LPA FUTURES 2023 / GRIPVAN
This week we are back chin wagging with another of our amazing LPA Futures 2023 Partners, cue GripVan. Known for their exceptional equipment hire, top-notch technical consulting and vans which feature bespoke storage we (virtually) sat down Founder and Technical Designer Andrew Howe to grill him on all things GripVan.
Don’t forget that Gripvan are giving each of our LPA Futures 2023 winners £500 Credit on lighting and camera rental, 2 hours technical consultancy time, discounts on lighting and camera rental and lighting test sessions which is invaluable for aspiring commercial photographers.
Here is what he had to say…
Tell us a bit about what GripVan do. It's not just equipment, steamers and trestle tables is it!?
Gripvan is driven by our appetite for solving problems and offering creative ideas for realising all kinds of briefs on both Moving Image and Stills shoots.
Supplying equipment is just a part of our service which includes consultancy, technical production, crewing and bespoke design and build of specialist lighting and camera rigs.
How did GripVan come about?
It all started with the van. Inspired by film industry grip trucks and their smaller stills photo shoot counterparts in the USA we wanted to build a vehicle to use as a tool on the shoots we were working on. After years of working on hundreds of very different sets in many countries we had a broad experience across commercial photo shoots and smaller moving image productions. This experience informed the kit and design choices that went into building our first van. Once that was operational the other elements of the service developed as a natural extension of what we already had a reputation for doing so well on set..
What separates a GripVan-van from your average equipment/lighting van?
Our vans are designed and racked out to maximise efficiency and offer an ergonomic space to work from on set. In a sector of the industry where there isn't always budget to pay for a gaffers loading day the key difference
is that Gripvan was founded and is run by people who have spent the majority of their careers working on set. Our warehouse crew prep and load with the client in mind. They are not only trained to think about how the kit and the van will be used by our clients, they also have on-set experience and are often working on shoots themselves.
It great that you also offer a consultancy service, can you tell us a bit more about that?
I started working in Television in about 1988 and in Photography from 1994. I have been lucky enough to stay fairly busy every year since then and have always been fascinated by every aspect of production which has led to an accumulation of a lot of knowledge. Often clients will just need a bit of advice on the most suitable equipment for their job and we have a great team of knowledgeable account managers who can help with that. On other occasions we may be asked to work on planning the technical approach to achieving the brief either at the pitching stage or once the job has been won. There has been a general shift towards commissioners placing a greater emphasis on a photographer's creative vision rather than their technical skills and we are able to offer support or collaboration either on an hourly or daily basis or, if required right through the shoot. Some clients have strong creative and technical skills but value being able to bounce ideas around or work with us to build bespoke lighting fixtures or camera rigs.
What's been one of your favourite shoots that you’ve helped with?
So many ! I think engineering special mounts to rig multiple Profoto twinheads into softboxes remains a stand out moment. It was for a series of Puma shoots featuring premiership footballers with photographer Jon Johnson and we needed to reduce flash duration. We used a very similar rig on a shoot for Sky The Royal Mob with photographer / Director Tom van Schelven but had to rig the light source 25 metres from the ground. That was a fun one too.
Name 3 must-haves for every set?
Only three ? It has to be
1) A Gripvan
2) A Gripvan Gaffer
3) Decent Catering
What’s on the horizon for GripVan, any new plans?
We keep a very close eye on how Electric commercial vehicles are developing. We already use our electric assist cargo bike and the Peugeot E-Partner van on as many jobs as possible but we plan to continue modernising the fleet with larger electric vehicles as they become viable and available. We also plan to expand the range of Inverter batteries that we stock in our rental inventory as generator alternatives.
If you had one piece of advice for our Futures winners, what would it be?
Never lose sight of what excited you about photography and/or film making in the beginning. Make the time to carry on shooting your passion projects even when you become the hottest new thing in advertising and your phone is ringing non-stop !
Thanks Andrew for all of your words of wisdom, we’re sure it will help our budding commercial photographers.
With only 3 DAYS left to apply to LPA Futures 2023 make sure you don’t miss this incredible opportunity.