Barry Newell, Unit Driver
Credits include The New World, Rosemary And Thyme, State Of Play, Foyle's War.
What does your job involve?
My day can start at anytime. Often it's in the early hours of the morning - maybe 4am or 5am. I'll go and pick up an artist, a director or a crew member and will drive them to the where the unit is filming. During the rest of the day, I might be asked to go and pick up another artist, some paper work, costumes or camera equipment. And at the end of the day, I would probably take the artist back home.
A unit driver will transport anything the unit wants that involves a motor car. There are certain things we don't do though: if equipment won't fit in the boot, we don't take it. And we won't transport food
You might think that a mini-cab driver could do the job, but there is more to it than meets the eye. We've had people who have lasted just five minutes in this job - it's not the easiest job in the world.
We do our homework. If I'm asked to pick someone up at 4.45am, I'll be there at 4.30am and I'll have researched beforehand exactly where I have to be and where I am driving to.
You also tend to find that you are looking after the artist. You have to be very sensitive to their needs. You have to be aware that first thing in the morning an artist could be learning their lines or could want to sleep. The last thing they might want is a star struck driver talking to them. On the other hand they may want to chat so you have to be polite and maybe try to make them laugh.
99% of unit drivers are self employed. A few years ago, about 50 of us formed the Film Unit Drivers Guild. We found that we were going off and doing a film for a few days, and then when it ended we would be without work. So we got together to form the Guild which we run as a business to parcel out work to our drivers. We work on at least 90% of the productions shooting in the UK.
A lot of my work comes from relationships with production managers, line producers, producers or artists I've built up over the years. When they contact the guild, they invariably never ask for a particular kind of car, they will ask for a specific driver. If the driver is unavailable, the Guild will fax through a list of drivers who are available. Of course, you couldn't turn up in a rusty Datsun!
What skills do you need for the job?
You need to be an intelligent driver. It's no good getting behind schedule and doing ninety five miles an hour to try and make up for lost time. You've got to drive within the limits - artists can get frightened. One actress I drove for didn't like going over 65 miles an hour and liked me to have both hands on the steering wheel.
You've also got to be adaptable - plans can change at the very last minute. You've also got to be willing - a unit driver can often work 18 hour days. A unit driver also needs to have a good sense of humour and to be a people person.
He or she also has to have integrity. One ex-unit driver was caught out informing the paparazzi every time he took Mel Gibson anywhere. He no longer works in the industry.
How do you get into the business?
It's a very hard business to get into - and to be brutally honest we're very protective because there is not a mountain of work available.
A driver has to be registered with the Public Carriage Office, which involves a police check, a clean driving record and registering a car.
If someone walked into the office with all the necessary paperwork, he might get one or two jobs here and there. But if he's not known, it's very tough to break in - you need to know people in this business. For example, if I'm contacted about a job, I'll tend to ring three or four people I know and want to work with.
What does your job involve?
My day can start at anytime. Often it's in the early hours of the morning - maybe 4am or 5am. I'll go and pick up an artist, a director or a crew member and will drive them to the where the unit is filming. During the rest of the day, I might be asked to go and pick up another artist, some paper work, costumes or camera equipment. And at the end of the day, I would probably take the artist back home.
A unit driver will transport anything the unit wants that involves a motor car. There are certain things we don't do though: if equipment won't fit in the boot, we don't take it. And we won't transport food
You might think that a mini-cab driver could do the job, but there is more to it than meets the eye. We've had people who have lasted just five minutes in this job - it's not the easiest job in the world.
We do our homework. If I'm asked to pick someone up at 4.45am, I'll be there at 4.30am and I'll have researched beforehand exactly where I have to be and where I am driving to.
You also tend to find that you are looking after the artist. You have to be very sensitive to their needs. You have to be aware that first thing in the morning an artist could be learning their lines or could want to sleep. The last thing they might want is a star struck driver talking to them. On the other hand they may want to chat so you have to be polite and maybe try to make them laugh.
99% of unit drivers are self employed. A few years ago, about 50 of us formed the Film Unit Drivers Guild. We found that we were going off and doing a film for a few days, and then when it ended we would be without work. So we got together to form the Guild which we run as a business to parcel out work to our drivers. We work on at least 90% of the productions shooting in the UK.
A lot of my work comes from relationships with production managers, line producers, producers or artists I've built up over the years. When they contact the guild, they invariably never ask for a particular kind of car, they will ask for a specific driver. If the driver is unavailable, the Guild will fax through a list of drivers who are available. Of course, you couldn't turn up in a rusty Datsun!
What skills do you need for the job?
You need to be an intelligent driver. It's no good getting behind schedule and doing ninety five miles an hour to try and make up for lost time. You've got to drive within the limits - artists can get frightened. One actress I drove for didn't like going over 65 miles an hour and liked me to have both hands on the steering wheel.
You've also got to be adaptable - plans can change at the very last minute. You've also got to be willing - a unit driver can often work 18 hour days. A unit driver also needs to have a good sense of humour and to be a people person.
He or she also has to have integrity. One ex-unit driver was caught out informing the paparazzi every time he took Mel Gibson anywhere. He no longer works in the industry.
How do you get into the business?
It's a very hard business to get into - and to be brutally honest we're very protective because there is not a mountain of work available.
A driver has to be registered with the Public Carriage Office, which involves a police check, a clean driving record and registering a car.
If someone walked into the office with all the necessary paperwork, he might get one or two jobs here and there. But if he's not known, it's very tough to break in - you need to know people in this business. For example, if I'm contacted about a job, I'll tend to ring three or four people I know and want to work with.
