Film crew hire/Birmingham/Gaffer
Hire a gaffer in Birmingham. The DOP’s lighting plan, rigged, powered and safe, van and all.
Gaffers for brand films, adverts, interviews, conferences and studio days across Birmingham, from offices on Colmore Row to the stages at Curzon Street Studios. They turn the DOP’s lighting plan into lamps, stands, cable and power, get the van past the loading bay and the building’s rules, and run the sparks who rig it. Local where we can, from Manchester or London where the brief needs it. £550 a day, paid to the gaffer in full, with the van and kit on its own line.
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- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
- £10m employers’ liability on every crew member we book
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books, across the UK
Photos: Here Now Films, Jametlene Reskp, Eli Cooper, Jonah De Oliveira and Lulu Black
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 gaffers own a van of LEDs, stands, flags and cable, so one booking covers the person and the kit. In Birmingham the van has lines of its own: the Clean Air Zone charge inside the Middleway if it isn’t compliant, and Production Central WM’s clearance before lamps go on a pavement or a road.
- 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 at the recce.
- 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, PAT certificates to hand.
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 van and kit, at a day rate, on its own line
- A generator, a cherry picker or extra power, if the location needs it
- Travel from outside Birmingham, and mileage, parking and the Clean Air Zone charge where the day needs them, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in Birmingham.
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 Birmingham shoot, or have us take the production on, permits and parking with it.
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 on an office floor off Colmore Row, inside the Clean Air Zone, with windows on two sides and a loading bay round the back. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Van in Booked into the loading bay with its registration; the kit up in the goods lift, then the van out to a car park.
- 07:30 Power The floor’s circuits checked with the building manager, cable runs planned so nothing crosses a fire door.
- 08:00 The plan A walk round with the DOP: the window as the key, a soft fill, ND on the glass so the street outside holds.
- 09:00 Rigged and focused Lamps up, flags set, reflections in the glass flagged off.
- 13:00 Lunch The afternoon set-up pre-rigged in the boardroom next door.
- 15:30 The light changes The sun drops behind the block opposite; the key brought up to hold the look.
- 18:30 Wrap Everything struck and down the goods lift, the floor 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. In Birmingham it also depends on whether anything goes on the street.
Gaffer with a van One person, a full LED kit £550 + van
A gaffer with their own van of LEDs, stands, flags and cable, priced on its own line. Often all an interview or a 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. A move from Digbeth to the Jewellery Quarter is where a spark earns the day. See sparks in Birmingham.
Best for multi-set-up days, company moves 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. Lighting and grip kit can come from Media Dog Hire at the NEC; the biggest lamps come up from London or across from Manchester.
Best for adverts, drama, night exteriors and stage 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 generator and an operator, for locations without enough power. Production Central WM’s code asks for generators to sit as far from homes and businesses as reasonably practicable, and not to start in a residential street before 08:00 unless they’re silent running.
Best for night exteriors and big lamps on location.
What it’s for
What people book a gaffer for in Birmingham
Interviews in offices
Colmore Row and the business district, and the canal-side blocks at Brindleyplace, lit so the windows don’t win.
Conferences and events
Stage sets and interview corners at the ICC, the NEC and Edgbaston Stadium.
Studio days
Studio A at Curzon Street Studios, 14 by 17 metres under a 6.1-metre grid, and the stages at Digbeth Loc. Studios.
Brand films in real places
Digbeth warehouses and Jewellery Quarter workshops, lit to look like the room, not a set.
Night exteriors
Streets and the canals lit for camera, with Production Central WM’s say-so, and any filming after 23:00 agreed in advance.
Recent work
Lighting on our jobs, and how we crew Birmingham
Crew hire · Woolwich, London · January 2025
A gaffer, a van and a company move
A day-in-the-life film for a sportswear brand, crewed for a Los Angeles production company: an interview in the talent’s own third-floor studio in Woolwich, then B-roll on Woolwich Church Street after a 15:30 move. The gaffer walked both locations at the recce, without kit, and brought their own van and lights on the day, priced as one line. With the move in the schedule, they asked for a spark, and got one.
