Film crew hire/Video playback
Hire a video playback operator, anywhere in the UK. The agency sees every take. So does the client in New York.
Video playback operators for adverts, brand films, conferences and customer stories across the UK, from a stage in west London to a green screen in Bristol or a hall in Glasgow. They send the picture to every monitor that needs it, record and replay the takes on QTake, and stream the shoot to a client in the next room or another country. £334–518 a day, paid to the operator 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: Here Now Films, Gordon Cowie and Tri Vo
The role
What a video playback operator does on your shoot
A video playback operator, or VTR, runs the pictures off the camera: wireless video to the director, the client, the agency and the focus puller, a recording of every take, and instant replay so anyone can see what was just shot. On bigger shoots they use QTake, which logs, replays and streams every take, with the look applied.
It keeps people away from the camera. The client watches at video village, the director compares takes side by side, and the crew get on with the next set-up.
On a UK shoot the people watching might be an agency in Soho, a brand team in Manchester and a head office in New York, usually five hours behind London. Playback puts them all on the same take, and the operator plans the stream round the working day of whoever is furthest away.
- Instant replay. Any take back on the monitor in seconds, logged with scene and take.
- Everyone on the same picture. Director, client, agency and focus puller, each on their own monitor.
- Watch from anywhere. A secure stream for a client who can’t be on set, a few seconds behind it.
- Comps and mix on set. Overlays, split screens and green-screen checks before the crew move on.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day: ten working hours and an hour for lunch
- Wireless video from every camera to every monitor that needs it
- Recording and logging every take
- Instant replay on request
- Setting up and running video village
- A remote stream, if the kit allows
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- The playback kit: QTake system, monitors and transmitters, at a day rate
- A second operator or an assistant, on big multi-camera days
- A wired internet line at the location, for remote viewers
- Travel, mileage and hotels when the shoot is away from the crew member’s home city, at cost
How our rates work, overtime and the APA/Bectu card: film crew rates in the UK.
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 playback for your own shoot anywhere in the UK, or have us take the production on, video village 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 playback operator, call to wrap
An example: an advert on a stage at The Bottle Yard in Bristol, with the agency on set, the brand team watching from Manchester and head office from New York in the afternoon. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Rig video village Monitors, chairs and a table for the agency and the client, off the stage floor but close enough to talk to the director.
- 08:00 Cameras in Transmitters on both cameras, receivers paired, the look applied to the feed.
- 09:00 Rolling Every take recorded and logged by scene and take; the director’s choice marked.
- 11:00 Replay The client asks to see take 4 against take 7, side by side. Thirty seconds later, they can.
- 13:30 Stream check Links sent to Manchester and New York; picture and sound checked with each of them before they join.
- 14:00 New York on The brand team joins at 09:00 their time, for the set-ups they asked to see live.
- 16:00 Green screen A rough key over the background plate, so everyone knows the shot works before the set is struck.
- 19:00 Wrap The playback log and the selected takes handed to the producer and the editor.
Which kind
Which playback do you need?
From one monitor and a transmitter to a full QTake set-up with viewers in another country.
Wireless monitoring A transmitter and a monitor or two Quoted on the brief
Wireless video from the camera to a director’s monitor, set up by the camera team.
Best for small crews where only the director needs to watch.
Video playback operator Monitors, recording and replay Card £334–518
A dedicated operator with monitors, recording and instant replay for everyone at video village.
Best for adverts and brand films with an agency or a client on set.
QTake Logging, replay, comps and streaming Quoted with the kit
The playback software most commercials use: every take logged and replayable, looks applied, rough comps, and a secure stream for remote viewers. The operator usually brings the system, on its own line.
Best for commercials, drama and anything with VFX.
Remote viewing only Watch from somewhere else Quoted on the brief
A secure stream of the camera feed to people who can’t be on set, a few seconds behind it.
Best for overseas clients and head offices that can’t send anyone to the UK.
What it’s for
What people book video playback for across the UK
Adverts with an agency on set
Video village for the agency and the client, on stages in London, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow.
Clients watching from abroad
A stream to New York, Paris or Amsterdam, timed for their working day.
Green screen and VFX
A rough comp on set, so the shot is known to work before the set is struck.
Conferences and live events
The stage on the client’s monitors in a side room, at ExCeL, the ICC or Manchester Central.
Music videos
Takes compared side by side against the track.
How we crew it
How we crew playback across the UK
How we crew it · UK
Watching a UK shoot from another country
For a brand team who can’t fly in, a secure stream lets them watch, comment and approve takes from their own office, a few seconds behind the set. New York is usually five hours behind London and Los Angeles eight, so we schedule the set-ups they need live for the UK afternoon, test the stream with them before they join, and log the selects for anything they miss.
