Film crew hire/Manchester/Gaffer
Hire a gaffer in Manchester. The DOP’s lighting plan, rigged, powered and safe.
Gaffers for brand films, adverts, interviews and drama across Greater Manchester and the North, booked from our office in Ancoats. They turn the DOP’s lighting plan into lamps, stands, cable and power, and run the sparks who rig it. £550 a day, paid to the gaffer in full, with their van and kit on its own line.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 48 hrs from enquiry to confirmed crew, on most Manchester bookings
- £10m employers’ liability on every crew member we book
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books
Photos: Here Now Films, Eli Cooper, Jametlene Reskp and Gordon Cowie
The role
What a gaffer does on your shoot
The gaffer is the head of the lighting department. They work out with the DOP how each set-up will be lit, choose the lamps, plan the power, and run the sparks who rig and focus the lights. On a location they find the power, or bring a generator, and make sure nothing trips, overheats or falls over.
Many Manchester gaffers own a van of LED lighting, stands, flags and cable, so one booking covers the person and the kit.
- The plan, lit. The DOP describes the look; the gaffer chooses and places the lamps that make it.
- Power that holds. House power, distribution or a generator, worked out before the day.
- Quick turnarounds. The next set-up pre-rigged while the current one shoots.
- Safe rigging. Stands weighted, cables run and taped, heads above people secured.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Planning the lighting with the DOP
- Rigging, focusing and adjusting every lamp
- Power: finding it, distributing it, keeping it safe
- Running the sparks, if you book them
- Striking the lights and leaving the location as found
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- The lighting van and kit, at a day rate on its own line
- A generator or extra power, if the location needs it
- Travel outside Greater Manchester, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in Manchester.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production: who’s the producer of record?
One question sets the price: who’s the producer of record? Book a gaffer for your own shoot, or have us take the production on.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% + 2% booking fee and insurance, on everything we book for you: crew, kit and travel.
We do
- Find, book and brief the crew, and pay them
- Book kit, travel and hotels too, if you want them
- Send the full price before anything is booked
- One person to call all day
- Employers’ liability for the crew we book, and insurance on kit we hire in
You do
- Run the shoot, or your producer does
- The plan, the schedule and the call sheet
- The location, its permission and its public liability
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
What the 2% insures: employers’ liability for every crew member we book, and the kit we hire in for you. Nothing else on the shoot. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
15% + 5% production fee, plus insurance and contingency, on the whole production budget. Quoted as a production.
We do
- Our producer plans it with you and runs the day
- Locations, permits, kit, studio, travel and hotels, booked and paid in our name
- Insurance for the whole shoot, public liability included, plus the risk assessment and the call sheet
- One contract and one invoice, so overseas teams need no UK company
You do
- The creative calls
- Signing off the plan and the budget
What the 5% pays for: our production insurance across the whole shoot, £10m public liability included, and the contingency.
Not sure which you need? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote.
On the day
A day with a gaffer, call to wrap
Interviews and B-roll in a converted mill in Ancoats, big windows on one side. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Van in Parked at the loading bay; the lighting kit up in the lift before the camera arrives.
- 07:30 Power The building’s circuits checked, cable runs planned so nothing crosses a doorway.
- 08:00 The plan A walk round with the DOP: a big soft key from the window side, a backlight, the room behind lit warm.
- 09:00 Rigged and focused Lamps up, flags set, the window brought down with a scrim so the daylight matches.
- 13:00 Lunch The afternoon set-up pre-rigged in the next room.
- 15:30 The light changes The sun moves round; the key brought up and the window flagged to hold the look.
- 18:30 Wrap Everything struck and back in the van, the room as it was.
Which kind
Which lighting crew do you need?
How big the lighting team gets depends on the look, the space and how fast the day moves.
Gaffer with a van One person, a full LED kit £550 a day + kit
A gaffer with their own van of LEDs, stands, flags and cable. Often all an interview or small brand film needs.
Best for interviews, corporate films and one-location days.
Gaffer and spark Two people, faster turnarounds Per person
The gaffer runs the plan; the spark rigs, runs cable and pre-rigs the next set-up. See sparks in Manchester.
Best for multi-set-up days and bigger lamps.
Full lighting crew Gaffer, best boy and sparks Quoted on the brief
A best boy to run the crew and the kit, and as many sparks as the plan needs, with big HMIs or a balloon light.
Best for adverts, drama, night exteriors and studio days.
Lighting desk Programmable lights and effects Quoted on the brief
A desk operator for colour-changing LEDs, practical effects and lighting cues, on a stage or a music video.
