Film Locations Glossary
Crew parking
What is crew parking?
Crew parking is the secured area where the crew's personal vehicles are left for a shooting day, usually at or beside base camp.
On urban locations it is one of the hardest things to solve, and it is regularly the reason a location that works creatively gets rejected. Costs include the lot fee, attendants, signage, and often a shuttle to base camp.
Example
A downtown location has no parking within half a mile. Locations rents a garage two blocks away for 60 cars and adds a shuttle, which turns an unworkable location into a workable one and adds a real daily cost.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Solved at scout stage. Frequently the reason a location that works creatively is rejected.
Common mistake
Assuming crew will find their own parking in a city. Sixty cars with nowhere to go becomes sixty cars on residential streets, which is how a location loses its permit for day two.
Related questions
- Who arranges crew parking on location?
- The locations department, usually by renting a lot or garage and adding a shuttle when it is not within walking distance of base camp.
- Why does parking decide whether a location works?
- Because it is the one requirement that scales with the whole unit and cannot be reduced by staging. A perfect location with no parking within a mile is often rejected.