Picture Car Glossary
U-Crane
What is an u-Crane?
Updated June 2026 · Revolution Picture Cars
Also called Ucrane, or stabilized crane car.
A U-Crane is a hydraulically stabilized camera crane system mounted to a vehicle, most commonly a large SUV or purpose-built platform vehicle.
The crane arm extends out from the vehicle's side and can be raised, lowered, and articulated to place a gyro-stabilized camera head at virtually any position relative to a moving picture car swooping low to the ground, rising high above the vehicle roof, or reaching across to capture the subject from a parallel car's interior. The U-Crane is the workhorse tool of high-end automotive cinematography.
Example
A stabilised crane on a chase vehicle holds a rock-steady frame while both cars run at 50mph, swinging from a low wheel-level shot up over the roof in one move. It is the shot a fixed mount cannot produce.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Booked as a package with its operators and technicians, and scheduled around the road closure.
Common mistake
Booking a U-Crane for a shot a jib could deliver. Its cost and crew are justified by stabilized moves at speed, not by simple elevation changes.
Related questions
- What is a U-Crane?
- A hydraulically stabilized camera crane mounted to a vehicle, holding a steady frame through large moves while both cars travel at speed.
- What does a U-Crane package include?
- The vehicle, the crane, the stabilized head, and the operators and technicians who run it, booked as one unit.
Official sources
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