Film crew hire/Bristol/2nd AD
Hire a 2nd AD in Bristol. The cast on time, the call sheet out, and the pavement still open.
Second assistant directors for adverts, drama, music videos and brand films across Bristol and Bath. They write the call sheet, move the cast through hair, make-up and costume, run the background, and keep a Clifton street or a Harbourside quay workable round the unit. From £355 a day, paid to the 2nd AD in full.
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK
- 150+ of them in and around Bristol and Bath
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
Photos: Mike Bautista, Jakob Owens, Tri Vo, Here Now Films and Xiaoxia Xu
The role
What a 2nd AD does on your shoot
The 2nd AD (second assistant director) works to the 1st AD, who runs the set and the schedule. The 2nd looks after everything that feeds the set: the call sheet, the cast’s route through hair, make-up and costume, the background artists and the paperwork. When the 1st calls for the next actor, the 2nd already has them ready.
On a small brand film there’s often no AD team at all: the producer runs the floor. Book one when there’s a cast, background artists, children, a tight schedule, or a Bristol street full of people who didn’t ask to be in an advert.
- The call sheet, right. Call times, locations, contacts, the parking, the nearest A&E, out the night before.
- Cast where they should be. Through make-up and costume and onto set, on time, in the right order.
- Background managed. Extras signed in, checked, briefed and placed.
- The street kept moving. Pavements clear, neighbours written to in advance, passers-by asked politely to wait.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- The call sheet and the next day’s schedule
- The cast’s day: pick-ups, make-up, costume, set
- Signing in and placing background artists
- Releases and the progress report
- Running the unit base on the radio
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Prep days for scheduling and call sheets
- A 3rd AD or floor runners, for a big cast or a busy street
- Travel from outside Bristol, 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 Bristol.
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 AD for your own production, 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 2nd AD, call to wrap
An advert on a residential street in Clifton with six cast and 20 background artists, on a Bristol Film Office street permit. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 05:30 Cast arrive Signed in at the unit base and sent to hair, make-up and costume in the order of their first scenes.
- 07:00 Crew call Call sheet changes briefed, radios out, the base open. The letters went through every door on the street at least seven days ahead, as Bristol Film Office asks (checked October 2026).
- 07:45 Background Twenty background artists signed in, costume checked, briefed and held off the pavement, not on it.
- 08:30 First set-up Cast walked to set as the 1st AD calls them, the next actor already in the chair. Traffic is held on Stop/Go boards by an accredited company, five minutes at most each time (checked October 2026).
- 12:30 Lunch Called on time, and cast and crew fed in turn so the afternoon starts on time.
- 14:00 The afternoon Progress tracked against the schedule and the permit’s hours; the 1st warned early if anything is running long.
- 19:00 Wrap Cast and background signed out, times logged, the street handed back, tomorrow’s call sheet out by nine.
The AD team
Which AD do you need?
The assistant directors work as a team. Here’s who does what, and when each is worth booking.
1st AD Runs the set and the schedule Quoted on the brief
Breaks down the script, builds the schedule and runs the floor on the day: when to turn over, when to move on.
Best on drama, adverts and anything with a cast and a tight day.
2nd AD The call sheet, the cast and the base Card £355–448
Feeds the set: call sheets, cast, background and paperwork, from the unit base.
Best alongside a 1st AD on any shoot with a cast.
3rd AD On the floor with the 1st Quoted on the brief
Places background, holds the public and relays the 1st AD’s calls on the floor.
Best on big units and busy Bristol locations: the Harbourside on a Saturday, College Green, St Nicholas Market.
Floor runner An extra pair of hands for the ADs £245 a day
Runs messages, people and kit for the AD team. See runners in Bristol.
Best on any shoot with background artists.
A producer on the floor Small crews, no cast From £450 a day
On an interview or a corporate shoot, the producer runs the floor. See producers in Bristol.
Best when there’s no cast to move.
What it’s for
What people book a 2nd AD for in Bristol
Adverts with a cast
Actors through make-up and costume and on set when they’re called, on a stage at The Bottle Yard Studios or a street in Clifton.
Drama and short films
A schedule, a cast and a call sheet for every day, in a city whose film office logged 29 major productions in 2024–25, with night shoots authorised in advance by the film office and Avon and Somerset Police (checked October 2026).
Music videos
Background artists, playback and a long day underground in Redcliffe Caves, the tunnels Poldark used as its tin mines.
Period scenes
Princes Wharf has played 1940s Guernsey and 1950s Cobh, and period background needs a 2nd AD who checks every costume before it walks into shot.
Big units
Above 40 crew, Bristol Film Office prices a street shoot by negotiation, and the unit base comes off its list: Church Lodge car park at Ashton Court or Redcliffe Wharf, £600 a day plus VAT (checked October 2026).
Recent work
AD teams on our jobs, and on a Bristol street
Full production · The Lizard, Cornwall · June 2026
An AD team along a mile of cliff path
Our 35mm shoot on the Lizard for Cohere’s AI for Empowerment ran with a 1st AD: a unit strung out along a mile of cliff path with no phone signal, run on twelve walkie-talkies, from a 07:00 call in the fog to wrap fourteen hours later. There was no 2nd AD on that call sheet. Add a cast and a street of background artists, and that’s the job a 2nd AD takes off the 1st.
