At four in the morning, the unit moves from a city hotel to a beach two hours away. Twelve trucks, three minibuses, four cast cars and a honeywagon (the trailer with toilets and dressing rooms) all have to arrive in the right order, park in a field that turned to mud overnight and be ready before the first shot. The transport captain planned every vehicle and every driver. The transport captain runs the fleet and the drivers on a production.
What a transport captain does
The transport captain works for the production manager. In pre-production they look at the schedule and the locations and work out what vehicles are needed. That means camera, lighting and grip trucks, costume and make-up trailers, catering, minibuses for crew and cars for cast. They hire the vehicles, book the drivers and agree where everything will park.
During the shoot they make a daily movement order, working from the call sheet sent by the production coordinator. It shows which driver picks up whom, when and where. They stay in close touch with the location manager about parking and access, and with the assistant directors about when actors are needed on set.
Responsibilities
- Work out the vehicles and drivers needed for each part of the schedule
- Hire vehicles and book drivers within the transport budget
- Plan daily pick-ups and moves between hotel, base and set
- Plan parking for unit base with the location manager
- Check driving hours and rest times so drivers can work safely
- Handle fuel, repairs, breakdowns and parking fines
- Return vehicles and settle the costs at the end of the shoot
How the role touches the budget
Clearly, through the transport line, which on a shoot with many locations is substantial. It covers vehicle hire, drivers, fuel, parking and sometimes ferries or tolls. The transport captain keeps a close watch on overtime for drivers and on fuel costs, and passes receipts to the production accountant. A schedule that keeps moves short saves real money here.
How people become transport captains
Most were drivers on productions first, often with a licence for larger vehicles. Over the years they learn the routes, the rules on driving hours and the needs of each department. Some run their own transport company that supplies both vehicles and drivers to productions.
In TV and commercials
On long-running TV series the transport team is often a fixed group that moves with the production. In commercials the job is shorter and simpler, and is often covered by the production manager working with a facilities company that supplies vehicles and drivers together.