A car or large object in the studio: hiring a drive-in studio

Will it fit through the door?

Street-level loading is not the same as drive-in. A studio with a ground-floor roller door can be fine for cases and flight cases, while a car needs a door that is wide and high enough, and a level route onto the shooting floor. In the directory, Studio VK in Pijnacker (drive-in cyc studio of about 375 m²), Creative Studio Maastricht (Main Hall with drive-in), Photostudio Amsterdam (drive-in door for car or motorbike), Unitedstudios in Den Bosch (overhead doors) and Revontuli (vehicles can drive in) mention that option. At Epsilon Studios you cannot drive a car in, and at Filmstudio Den Bosch objects must fit through a normal door.

Ask for the exact door dimensions, the floor load, whether there is a threshold or ramp, and how much room there is to turn or manoeuvre. As a first step, filter for street-level loading, then check the details with the studio.

Cyclorama and light for large subjects

A car against a clean white or black background needs a long, wide cyclorama and room to walk around it with camera and lights. Filter for cyclorama and ask for the curve dimensions. Paint and glass act like a mirror, so you need large, even light sources and control over reflections. Studio 344 in Rotterdam, for example, lists a 12 m cyc and optional softboxes up to 1 × 8 m. See also lighting setups and product photography.

House rules for vehicles

Ask in advance about rules for fuel, exhaust fumes, batteries and tyres on a painted floor. Must the car be pushed in with the engine off, must the tyres be clean, and who pays for a repaint if the cyc is damaged? Put that in the booking; see terms, cancellation and damage. For a scene with a car in a street setting, a set with a covered street can be an option, such as RadarLAB; see street film sets.