I acknowledge that its something of a cliché, me being an Essex Boy and having a Ford Transit, but it’s such a smashing little van and it genuinely does drive like a car. It’s also got a brilliant payload for the ever increasing load of tripods, cameras and so on that we take on jobs nowadays.
Importantly though I should state that it’s not white — I really couldn’t go that far — it’s a very classy metallic grey called ‘magnetic’ — there’s a picture below and naturally all vehicles should have a name so we’ve opted to call this one ‘Van Halen’ because who doesn’t love a bit of 80srock!? Of course there is a genuine reason behind getting a van apart from the Essex boy thing, and that’s the equipment.
In the last few years we’ve done a lot more multi-camera shoots and of course each camera needs a tripod, then there’s the lighting, the grip like sliders as well as sound recording equipment and other key items. There’s also been an increase in live streaming which also requires more kit, monitors, switchers etc.So we see the investment in a dedicated crew / equipment vehicle as crucial in making sure we can bring more equipment to our client’s shoots and with it more options in terms of what and how we film.This particular model also features 3 front seats which is very handy for transporting additional crew members.
Naturally we’ve had to lay down some ground rules, so we solemnly promise not to keep the drivers window permanently wound down and there will not be a 6 month old copy of the daily star in the front window, we intend to make sure it stays a classy vehicle! So if you see us out on the road give us a polite beep and say hello but don’t make us brake suddenly as there’s probably cameras in the back!
