Film Locations Glossary
Unit base
What is unit base?
Unit base is the British term for base camp: the site holding unit vehicles, trailers, catering, and crew parking away from the shooting location.
It is scouted, agreed, and permitted in its own right, and its distance from set drives the shuttle plan. On location-heavy shoots the search for a workable unit base is often harder than the search for the location itself.
Example
A rural shoot puts unit base in a farmer's field with trackway laid to protect the ground, a generator for the trailers, and a minibus to set. The field is agreed with its own contract and restored after the last day.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
The British term for base camp, scouted, agreed, and permitted in its own right.
Common mistake
Putting unit base on a field without trackway or a restoration plan. Trucks turn soft ground into a repair bill that dwarfs the site fee.
Related questions
- Why is unit base often harder to find than the location?
- It needs acres of accessible, level, surfaced ground within reach of set, and attractive locations are rarely next door to a large empty lot.
- Why is finding unit base often harder than finding the location?
- Because it needs acres of accessible, level, surfaced ground near the location, and attractive locations are rarely next to large empty lots.