When should you rent a grip truck?

As video shoots get larger and the budgets increase, it’s pretty natural to look at what would increase your production value and reduce your stress. For most companies, bringing less equipment of their own and relying on more talented production professionals to help get the job done. Perhaps this is hiring an assistant camera with a prep day to pick up and build cameras. It could also be hiring a gaffer and grip and electric crew with a grip truck. In this article, we’ll break down when should you rent a grip truck.

What is a grip truck?

For those that don’t know, a grip truck is a vehicle designed to carry film production gear such as lights, stands, and modifiers. Most of these trucks are just standard vehicles that have been specially outfitted to carry this equipment. The goal is to make the equipment quickly and easily accessible to the crew working the job. On most film sets, the days are scheduled in such a way that everyone must work quickly in order to get the shoot done. Now if you packed a small car to the brim with equipment, chances are you’d need to unload everything just to get the last piece of gear out. With a grip truck, this is not the case. Most of the equipment on these trucks is on carts that quickly and easily come off on carts.

Video production shoots can be quite chaotic. There are often numerous pieces of equipment needed by multiple departments at one time. Without a system in place to get everyone their gear, it’s likely that the shoots would be much longer than desired.

The great thing about grip trucks is that while there isn’t necessarily a standard kit that every grip truck has, they all pretty much have the same equipment. There are different sizes(with different gear) depending on your video production needs.

When should you rent a grip truck? Part 1

Whether you are shooting a small music video or a feature film, there’s a good chance that a grip truck might make sense for you. There are a few primary reasons for this.

The first is that they are extremely convenient. Long gone are the days of renting several stands and lights just to jam them into the back of your small car. With the best of luck, this process will be a little frustrating. In the worst case, you’ll likely damage your upholstery. This can be frustrating and leave a lasting impact on your car and ego. Second, they really aren’t that expensive. Sure you could rent a small grip and electric package and pack it into your own car, but likely those several items will probably equal around half of what you’d just spend on the truck itself. Below we’ll break down some fairly standard rates for grip trucks.

But how do you know if you actually need a grip truck? For us, it comes down to if we are hiring a gaffer? A gaffer is the chief lighting technician whose responsibility is to work with the director of photography to design the lighting setup and modifiers used on a film production set. These talented professionals have a vast knowledge of lights, diffusion, blocking as well as motion in order to make your shots look their best. For most jobs, you’d also have a key grip. And if this is the case, it is a no-brainer that we absolutely need a grip truck. After all, if we are supplying the equipment from the back of our car, it’s very likely that there isn’t much to work with!

When should you rent a grip truck? Part 2

A Key grip is typically responsible for modifying the lights. This could be through blocking light. Bouncing light. Diffusing light or even helping to operate dolly’s that can be moved around with the camera and/or operator on them! These men and women are typically great at rigging pieces of equipment in temporary, yet safe, ways. They’ll help you get the desired lighting in a shot.

All this to say, if you are on a small no-budget shoot, it’s obvious that there just isn’t the resources to hire a gaffer and key grip, and therefore unlikely that you’d need a grip truck. Perhaps it’s just yourself and a friend shooting a small passion project with two actors. Likely you’d just be using the few lights you already own or rented as well as a few diffusion pieces. Sure it might not be the greatest looking thing ever made, but you are having fun doing it. Perhaps it doesn’t require much lighting or modifying of lighting. We’ve worked on several projects of this caliber. Quite frankly there is definitely a budget and a time for them!

What equipment is on a grip truck?

This is a great question because while there isn’t typically a set number of items, there is a sort of standard to work off of, regardless of who’s truck you end up renting. Take a look at these videos below for some walkthroughs!

How much do grip trucks cost?

The standard rate in the bay area for a grip truck ranges from $275 to around $850/day for a 5 ton. There are also additional mileage costs to cover wear and tear which can vary from 50 cents to over a dollar per mile. Lastly, there is typically a fuel cost which ranges based on the current fuel cost.

Are there any additional requirements?

The biggest hurdle for many new production companies would be production insurance. Grip and electric rental houses are going to require a certificate of insurance that covers leased and rented vehicles and well as drivers. While there is a low chance of anything happening to these trucks, it’s better safe than sorry to ensure you are covered. Many insurance companies will offer day or per project insurance to cover this. While our insurance is a few thousand per year, it can get much higher depending on the specifics involved! Best to research insurance companies that would best suit your needs. It’s worth a mention, that Hill and Usher’s package choice has been awesome over the years!

Are there any San Francisco bay area rental houses you’d recommend?

In our time as a production company we have worked with several grip and electric houses around the bay area. There are also some owner/operator “rental houses” that don’t necessarily rent to others unless they are hired as the gaffer on the job. Below is a list of a few we’d recommend

Bolt Lighting: Located in Berkeley, they are a small rental house with a few sprinters, 1 ton and three ton trucks.

DTC Lighting: Located in Emeryville, DTC is probably the biggest most well-known in the bay area with a plethora of trucks. They’ve got a few 1 tons, a 3 ton, 4 ton, 5 ton, and 10 ton available for rent. They likely also have the biggest selection of lighting equipment available.

Rebel Sun: Located in Cupertino in the south bay, they are a smaller shop that offers a 1 ton, 2 ton, 3 ton and 4 ton option as well as most main lights.

Little Giant and grip: Located in the Mission district in San Francisco they are one of the best lighting and grip rental houses with a 1 ton, sprinter, 3 ton, and 5 ton available.

Owner Operator grip trucks

Luke Seerveld at Seerveld Lighting – Also creator at Meet The Gaffer

Clay Kerry at Bulldog Lighting

Thanks for taking a look at our article on when to rent a grip truck. Hopefully, it gave some insight into when it would make sense to jump in on one. We know it can seem overwhelming, but having one of these trucks, will likely elevate your video production!

Looking for San Francisco video production? Contact us today!