Movie Production Logistics & Film Shipping Services
Packair Atlanta understands that every multiple shipping project presents logistical process complexities. We’ve created a diverse international Logistics Division to provide customized freight solutions exclusively for our customers for their specific transportation requirements. As your single information source, we coordinate all cargo delivery and carrier requirements into a collective solution.
Utilizing our industry network and trusted partnerships, the Logistics Division develops a definitive plan and most efficient schedule for each shipment phase. Our focus allows for service analysis, tracking, consultation and adjustment throughout the shipping process.
Low operational costs
Optimization Programs
Careful handling of valuable goods
Employers uniform standards
Minimal processing times
Packair Atlanta Film Production Shipping Division specializes in meeting the needs of your production. Each production has it’s own unique needs; hence Packair Atlanta Film Shipping Division is designed with the flexibility to adjust our services to the job at hand. Packair Atlanta’s experienced film logistics staff can provide a wide range of services exactly timed to your filming schedule.
A-to-Z Movie Production Logistics
- Logistics Planning – Diligently planning the most time effective and cost efficient routing of movie props, food catering, camera equipment and film dailies.
- Freight Forwarding – Arranging and tracking each cargo shipment whether by air, ocean or ground freight transport so you can rest assured that your precious cargo will be safely and securely transported every step of the way.
- Import Customs Clearance – Our in-house customs brokers may process all documentation needed for temporary or permanent import of goods.
- ATA Carnet – We are licensed by US authorities to issue Carnets. Don’t delay, Carnet the Packair way!
- Air Charter – We will arrange for the transport of your people as well as your freight.
- Cargo Insurance – Packair offers cargo insurance protections that go way beyond standard corporate or cargo insurance policies so that your valuable film production equipment is protected against every possible risk.
Other Services include:
- Warehousing
- Weekly process reports:
- Freight on-hand (the “On Dock” report)
- Freight in-transit to the job site (the “Sail” report)
- Various reports as required
- Freight forwarding in and out of Atlanta, throughout the US, and abroad
- Coordination of the biggest and one of the only specialized cargo services in Atlanta: Project Cargo or Oversize Cargo services —heavy / oversized equipment—between shipping origin and destination points including special handling or loading.
- Consolidation based on a project area, phase, specified or predetermined timeline.
- Final Mile or Last Mile, and White Glove delivery services for safe, reliable end-to-end transportation including installation of appliances, putting together furniture, etc.
- Assistance in scheduling and container movement system.
- Emergency expediting.
- Coordination of ocean freight, air freight and other types of shipments.
- Complete itemized freight listing within container prior to container arrival.
- Intermodal container movements for container load (FCL) and less-than-container load (LCL) shipments.
- Timely response to tracing requests, billing requests, and other customer requests.
With film production logistics and shipping, any snag can lead to costly production delays. Rest easy with Packair’s catered custom film logistics services. We are Hollywood and Atlanta’s trusted film production partners, and we have helped award-winning studios create some of the biggest blockbuster films and TV shows in the industry. Let Packair take over any and all film logistics concerns so you can dedicate yourself to your art.
Atlanta: The New Hollywood of the South
The Walking Dead. Stranger Things. The Hunger Games series. What do all these film productions have in common? They were all filmed in Atlanta.
Ever since 2001, when Georgia’s General Assembly passed the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act which exempted the film industry from many state and local taxes, Atlanta and the Atlanta-Sandy Springs metropolitan area have been the Hollywood of the South.
And thanks to The Big Peach being one of the biggest logistics hubs in the country, as well as home to one of Packair’s main locations, and being much more budget-friendly than Hollywood, it’s no surprise that Atlanta is so appealing to film studios. Atlanta landmarks like The Swan House, Piedmont Park, the Georgian Terrace, and the Georgia Aquarium alone have hosted at least 12 major shows and movies between them.
Atlanta is also home to one of the biggest airports in the Western Hemisphere, let alone the US, and the center of a veritable labyrinth of highways in every direction, making it one of the capitals of air and ground logistics across the country. It’s no coincidence that Delta calls ATL’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport home.
What are Film Production Logistics & Shipping?