How we crew it · UK
Playback where the building sets the rules
Video village needs power, a room or a corner off set, and a way in for the kit, and the location sets the terms. At Network Rail’s managed stations, the small-scale filming agreement allows a wireless monitor, and video village isn’t on its kit list (checked October 2026). In an office tower, a hospital or a conference venue, we send the crew names and the kit list early and ask for a wired line for the stream, then test it with the people watching.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 11 hours, including an hour for lunch: ten working hours.
- Overtime by the hour at the APA card’s rate for the role, agreed with you before it happens.
- At least 11 hours between wrap and the next day’s call.
- Video village is rigged before crew call, so it’s ready when the cameras are.
Kit and the stream
- The playback kit is on its own line: QTake, monitors and transmitters.
- For remote viewing the location needs a solid connection: in an office, a venue or a studio we ask for a wired line before the day, and test it.
- At Network Rail’s managed stations, the small-scale agreement allows a wireless monitor, with £10m public liability (checked October 2026).
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the playback operator.
- 50% by card when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, kit, travel.
- Moving the date? Tell us as soon as you know.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
What our insurance covers
- Employers’ liability for the playback operator 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.
From £334 a day
APA/Bectu card benchmark: £334–518 a day, video operator to senior video operator.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £334 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £33.40 |
| Insurance, 2% | £6.68 |
| One day, before kit and travel | £374.08 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the playback operator we book, and cover on kit we hire in. Insurance for a UK shoot
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the playback operator.
- 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 video playback operator, anywhere in the UK.
Tell us how many cameras and monitors, who needs to watch, and from which city or country. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role across the UK, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our UK day rates, 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 09
- DOP From £850
- Camera operator £529–656
- Lighting camera operator £529–656
- Videographer £529–656
- Focus puller (1st AC) £461–575
- Clapper loader (2nd AC) £355–448
- Steadicam operator From £950
- Gimbal operator £529–656
- Drone operator From £750
Data and playback 02
- DIT £527
- Video playback This page £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 across the UK. In one city? London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cornwall have their own role pages.
Production support
Everything around the crew
Playback needs power, room for video village and, for remote viewers, a connection the building will give you. Each goes on its own line of the quote, and the guides cover the rest of the shoot.
01
Crew rates in the UK
Day rates for every role, the APA/Bectu card, overtime and what a day covers.
02
Kit and equipment hire
Rental houses across the UK, wet hire and dry hire, and the crew’s own kit.
03
Insurance for a UK shoot
Employers’ liability, public liability, kit cover, and what can leave you uninsured.
Questions
Hiring video playback in the UK: questions
How much does a video playback operator cost in the UK?
The APA/Bectu card puts a video operator at £334–518 for an 11-hour day, from video operator to senior video operator, and we pay the operator in full. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £374.08 + VAT. The playback kit and any travel go on their own lines. Film crew rates in the UK
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.
How long is a day, and when does overtime start?
A day is 11 hours, ten of them working and one for lunch. After that, overtime is paid by the hour at the APA card’s rate for the role: 1.5×, 1.25× or single time on an hourly rate of a tenth of the day rate, graded by day rate, and we agree it with you before it happens. Between wrap and the next call there are at least 11 hours. Film crew rates in the UK
What is QTake?
Playback software used on most commercials and dramas. It records and logs every take, replays them instantly, applies the look, does rough comps and streams the picture to remote viewers. The operator usually brings it, priced with the rest of the playback kit.
Can our team abroad watch the UK shoot live?
Yes, with a secure stream from the playback system, a few seconds behind the set. New York is usually five hours behind London, so a 09:00 first take in the UK is 04:00 there: we agree which set-ups they need live, time them for their working day, test the link with them before they join, and log the selects for anything they miss.
Do I need a playback operator?
If only the director needs to watch, a transmitter and a monitor from the camera team is enough. If an agency or a client is on set, or watching from another office or another country, book an operator.
Can playback run at a station, a venue or an office?
Yes, on the location’s terms. At Network Rail’s managed stations, the small-scale filming agreement allows a wireless monitor, with £10m public liability, and nothing else for playback (checked October 2026). In a venue or an office, video village needs power, a room or a corner off the floor and a way in for the kit, so we send the crew names and the kit list early and ask for a wired connection if anyone’s watching remotely.
We’re booking from outside the UK. How does it work?
You contract with us, a UK company, so you don’t need one of your own: we book and pay the operator and invoice you once. If your own director is flying in, it’s crew hire; if you want us to run the shoot, we’re your production service company. Working with a UK production service company
Are your playback operators near us?
We crew from near the shoot where we can, from the 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK. Where the right operator lives in another city, the travel goes on the quote before anything is booked. Our team books from London, with bases in Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall. City detail, from local permits to kit houses: playback operators in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cornwall, and in New York if the shoot goes there too.
More on crew across the UK
- Film crew hire UK
- Film crew rates in the UK
- Video playback hire in London
- Video playback hire in Manchester
- Video playback hire in Birmingham
- Video playback hire in Bristol
- Video playback hire in Cornwall
- Video playback hire in New York
- DIT hire UK
- Camera operator hire UK
- How we select our crew
- Our crew hire case studies