How we crew it · Bristol
An AD team sized to the cast, and the street
A cast of two needs a producer on the floor; a cast of six with background needs a 1st and a 2nd AD; a crowd needs a 3rd and floor runners. Bristol adds the street. Bristol Film Office prices street filming by the size of the unit: £84 plus VAT for a crew of up to ten, £163 for 11 to 40, and by negotiation above that (checked October 2026). The letters go through the neighbours’ doors at least seven days ahead. Holding the traffic on Stop/Go boards takes seven days’ notice and an accredited traffic management company, and five minutes is the longest it can be held (checked October 2026). Someone has to keep the pavement open and the public moving while the unit works. That’s the AD team’s job, which is why we size it to the call sheet and the street, not the other way round.
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.
- Prep days for scheduling are quoted separately.
Cast, background and the street
- Background artists come through an agency or your own casting; the 2nd AD runs them on the day.
- Releases for everyone on camera, signed before they leave.
- Children, animals, weapons, stunts and special effects all have to be declared on the Bristol Film Office application (checked October 2026).
- Bristol Film Office asks for at least £5m public liability and a full risk assessment with every application.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the 2nd AD.
- 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 2nd AD 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.
£355 a day
APA/Bectu card: £355–448 a day for a 2nd AD.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £355 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £35.50 |
| Insurance, 2% | £7.10 |
| One day, before travel | £397.60 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the 2nd AD we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the 2nd AD.
- 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 2nd AD in Bristol.
Tell us the date, the cast, any background artists and where you’re filming. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in Bristol, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Bristol, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From £500
- Producer From £450
- Production manager £504–627
- 2nd AD This page £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 Bristol. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Bristol.
Production support
Everything around the crew
An AD team’s prep in Bristol is mostly the street: the letters, the bays, the unit base, the hours the permit allows. Each guide below covers a part of it, and any item can go on the quote.
02
Locations and permits
Bristol Film Office, Bath Film Office, the harbour, the bridge and the drone rules.
03
Studios and set builds
The Bottle Yard’s stages, green screen and blackout studios, and set builds.
Questions
Hiring a 2nd AD in Bristol: questions
How much does a 2nd AD cost in Bristol?
The APA/Bectu card puts a 2nd AD at £355–448 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, and they’re paid that in full. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £397.60 + VAT, before any travel from outside Bristol.
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 1st AD and a 2nd AD?
The 1st AD runs the set and the schedule on the floor. The 2nd AD works behind them, at the unit base, making sure the next actor, the next background and tomorrow’s call sheet are ready.
Do we need a permit for a cast on a Bristol street?
Yes. Filming on council land in Bristol goes through Bristol Film Office, part of Bristol City Council and based at The Bottle Yard Studios. It covers the city only: Bath has its own film office, part of Bath & North East Somerset Council. Bristol Film Office prices street filming by the size of the unit: £84 plus VAT for a crew of up to ten, £163 for 11 to 40, and by negotiation above that (checked October 2026). Bristol Film Office asks for at least seven days’ notice and a letter to neighbours and businesses seven days before the shoot; a road closure of up to two days needs two weeks, and one of three days or more usually eight to ten weeks (checked October 2026). Under seven days, someone from the production has to speak to the affected owners in person, or permission may be refused (checked October 2026). See filming permits in Bristol.
Can we shoot at night in Bristol?
With notice. Bristol Film Office treats 22:00 to 08:00 as night: a night shoot needs a method statement, letters to residents and the prior authorisation of the film office and Avon and Somerset Police, and a residential night shoot is normally finished and de-rigged by 23:00 unless permission is given and nobody objects (checked October 2026). The 2nd AD builds the schedule round it, and the call sheet says when the last kit leaves.
Can we film children on a Bristol shoot?
Yes, with a licence and chaperones. Children on camera have to be declared on the Bristol Film Office application. A child’s performance licence comes from the child’s home council, not the council where you film. Bath and North East Somerset, for one, wants the application at least 21 days before rehearsals start, and recommends at least one approved chaperone for every 12 children (checked October 2026). The 2nd AD keeps the children’s hours and breaks on the schedule.
Can you crew a whole AD team in Bristol?
Yes. We’re a crew agency with 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, 150+ of them in and around Bristol and Bath, so we can scale a crew from one person for a morning to a full unit for a week. Local crew first. When a shoot needs more hands, or a role Bristol is short of that week, we bring them in from across the South West, Cardiff or London, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked.
How far ahead should I book a 2nd AD in Bristol?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. For a cast shoot, book the ADs early: they need prep days to schedule it, and the paperwork sets the date. Bristol Film Office wants at least seven days for a permit and the letters; a child’s licence in Bath and North East Somerset wants 21 days before rehearsals; a road closure of three days or more usually takes eight to ten weeks (checked October 2026).