Rolling Tetris: How we pack our production van

At Copper Hound Pictures, we have a lot of gear - around 20 Pelican cases, a plethora of c-stands, tripods, soft boxes…the list goes on and on. And as it goes with gear and its propensity for magically accumulating, we had to take a good, hard look at how best to maximize the interior space of this (not so) lovely Nissan van. 

We all stood around and hemmed and hawed and measured this and remeasured that, making sure we could double stack the cases, but also have room for the bigger, loose, and soft stuff. Well, after a few sheets of 1/2” plywood, some 12-gauge half slotted metal framing strut channels, some inexpensive LEDs, a bolt of marine vinyl from the lovely Joann Fabrics, and a heavy dose of good old Yankee ingenuity, this video here showcases what we came up with. We start shoot days with it looking like this, but I’d be lying if I told you this is how it ends up. That video, the “van after a week of shooting” video, might come later. 

The best upgrade though was the walled partition between the front and back of the van, because unless you’ve really lived the experience of driving a mostly uninsulated grip van in February, we don’t recommend it. It’s a combination of being both physically and auditorially unsuitable for human existence - picture a 4th Grade brass concert held inside a small meat locker traveling at 65 miles an hour. 

Enjoy this video to see how it’s all done.