Film crew hire/Birmingham/Hair and make-up
Hire a hair and make-up artist in Birmingham. Camera-ready, and kept that way until wrap.
Hair and make-up artists for Birmingham shoots: boardroom interviews off Colmore Row, speakers at the ICC and the NEC, adverts on location in Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter. They work to the camera, not the mirror, and keep every look the same until wrap. £398 a day, paid to the artist 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: Christian Agbede, Rhamely, Bright Eliya, hessam nabavi and Chris Dack
The role
What a hair and make-up artist does on your shoot
A hair and make-up artist (HMUA, or just HMU on a call sheet) gets everyone in front of the camera looking like themselves on a good day, then keeps them that way: powder between takes, flyaways, collars, and the shine that creeps back under the lights.
On a brand film or an advert they build a look to a brief. On an interview day the work is meant to go unnoticed, which is the point. We crew hair and make-up for the camera: film, TV, video and stills. Not weddings.
A lot of Birmingham’s interview work happens in someone else’s building: an office tower in the business district around Colmore Row, a green room at the ICC on Centenary Square, a meeting room at the NEC. The artist needs a table, a mirror and a plug near the set, and their name on the security list. We book artists from Birmingham where we can, and bring one up from London or across from Manchester or Bristol when the brief needs a specialist, with the travel on the quote before anything is booked.
- Made up for the camera. Products and techniques that read true on a 4K sensor. The test is the monitor, not the mirror.
- The same look all day. Continuity photos of every look, so day two matches day one.
- Contributors at ease. Ten minutes in the chair is often where a nervous contributor settles.
- Every skin tone and hair type. Tell us who’s on camera and we’ll match the artist to the cast.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Their own professional kit: foundations, powders, brushes and hair tools
- Hair and make-up for your contributors or cast, to the brief
- Checks and touch-ups between every set-up
- Continuity photos of each look
- Brushes cleaned between people, and single-use applicators
On top, each on its own line
- A daily kit fee for the artist’s own kit: £25
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote, kit included
- Wigs, prosthetics and special effects materials, priced to the brief
- A second artist, for full looks, a presenter all day or a big cast
- 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 an artist for your own Birmingham shoot, or have us take the whole production on, wardrobe and all.
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 hair and make-up artist, call to wrap
An interview day with four contributors in an office on Colmore Row. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:15 Arrive By train into New Street, or by car into a car park with the kit, the Clean Air Zone checked first if it’s an older car.
- 07:30 Sign in Names checked at reception, passes issued, the kit up the goods lift with the camera team’s.
- 07:45 Set up the station A table, a mirror, good light and a plug, out of shot: in an office, usually the meeting room next door.
- 08:30 First contributor in the chair 15 to 20 minutes for natural grooming: skin evened out, shine down, hair and brows tidy. Longer for a presenter or a full look.
- 09:15 Camera check The look checked on the monitor with the DOP, under the real light.
- 09:30 Through the takes Beside the monitor, watching. Powder, flyaways and collars between set-ups, and a continuity photo of every look.
- 13:00 Lunch An hour. Lips and powder back on before the first set-up after.
- 14:00 The afternoon contributors The same again. A senior contributor between meetings may give you ten minutes, so the artist works to their diary.
- 18:30 Wrap Make-up off for anyone who wants it, the kit packed, and out through the loading bay before the building locks up.
As a rough guide, one artist can groom six to eight interview contributors in a day. For full looks, presenters or a big cast, book two.
Which kind
Which kind of hair and make-up do you need?
What it’s for decides who we book. Times in the chair are per person, as a rough guide.
Natural grooming Interviews, corporate and documentary 15–20 min
Even skin, no shine, tidy hair and brows. Nobody watching should be able to tell.
Best for interviews, testimonials, leadership films and conference speakers.
Presenter and broadcast Talking to camera, all day 30–45 min
Built to last under lights for hours, and checked between every take.
Best for presenters, podcast hosts, a host on stage at the ICC or the NEC, and anyone carrying a piece to camera.
Beauty and commercial Adverts, brand films and product shots 45–90 min
A designed look to a brief and a mood board, with close-ups that hold up at 4K.
Best for adverts, brand films, and beauty or fashion products.
Styled hair When the hair is the point 45–90 min
Hair styled to a look with heated tools, extensions or wigs, often alongside a wardrobe stylist.
Best for fashion and campaign shoots. Book the look with a costume designer or stylist in Birmingham.
Period and character Drama, reconstructions and heritage films 1–2 hours
Period hair, wigs, facial hair and ageing, researched to the era and the character.
Best for drama and reconstructions at places like Highbury Hall or the canals. Period wigs can come up from London with the costume.
