Journal
Cars that stole the scene.
Casting notes, silhouettes and soft research from the CarSeen desk.
23 October 2026
Picture car hire companies in the UK: how to choose
How to choose among UK picture car hire brokers, fleets and owner marketplaces, with fair pros and cons and no company ranking.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
Preparing Your Car for a Film Shoot: Owner Checklist
An owner's checklist for getting a classic or modern car ready for a film, TV or photo shoot, from cleaning and paperwork to what to pack on the day.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
Matching Picture Car Doubles: Why Productions Need Two
Why film and TV productions often need two or more identical picture cars, how matching doubles are sourced in the UK, and what to put in the brief.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
Filming with Electric Cars: A Guide for UK Shoots
Practical notes for UK productions hiring electric cars for film, TV, commercials and music videos: charging, range, sound, lights and on-set planning.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
Hiring a Car for a Short Film or Student Film in the UK
How independent, short and student film-makers in the UK can find and hire the right picture car, plan the shoot around it and keep the owner happy.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
Routemaster Bus Hire for Filming in London and the UK
Planning to film with a classic London Routemaster or vintage bus? What to know about period, access, driving, interiors and briefing a bus for a UK shoot.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
How to Source a Rare or Specific Car for a Film Shoot
How UK productions find a rare, specific or hard-to-source picture car: where to look, how to brief it, and what to do when the exact car does not exist.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
Picture Car Insurance Explained for UK Productions
How insurance works when a production hires a picture car in the UK: who covers what, what owners should check, and what to agree before the shoot day.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
How to Brief a Picture Car: A Guide for UK Productions
What to include in a picture car brief so the right car arrives on set: story, era, colour, condition, logistics and the details owners need to say yes.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
Tracking Vehicles vs Low Loaders for Car Filming
When to film a moving car with a tracking vehicle, a low loader or a process trailer, and what each choice means for cast, owners and the schedule.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
Right-Hand vs Left-Hand Drive Cars for UK Shoots
When a UK shoot needs a right-hand or left-hand drive car, how it affects camera, cast and continuity, and how to brief it so the right car turns up.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
Renting Your Classic Car to Film Productions: Owner Guide
A UK owner's guide to renting a classic car to film, TV and commercial shoots: what productions look for, what to agree, and how a shoot day runs.
Read the guide →
21 October 2026
Period-Correct Cars for 1920s to 1950s UK Drama
A decade-by-decade guide to period-correct cars for UK productions set from the 1920s to the 1950s, with notes on everyday cars and background traffic.
Read the guide →
8 October 2026
How to film driving scenes: low loaders, A-frames, tracking vehicles and static set-ups
How productions film driving scenes: real driving, low loaders, A-frames, tracking vehicles and static set-ups, and what each means for your picture car.
Read the guide →
8 October 2026
What does a picture car coordinator do, and how do you brief one?
What a picture car coordinator does on a film, TV or commercial shoot, when you need one, and how to brief them so the right cars turn up on the day.
Read the guide →
8 October 2026
Filming with police cars and uniforms in the UK: what the rules say
Using replica police cars or uniforms on a UK shoot? The law, the Met Police Film Unit's protocols and the practical steps that keep your shoot on track.
Read the guide →
8 October 2026
ULEZ and the Congestion Charge: what period picture cars pay on a London shoot
Do period picture cars pay ULEZ or the Congestion Charge on a London shoot? What TfL's rules say about historic vehicles, cabs, buses and replicas.
Read the guide →
8 October 2026
Number plates for filming: dating, period plates and the rules
Get number plates right on a UK shoot: dating a car by its plate, black-and-silver plates, screen-only plates and what DVLA rules say about the road.
Read the guide →
8 October 2026
Period-correct cars for a 1990s or 2000s drama
Casting a 1990s or 2000s drama? The everyday cars, police cars, vans and number plates that make the recent past feel right, and why they're hard to find.
Read the guide →
8 October 2026
Car product placement in UK film and TV: how it works
How car product placement works in UK film and TV: placement vs prop placement, what Ofcom's Code says, and when hiring a picture car is simpler.
Read the guide →
8 October 2026
Car music video ideas: 10 looks and how to pull them off
Ten car music video ideas, from 80s night drives to lowered American classics and supercar performance shots, with the practical points for each car.
Read the guide →
8 October 2026
Car photoshoot ideas: vintage and classic car concepts that work
Car photoshoot ideas for fashion and editorial: vintage convertibles, pastel classics, luxury cars, poses and locations that work with a classic car.
Read the guide →
8 October 2026
Filming car scenes on public roads in the UK: permissions and planning
Can you film car scenes on UK public roads? Road closures, police, TfL red routes, low loaders and lead times, with links to the official guidance.
Read the guide →
2 October 2026
How much does it cost to hire a car for a film shoot?
What shapes a picture car quote, from the vehicle and hours to driving, transport and insurance.
Read the guide →
2 October 2026
How to find period-correct cars for a 1960s, 70s or 80s drama
The real mix on the road, number plates, colours, condition, region and continuity.
Read the guide →
2 October 2026
Picture cars vs action vehicles: what productions need to know
The difference between the terms, plus insurance, drivers, doubles and logistics.
Read the guide →
2 October 2026
A checklist for booking a car for a commercial or photoshoot
A practical checklist from the first brief and sign-off through to wrap.
Read the guide →
Feature
Ten cars that stole the scene
From Bond’s DB5 to Oxford’s Morse Jag — ten screen vehicles that shaped how we see classics on camera, and how those silhouettes still read today.
Read the piece →
Casting a scene?
Tell us the year, the character, the city. We’ll cast the street.