules and tell you at booking.
Can you carry special-effects materials, pyrotechnics or gas?
No. We do not carry hazardous goods, so pyrotechnics, smoke fluids classed as dangerous, gas cylinders and fuel need a specialist carrier, usually arranged by the effects company. Camera, lighting, sound, costume, props and art department items without those restrictions are all fine.
Last updated