Vehicles required for filming in NSW

[warren brown]

Yes, Phil - it's interesting you should mention Shutter Island. I was onboard a flight last year and flicked through the in-service movie guide where the key picture was of Leonardo Di Caprio and pump-action shotgun wielding prison guards sitting in an immaculate Weapons Carrier - which in turn ensured it was the first film I watched. Shutter Island also had a terrific M38A1 - but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why these Alcatraz-style prison guards in dark blue/black uniforms were driving around in army liveried olive-drab vehicles on an Alcatraz-style prison island in the US. (Actually, that was the least of my problems with the film because I couldn't understand much else either).
While I've never hired out any of my vehicles for movies, I know of a few people who've had pleasant and lucrative experiences during film shoots - they've always been with the vehicle - and had hotel accomodation paid for etc. But a word of warning - I was involved with a motoring television program that required 'onboard' cameras be fitted to film you while you drive. The specialist onboard camera guys needed to fit mountings and tubular, scaffold-like framework within the car. Because of batteries running out, tape running out, daylight disappearing, focus shifting, director's blowing up - these guys were under enormous pressure to fix things - and quickly. More often than not, the car was returned to the supplier with trim, upholstery and paintwork damaged - dashboards scraped and torn - headlining marked or cut - it would make you cry. And I'm not talking about cheap cars either - really top-end stuff. Manufacturers were not happy...