Film Locations Glossary
Shuttle
What is a shuttle?
Also called crew shuttle, or van run.
A shuttle is the vehicle service moving crew, cast, and background performers between crew parking, base camp, and set when they are not within walking distance.
It is a real line in the transportation budget and a real factor in the day: a five-minute shuttle each way multiplied across a hundred people is a substantial amount of paid time. Shuttle need is one of the first things a location is assessed for.
Example
Crew parking is a five-minute drive from base camp. Two minibuses running continuously move 90 people at each end of the day, and that ten minutes each way multiplied across the unit is a real amount of paid time.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Planned with transportation once the distance between parking, base camp, and set is known.
Common mistake
Counting the shuttle as transport cost and not as time. Ten minutes each way across ninety people, twice a day plus meal breaks, is a substantial amount of paid time.
Related questions
- When does a location need a shuttle?
- Whenever crew parking, base camp, and set are not within comfortable walking distance of each other, which on urban locations is most of the time.
- Who runs the shuttle?
- The transportation department, on a schedule built by locations and the second AD around calls and meal breaks.