How we crew it · Birmingham
A gaffer and a van, brought in when the brief needs one
Our Birmingham list is shorter on lighting crew than on camera, so we start with who’s free locally. Where the brief needs more, a gaffer and their van come in from Manchester or London, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. Bigger lamps come from Media Dog Hire at the NEC. Anything going up on the street goes to Production Central WM first: seven days’ notice for a lighting tower, and a £62 permit for a cherry picker (checked October 2026).
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.
The van and the city
- Inside the A4540 Middleway, a van that isn’t compliant pays the Clean Air Zone charge, £8 a day, on the quote at cost (checked October 2026).
- Tell us the address when you book: the loading bay, the goods lift and the parking come first.
- Lamps on a pavement or a road need Production Central WM told and clearance given before the day.
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.
- Production Central WM asks for at least £5m public liability and a risk assessment before it issues a permit.
£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 the van 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.
- 50% by card at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
- Every line on the quote before anything is booked
Or call us on 07412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a gaffer in Birmingham.
Tell us the date, the address, the look, and where the van can stop. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in Birmingham, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Birmingham, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From £500
- 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 Birmingham. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Birmingham.
Production support
Everything around the crew
A gaffer needs power, a place for the van and sometimes a generator or a cherry picker. Here’s how each works in Birmingham, from kit hire to the permits behind them.
02
Locations and permits
Production Central WM, the canals, New Street, the parks and the airport’s drone zone.
03
Studios and set builds
Digbeth Loc., Curzon Street, blackout and green screen studios, and set builds.
Questions
Hiring a gaffer in Birmingham: questions
How much does a gaffer cost in Birmingham?
Our gaffers are £550 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, paid to the gaffer in full (APA/Bectu card: Up to £585). On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance: £616 + VAT for the gaffer’s day. The van and lighting kit go on their own line, with the same fee and insurance.
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.
Are your gaffers local to Birmingham?
Some are. Our Birmingham list is shorter on lighting crew than on camera, so some of the gaffers we book come in from Manchester or London, usually with their van, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. Where a local gaffer fits the brief, we book them first. Our own team is based in London, on City Road, with bases in Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall.
Do your gaffers bring their own van?
Many do: LED panels, stands, flags and cable, priced on its own line. Bigger lamps come from a kit house. Kit houses in and around Birmingham include Media Dog Hire at the NEC, and Wex Rental, collected from Wex Photo Video on Hagley Road. Specialist kit can come up from London or across from Manchester.
What does the Clean Air Zone mean for the lighting van?
Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone covers every road inside the A4540 Middleway ring road, around the clock. A car or van below Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol pays £8 a day, an HGV or coach £50 (checked October 2026). You can pay online up to six days before or by the end of the sixth day after; the penalty for not paying is £120, or £60 within 14 days. It goes on the quote at cost.
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 silent generator and an operator to the quote. On a Birmingham street, Production Central WM’s code wants it as far from homes and businesses as reasonably practicable, on drip trays, and not switched on in a residential area before 08:00 unless it’s silent running.
Can we light a Birmingham street, or put up a cherry picker?
Yes, with Production Central WM’s clearance. Lighting stands on the carriageway or the footway need that clearance, stands on the footway must be weighted or attended, and the lights mustn’t shine into homes or businesses without permission. A cherry picker or crane on the highway has to be notified, and Birmingham’s cherry picker or scaffold permit is £62; a lighting tower needs seven days’ notice. Filming after 23:00 is agreed in advance (checked October 2026).
How far ahead should I book a gaffer in Birmingham?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. The notice that sets the date is usually the location’s. Production Central WM asks for five working days for a small-scale shoot and four weeks for a large one; seven days for kit on the highway, 14 days for a residents’ letter drop, and 21 days for a road closure (checked October 2026).