Film crew hire/Birmingham/Spark
Hire a spark in Birmingham. Lamps rigged, cable run, power safe, next set-up ready.
Sparks (lighting technicians) for brand films, adverts, conferences, studio days and night shoots across Birmingham. They rig and run the lights and the power to the gaffer’s plan, carry the kit up the goods lift, and have the next set-up ready before it’s called. Some are local; some travel in with their gaffer from Manchester or London. £457 a day, the APA/Bectu card rate, paid to the spark in full.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 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: H&CO, Here Now Films, Marcos Paulo Prado, Tri Vo and Mike Hindle
The role
What a spark does on your shoot
A spark, or lighting technician, is part of the lighting crew. They work to the gaffer: unloading the lamps, rigging them on stands, booms and rigs, running the cable and the distribution, focusing and adjusting lights between takes, and striking it all at wrap.
On a two-person lighting team, the spark pre-rigs the next set-up while the gaffer and the DOP are still shooting the current one. That’s where the time is saved, and on a Birmingham conference day at the ICC or the NEC, with a stage, an interview corner and a sponsor set to light, it’s what keeps the schedule.
- Rigged to the plan. Lamps, stands, flags and diffusion where the gaffer wants them.
- Cable run safely. Out of doorways and fire exits, taped down, on distribution that won’t trip.
- The next set-up ready. Pre-rigged while the current one shoots.
- Kit looked after. Every lamp and cable counted out and counted back.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Rigging and focusing lamps to the gaffer’s plan
- Running cable and power distribution
- Pre-rigging the next set-up
- Flags, diffusion and gels, set and adjusted
- Striking and loading out
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Lighting kit, from the gaffer’s van or a kit house
- A desk operator, for programmable lighting
- 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 sparks for your own lighting crew in Birmingham, 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 spark, call to wrap
A studio day in Studio A at Curzon Street Studios, 14 by 17 metres under a 6.1-metre grid: product in the morning, two presenters in the afternoon. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Load in The gaffer’s van unloaded, the lighting kit off and sorted by set-up.
- 07:30 Power Distribution off the studio supply, cable run round the edge of the floor and out of the walkways.
- 08:00 Rig A big soft source hung from the grid over the product table, flags to control the spill.
- 10:30 Pre-rig While the product shoots, the presenter set-up rigged on the other side of the studio.
- 13:00 Lunch Lamps cooled, gels changed for the afternoon.
- 14:00 Presenters Small adjustments between takes: a flag in, a lamp down a stop.
- 18:30 Wrap Everything struck, counted and loaded; the floor clear for the next booking.
Which kind
Which lighting technician do you need?
The lighting crew from the top down.
Gaffer Runs the lighting department £550 a day
Plans the lighting with the DOP and runs the crew, usually with their own van. See gaffers in Birmingham.
Book one first: the gaffer decides how many sparks they need.
Best boy The gaffer’s second Quoted on the brief
Runs the sparks and the kit: what’s on the truck, what’s on set, what goes back to the kit house at the NEC.
Best on big lighting crews and multi-day shoots.
Spark Rigs and runs the lights £457 a day
Rigs, cables, focuses and strikes, to the gaffer’s plan.
Best on any shoot with more than a few lamps, a fast schedule or a company move.
Desk operator Programmable lights and cues Quoted on the brief
Runs a lighting desk for colour-changing LEDs and effects.
Best for music videos, events and stage shoots.
Rigger Lights up high Quoted on the brief
Rigs lamps on trusses, ceilings and grids, working at height to the rules. In Curzon Street’s Studio A the grid is 6.1 metres up.
Best for stage rigs, venue builds and big location set-ups.
What it’s for
What people book a spark for in Birmingham
Studio days
Studio A at Curzon Street Studios and the stages at Digbeth Loc. Studios, where the lights change between set-ups.
Conferences and events
A stage, an interview corner and a sponsor set at the ICC or the NEC, each pre-rigged before the doors open.
Brand films and adverts
A gaffer and a spark, so the next set-up is ready, even with a move from Digbeth to the Jewellery Quarter.
Interviews in offices
Several set-ups on one floor off Colmore Row, each pre-rigged in the next room.
Night shoots
Big lamps, long cable runs, a generator, and the canals at Gas Street Basin lit for camera.
Recent work
Sparks on our jobs, and how we crew Birmingham
Fireside chat · Battersea, London · March 2026
A spark with the gaffer at Many Rooms
For AlTi Tiedemann Global’s fireside chat at Many Rooms in Battersea we booked a DOP, sound, a gaffer with their van, and a spark to rig to the gaffer’s plan. The crew signed AlTi’s NDA, and every line was itemised on the cost sheet, the spark’s included.
How we crew it · Birmingham
Sparks who know the gaffer
Our Birmingham list is shorter on sparks than on camera, so we start with the gaffer and the spark they usually work with. If that pair comes in from Manchester or London, they travel in one van, arrive knowing the kit, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. Bigger lamps come from Media Dog Hire at the NEC; on a Birmingham pavement, the stands go in Production Central WM’s application first.
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.
Safety and the street
- Sparks work to the gaffer and the building’s rules on power and working at height. Some buildings and venues want PAT certificates before the kit comes in.
- Lighting stands on a Birmingham pavement need Production Central WM told and clearance given, and stands on the footway weighted or attended.
- Cable across the highway, on street furniture or flown overhead needs a method statement to Production Central WM.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the spark.
- 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 spark 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.
£457 a day
APA/Bectu card: Up to £457 a day for a lighting technician. We pay the full rate.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £457 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £45.70 |
| Insurance, 2% | £9.14 |
| One day, before travel | £511.84 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the spark we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the spark.
- 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 spark in Birmingham.
Tell us the date, the location and who’s gaffing. 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
Sparks need power, kit and a way in for the van, each its own line on the quote. Here’s how each works in Birmingham.
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 spark in Birmingham: questions
How much does a spark cost in Birmingham?
We pay our sparks £457 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch: the APA/Bectu card rate for a lighting technician. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance: £511.84 + VAT for the day.
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’s the difference between a gaffer and a spark?
The gaffer runs the lighting department and plans the lighting with the DOP. A spark rigs and runs the lights to the gaffer’s plan.
How many sparks do I need?
The gaffer decides, from the plan. An interview day often needs none; a brand film one; a night exterior, a stage day or a conference set at the ICC two or more. A company move across the city is a good reason to add one.
Do your sparks come from Birmingham?
Some do. Our Birmingham list is shorter on lighting crew than on camera, so some of the sparks we book come in from Manchester or London, usually with the gaffer they work with, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. Our own team is based in London, on City Road, with bases in Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall.
Can we light a scene on a Birmingham street?
Yes, with permission. Filming on council land in Birmingham goes through Production Central WM, the West Midlands film office, which took over from Film Birmingham and covers the seven combined-authority councils: Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Dudley. Lighting stands on the footway or the carriageway need its clearance first, and cable across the highway needs a method statement. Birmingham’s 2026–27 street filming permit is £84 for a crew of up to ten and £191 for 11 to 24, plus VAT; a parking suspension is £18.90 a bay, and applying inside two business days adds £182 (checked October 2026).
How far ahead should I book a spark in Birmingham?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. We book sparks with the gaffer they usually work with where we can, so book the gaffer first and the spark comes with the plan. For lights on a street, Production Central WM’s notice sets the date, not the crew: five working days for a small-scale shoot, seven days for kit on the highway.