Special effects and prosthetics Wounds, ageing and casualty make-up From 1 hour
Prosthetic pieces, blood, bruising and casualty simulation, made and tested before the shoot.
Best for drama, and safety and training films. Book it early: pieces are made to order. A staged crime or accident in public is on Production Central WM’s list of things West Midlands Police are told about, so tell the film office when you apply.
What it’s for
What people book hair and make-up for in Birmingham
Business district interviews
Leadership films in the towers around Colmore Row, where everyone signs in and the work should go unnoticed.
Conferences at the ICC and the NEC
Speakers groomed before they go on stage, then touched up for the interview room between sessions.
Universities and Edgbaston
Academics on camera at the University of Birmingham, and hosts and guests in the event spaces at Edgbaston Stadium.
Brand films and adverts
A look that has to match across two or three days on location in Digbeth, the Jewellery Quarter or by the canals at Brindleyplace.
Visiting productions
A team from London or abroad comes up on the train with its director and DOP, and books hair and make-up here.
Recent work
Hair and make-up on our jobs
Crew hire · Chelsea, London · Nov 2023
Hospital interviews for a US production
Swanson Studios, a US production company, filmed three days of talking heads in November 2023. The London day, 30 November, was in the main boardroom at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, with senior clinicians and managers in the chair. We crewed it, hair and make-up included. The call sheet’s note: parking a challenge, loading bay accessible.
Crew hire · Canary Wharf, London · Oct 2024
A podcast set on the 48th floor
A US media agency recorded two podcast-style panels on Level 48 of One Canada Square, day-hired through Canary Wharf Group, on three cameras: a host and one guest, then the host and two more. Call was 6am, filming 9 to 12. One hair and make-up artist for the host and three guests, and every crew name, the artist’s included, went to reception for a security badge.
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.
- In an office tower around Colmore Row, or at the ICC or the NEC, the artist’s name goes on the security list with the crew’s.
Before the day
- Tell us about allergies and skin sensitivities when you book; we pass them on.
- Contributors arrive with clean, moisturised skin, hair as they usually wear it, and the clothes on a hanger.
Birmingham locations
- On a street shoot the artist counts as crew: Birmingham’s street filming permit is £84 for up to ten crew and £191 for 11 to 24, plus VAT (checked October 2026).
- Driving kit into the city centre: every road inside the A4540 Middleway is in the Clean Air Zone, and a car that isn’t compliant pays £8 a day (checked October 2026).
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the artist.
- 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 artist 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.
£398 a day
APA/Bectu card benchmark: £341–398 a day.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £398 |
| Kit fee | £25 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £42.30 |
| Insurance, 2% | £8.46 |
| One day, before travel | £473.76 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the artist we book. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the artist.
- 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 hair and make-up artist in Birmingham.
Tell us how many people are on camera, the look, and where in Birmingham you’re shooting. 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 This page £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
Hair and make-up rarely comes alone, so here’s how the permits, the set-ups and the rest of a Birmingham shoot fit around it.
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 hair and make-up artist in Birmingham: questions
How much does a hair and make-up artist cost in Birmingham?
Our hair and make-up artists are £398 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, paid to the artist in full. The APA/Bectu card sets £341–398. A daily kit fee of £25 goes on top, then our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance on the lot: £473.76 + VAT for the day, before any travel from outside Birmingham. Our rates are national: Birmingham costs the same as anywhere else we crew.
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.
Does the make-up artist count on a Birmingham street permit?
Yes. 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. The street permit is priced by the size of the crew, artist included: £84 for up to ten and £191 for 11 to 24, plus VAT. A small shoot needs five working days’ notice, and applying inside two business days adds £182 (checked October 2026). See filming permits in Birmingham.
What if the artist drives into the Clean Air Zone?
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). If the artist’s car has to pay it, the charge goes on the quote at cost, with the parking, before anything is booked.
Can you put hair and make-up on a conference at the ICC or the NEC?
Yes. The artist sets up in a green room or breakout room near the stage, grooms speakers before they go on, and touches them up for any interviews after. Neither venue publishes filming rules, so the event team sets the access, and the artist’s name goes on the list with the crew’s. For the NEC, Birmingham International is ten minutes from New Street.
Do I need hair and make-up for a corporate interview?
Usually, even a light touch. Under lights skin shines, and a 4K camera sees it. If the budget is tight, book one artist and schedule your contributors back to back: six to eight in a day.
Where do your hair and make-up artists come from?
Birmingham first, where we can. For a specialist, such as prosthetics or period hair, or a date when the local artists are booked, they come up from London or across from Manchester or Bristol, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. Our own team works from our base in London, at 124 City Road, and from Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall.