5 Things Film Crews Waste Time On (And Why We've Just Accepted Them)

Film sets are busy enough without making life harder for ourselves.

Early call times, last-minute changes, equipment everywhere and someone shouting for something that was definitely in that crate five minutes ago.

Sound familiar?

Working in film and TV has always been demanding. Long days, tight schedules and constantly changing setups are part of the job.

But here's a question: How much of your working day is spent actually doing your job, and how much is spent fighting with your equipment?

At Hippo Carts, we think some of the little frustrations crews deal with every day deserve a rethink.

Here are five things we've somehow accepted as normal on set.

1. The Great Search for That One Piece of Kit

You know it's there.

You packed it yourself.

But now you're three crates deep, moving cables, clamps and random bits of kit trying to find the one thing you need.

Meanwhile, someone is waiting for you to finish the rig.

It might only take five minutes, but when it happens repeatedly throughout the day, those minutes add up.

Having a dedicated place for your equipment isn't just about being tidy. It's about being able to put your hand on exactly what you need, when you need it.

For grips, that could mean organised storage for clamps, rigging hardware, flags and accessories. For sparks, it might mean having cables, adapters and lighting equipment separated and ready to go.

Less searching. More doing.

2. Making Three Trips When One Would Do

We've all seen it.

Someone carrying a stand under one arm, a bag over their shoulder and whatever else they can balance in their remaining hand.

Then heading back to the truck because there's still more kit to collect.

Moving equipment is unavoidable. Making unnecessary trips isn't.

A properly designed production cart can help move more equipment in fewer journeys, keeping everything together and reducing the constant back and forth between the truck, unit base and set.

And when you're moving heavy sandbags, stands or crates of grip equipment, reducing unnecessary manual handling is even more important.

Your energy is better spent on the actual rig than carrying kit around all day.

3. Working Around Your Cart Instead of Your Cart Working Around You

Here's one that particularly frustrates us.

You've invested in a production cart to make your job easier, but now you're having to work around its limitations.

The shelves are at the wrong height.

There's nowhere sensible to store your C-stands.

Your equipment doesn't quite fit.

Or you've changed your kit for a different production and suddenly the cart layout makes no sense.

Why should you have to adapt your entire workflow to fit a piece of equipment?

We think it should be the other way around.

That's why we offer bespoke film and TV production carts designed around the equipment crews actually use.

Need adjustable shelving? We can design it.

Specific stand holders? No problem.

Dedicated storage for your crates, tools or charging equipment? That's exactly the sort of challenge we enjoy.

Because no two departments work in exactly the same way.

4. The Charging Chaos

It's the start of a long shoot day.

Someone needs a battery.

Someone else needs a tube light.

And suddenly everyone's trying to work out what's charged, what isn't, and where the right charger has disappeared to.

Charging equipment is essential, but it can quickly become a mess of cables, power supplies and equipment spread across different areas.

Dedicated charging carts can help bring everything together.

We've designed bespoke charging solutions with storage for tube lights, integrated power arrangements and drawers for accessories.

The aim is simple: create an organised charging station where equipment can be stored, accessed and managed more efficiently.

Because nobody wants to be the person explaining why the kit isn't ready.

5. The Time Lost During Every Set Move

You've finally got everything exactly where you need it.

Then comes the call.

"We're moving locations."

And suddenly it's time to pack everything away, load up, move, unload and rebuild your workspace.

Again.

For camera crews, DITs and other departments using mobile workstations, this can be particularly frustrating.

That's why details such as folding designs, removable wheels, cable pass-throughs and practical shelf layouts matter.

They're not necessarily the most exciting features to talk about.

But when you're setting up and packing down several times, they can make a real difference.

Our Folding Cart, for example, is designed to provide two practical work surfaces while folding down for easier transport and storage.

Sometimes the smallest design decisions make the biggest difference to your day.

The Real Cost Isn't Just Time

Here's something worth thinking about.

When you're constantly searching for equipment, making unnecessary trips or reorganising a poorly designed setup, it's not just frustrating.

It's time that could have been spent preparing the next rig, checking equipment, getting ahead of the next setup or simply making your working day a little less stressful.

On a production, time matters.

And while a better cart isn't going to solve every challenge on set, it can remove some of the avoidable ones.

That's Why We Started Hippo Carts

We're a small, family run UK business, designing and manufacturing film and TV production carts from our workshop in Derbyshire.

We're not interested in making equipment look impressive just for the sake of it.

We want it to be genuinely useful.

Alex brings his engineering, fabrication and on set project experience to the design process, working directly with customers to understand their equipment and how they use it.

Some of our designs become part of our standard range. Others are completely bespoke, created for one particular department or workflow.

And because we handle our designs in house, we can offer a free bespoke design and quotation service, so you can explore what would work for your kit before committing to a build.

We also believe practical, well made production equipment shouldn't automatically come with an enormous price tag.

What Would Make Your Day on Set Easier?

Maybe it's a cart that holds all your grip equipment in one place.

Maybe it's a charging station that finally gets your batteries and lights organised.

Or maybe it's something completely different that you've been wishing existed for years.

Whatever it is, we'd love to hear about it.

Because sometimes the best products start with someone saying:

"Do you know what would make my job so much easier?"

And that's exactly the sort of conversation we love having.

Visit www.hippocarts.co.uk to explore our standard production carts, or email info@hippocarts.co.uk to discuss a free bespoke design.

Designed for crew, not showrooms..