Best for music videos, events and studio shoots with effects.
Generator Power where there is none Quoted on the brief
A silent film generator and an operator, for locations without enough power. Location One in Manchester supplies them; see kit rental in Manchester.
Best for night exteriors and big lamps on location.
What it’s for
What people book a gaffer for in Manchester
Interviews that look like film
Offices, mills and boardrooms lit so they don’t look like offices.
Brand films and adverts
A lighting plan across several set-ups, with the next one always ready.
Studio days
Coves and stages at Space Studios, The Sharp Project and Salford, lit from the rig.
Night exteriors
Streets in the Northern Quarter and Castlefield, lit from a cherry picker or a balloon.
Events and stages
Speakers lit for the camera as well as the room.
Recent work
Lighting on our jobs
Full production · Oslo · 2026
A cherry picker of tungsten in Oslo
For a night scene by the river in AI for Empowerment, big tungsten lamps went up on a cherry picker, lighting the whole riverbank for the camera.
How we crew it · Manchester
Gaffer and kit, one line each
Most of our Manchester gaffers bring their own van. The day rate goes to the gaffer in full; the van and the kit go on their own line, at the same booking fee and insurance as everything else.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 11 hours, including an hour for lunch.
- Overtime at card rates, agreed with you before it happens.
Power and kit
- Tell us about the location’s power when you book, or we’ll check it at the recce.
- Kit houses in Manchester for bigger lamps: Panalux and ELP at Space Studios, Media Dog and Direct Digital.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the gaffer.
- 50% by card when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, kit, travel.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
What our insurance covers
- Employers’ liability for the gaffer we book: £10m.
- Kit we hire in for you is insured. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
- Nothing else on a crew hire. Public liability, the location and your own kit stay with you, and your venue will want your certificate. When we’re the producer of record, our policy covers the shoot.
£550 a day
APA/Bectu card: Up to £585 a day for a gaffer.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £550 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £55 |
| Insurance, 2% | £11 |
| One day, before kit and travel | £616 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the gaffer we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the gaffer.
- Most Manchester bookings confirmed within 48 hours
- 50% by card at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
Or call us on 07412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a gaffer in Manchester.
Tell us the date, the location, the look, and whether there’s power on site. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in Manchester, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Manchester, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 05
- Producer From £450
- Production manager £504–627
- 2nd AD £355–448
- Production assistant £400
- Runner £245
Camera 07
- DOP From £850
- Camera operator £529–656
- Focus puller £461–575
- Clapper loader £355–448
- Steadicam operator From £950
- Gimbal operator £529–656
- Drone operator From £750
Data and playback 02
- DIT £527
- Video playback £334–518
Sound 01
- Sound recordist £550
Hair, make-up and costume 02
- Hair and make-up £398
- Costume £519–694
Art department 02
- Art director £675–878
- Set builders £341–512
Post-production 01
- Editor From £350
How our rates work: crew rates in Manchester. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Manchester.
Production support
Everything around the crew
A gaffer needs power, parking and sometimes a generator. Each gets its own line on the quote, or use the guides to sort them yourself.
Questions
Hiring a gaffer in Manchester: questions
How much does a gaffer cost in Manchester?
Our gaffers are £550 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, paid to the gaffer in full; the APA/Bectu card sets Up to £585. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance: £616 + VAT for the day. Their van and lighting kit go on their own line.
What does the insurance on a crew booking cover?
Two things. Employers’ liability for every crew member we book, up to £10m, and insurance on the kit we hire in for you. That’s what the 2% pays for. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote. The 2% doesn’t insure the rest of the shoot: public liability, the location, your own kit and anything you book yourself stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production, and our insurance covers the whole shoot, public liability included.
What does a gaffer do?
Runs the lighting department: plans the lighting with the DOP, chooses the lamps, works out the power and leads the sparks who rig it.
Do I need a gaffer for an interview?
For a simple talking head, a lighting camera operator can light it. For an interview that has to look like a film, with the room lit as well as the face, book a gaffer.
Do Manchester gaffers bring their own lights?
Many do: a van of LED panels, stands, flags and cable. It’s priced at a day rate on its own line. Bigger lamps come from a kit house.
What if the location doesn’t have enough power?
The gaffer checks at the recce. If the house power won’t do, we add a film generator and an operator to the quote.
How far ahead should I book a gaffer in Manchester?
Most Manchester bookings are confirmed within 48 hours. For a night exterior or a generator, give it a week.