Film production logistics and shipping are often the last, most overlooked, yet most crucial part of the film production process, and certainly the least understood and most outsourced. Film production logistics can include everything from transporting pre-made set pieces and props, A/V equipment, costumes, actors’ trailers, and more, in addition to setting up the local supply chain, and performing maintenance for the entire production process. Production logistics professionals are the first to arrive and the last to leave.
Film production logistics are often the least talked about part of a film production when performed well, but when challenges arise, they stop everyone from working. These challenges even became the topic of global audiences and viewers after COVID-19, when film productions were delayed or even cancelled. Some productions were delayed for months, others a year or more, and still others never made it past that challenge. Google was inundated with searches like “Game of Thrones release date” and “When is the The Handmaid’s Tale coming back”. TV and movies were one of the many parts of daily life that were put on pause due to COVID and its consequences on world logistics.
Film logistics, on the film studio side, can involve everyone from locations managers and logistics coordinators to production managers and assistant directors. Bigger studios have more of their logistics planning done in-house, but even the biggest production companies outsource some of their work to logistics companies, and smaller studios or independent film productions will hire third party companies that specialize in film logistics and planning to take care of more of the process, so the production can focus more on actual production.
Bottom line: whether it’s just shipping and transportation, or managing and transporting the entire set, logistics companies and
professionals are the backbone and working professionals of the production process. Without them, the show would not go on.
How Can I Find a Good Film Production Logistics Provider?
Maybe you’re an assistant director on a smaller production, tasked with more responsibility including taking care of the set planning, or maybe you’re a logistics coordinator for a smaller or independent production, like a web series, an independent film, or the pilot of a new show. Where do you start?
The first question is going through the checklist of the equipment you need, what will be transported by the studio, and what you need moved, and what you need shipped. Is the studio taking care of trailers? Props? As a manager, would you rest easier knowing some or all of this is managed for you by a reliable logistics partner who specializes in all of this? Or maybe you aren’t sure, and need help from a production logistics consultant?
Second, what is the budget? The portion of a film budget set aside for logistics and set management is usually around 25%. Always set aside some budget for the inevitable hiccups, “fixing”, and budget overruns, both on the way to the filming location and back (getting the equipment back is often an afterthought, so word from the professionals: keep that in mind, or work with a good logistics and management consultant).
Third, consider the costs from the locals: permits, mandatory authority costs (like police, traffic management, taxes, rental costs). These responsibilities usually go more to the location managers and scouts, but in a smaller production, everyone’s scope can be bigger, and budgets can bleed over. Plan well and have a smooth production later!
What Should I Look For in a Film Logistics Company?
Some factors involved in this decision are based on a few questions. Is this an international production? Is it multi-locational? Will customs be involved? Is it a big or small production, and how much of the process is already managed with partners (you will already know the answer to this question)? Do we need the whole production managed, or are we just outsourcing the shipping and/or customs clearance?
If you are working on a bigger production and already have set and location managers and coordinators, you are probably looking for a shipping and customs clearance company with experience in film production logistics. Ideally that company would be able to fill any gaps in the logistics chain as well.
Packair has been helping studios and production professionals with their logistics consulting and management for decades. Based in LA, but with offices, ports, and contacts all over the world, Packair excels in being the “fixer” for your logistics demands. We can manage the entire logistics process, from start to finish, source to destination; or, we can help you seamlessly fill the gaps with any logistics needs along the process.
The worst nightmares of production and logistics support are having things get lost or stuck. Many logistics companies handle shipping or transportation to and from the site but outsource to third parties for everything else. This can result in delays, not knowing where in the journey and why cargo is delayed, cargo getting stuck in a port for some reason, or equipment getting stuck in customs, with no one to handle all the wrinkles.
This is what makes Packair the ideal production logistics partner. Packair is one of the few customs clearance companies with decades of experience, and one of the few logistics professionals to be able to clear customs anywhere in the country, and with staff and contacts in international ports. We handle everything in-house, from start to finish, with your equipment tracked every step of the way. Our experts are available around the clock with real-time access to your cargo. Our logistics consultants are also available at any time should you need help filling the gaps, or taking over for your current partners where equipment gets stuck on the journey.
Packair knows that good logistics professionals are the ones behind the scenes. The first to arrive and the last to leave. Where logistics and transportation are an afterthought and the show can go on! When done well, it’s a thankless job, but those in the logistics business are just happy to help.