Film crew hire/Bristol/Runner
Hire a runner in Bristol. First in, last out, and wherever the day needs them in between.
Runners for shoots across Bristol and Bath. They run the errands, carry the kit, hold the suspended bays and know which runs go out to The Bottle Yard and which cars pay the Clean Air Zone charge, so everyone else can do their job. £245 a day, the full APA/Bectu card rate, paid to the runner 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: Omotayo Kofoworola, patsanannnn, Jakob Owens, sippakorn yamkasikorn and Mikey Harris
The role
What a runner does on your shoot
A runner does whatever the shoot needs next: fetching, carrying, holding doors, minding the parking bays, making tea, collecting a forgotten cable from a kit house in Clifton. It’s the first job on a crew, and a good runner makes the whole day calmer.
Production runners work to the producer or production manager; floor runners work to the ADs on set. On a small shoot one runner does both.
- Errands done fast. The shop, the kit house, the courier, and back before anyone notices.
- Kit carried and minded. Up the front steps, along the quay, and never left alone on the pavement.
- The base running. Tea, water, snacks and the bins, all day.
- Paid properly. The full APA/Bectu card rate for a runner, £245 a day, every time.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Runs to shops, kit houses and couriers
- Loading in and out
- The unit base: water, tea and snacks
- Holding the suspended bays and meeting the vans
- Keeping the pavement clear, with the AD or producer
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Mileage, if they use their own car
- Parking, bay suspensions and the Clean Air Zone charge, at cost
- Travel from outside Bristol, 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 a runner for your own shoot, 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 runner, call to wrap
A brand film in a terraced house in Kingsdown, with bays suspended on the street outside for the vans. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:30 Before call The suspended bays checked and kept clear, each van met and parked, the urn on, water and snacks out.
- 07:30 Load in Kit carried up the front steps, cases stacked where the crew want them, nothing left on the pavement.
- 09:00 On set Doors held, the neighbours kept in the loop, the public politely kept out of shot, the next set-up’s kit staged.
- 11:00 A run Gaffer tape and batteries from Films at 59 Rental in Clifton, in the runner’s own car, mileage logged and the car already checked against the Clean Air Zone.
- 13:00 Lunch Collected, laid out and cleared.
- 15:00 The move Kit carried up to the top floor; the first room put back as it was found.
- 19:00 Wrap Last out: the base cleared, the rubbish gone, the bays handed back.
Which kind
Which runner do you need?
Runners do different jobs on different crews.
Production runner Errands and the unit base £245 a day
Works to the producer or PM: runs, deliveries, catering, the base and the bays.
Best on any shoot with a unit base or lots of kit.
Floor runner On set with the ADs £245 a day
Moves people and messages for the AD team. See 2nd ADs in Bristol.
Best on shoots with a cast or background artists.
Runner with a car Collections and deliveries £245 a day + mileage
Collects kit, props and people, with their own car and business insurance, and a car that meets Bristol’s Clean Air Zone standard or pays its charge.
Best when the kit is at The Bottle Yard in Whitchurch and the location is in Clifton.
Production assistant Contributors and releases £400 a day
More responsibility: contributors, releases and the call sheet. See production assistants in Bristol.
Best when the producer needs someone to share the load.
What it’s for
What people book a runner for in Bristol
Brand films and adverts
A unit base, lots of kit, suspended bays and a set that needs minding, in a house in Clifton or Kingsdown.
Busy public locations
The Harbourside, College Green and Clifton Suspension Bridge, where someone has to look after the passers-by.
Studio days
Deliveries, catering and runs between the stages at The Bottle Yard Studios and the kit houses in Clifton.
Shoots with a cast
Floor runners for the ADs.
Collections
A runner with a car for kit from Films at 59 Rental, VI Rental or Grip Services, or a rail of costume from Bristol Costume Services, all on The Bottle Yard’s site.
Recent work
Runners on our jobs, from the cliff path to the kerb
Full production · The Lizard, Cornwall · June 2026
Kit in on beach carts
On our 35mm shoot on the Lizard for Cohere’s AI for Empowerment, the runner and driver was part of a crew taking a film camera package along the cliff path on beach carts, because no vehicle could reach the set, from a 07:00 call to wrap fourteen hours later.
How we crew it · Bristol
Bays, cones and a zone that charges cars
On a Bristol street the vans need somewhere to stop. A parking suspension in Bristol needs three working days: one day in a pay and display bay is £22 + VAT per vehicle, and several days £15 + VAT per bay per day plus a £30 coning fee (checked October 2026). The runner is there before the vans to keep the bays clear, and meets each one in. Bristol’s Clean Air Zone charges cars as well as vans, £9 a day for one that isn’t compliant, so a runner’s own car gets checked as well. All of it goes on the quote at cost, each on its own line.
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.
Bays and the street
- Bays are suspended through Bristol City Council’s parking team, with a purchase order for the full cost before it approves them, and go on the quote at cost (checked October 2026).
- Bristol Film Office asks for at least £5m public liability and a full risk assessment with every application.
Cars, vans and charges
- Tell us if the runner needs a car: mileage, parking and the Clean Air Zone charge go on the quote at cost.
- Runners drive only on business insurance.
- A car that misses the Clean Air Zone standard pays for every day it’s driven in the zone, midnight to midnight (checked October 2026).
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the runner.
- 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 runner 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.
£245 a day
We pay the full APA/Bectu card rate for a runner: £245 a day.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £245 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £24.50 |
| Insurance, 2% | £4.90 |
| One day, before mileage | £274.40 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the runner we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the runner.
- 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 runner in Bristol.
Tell us the date, the place, and whether the runner needs a car. 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 £355–448
- Production assistant £400
- Runner This page £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
Most of what a Bristol runner does sits in the guides below: the bays and the Clean Air Zone, the kit houses, the studios. 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 runner in Bristol: questions
How much does a runner cost in Bristol?
Our runners are £245 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch: the full APA/Bectu card rate, paid to the runner. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance: £274.40 + VAT for the day, plus mileage, parking and the Clean Air Zone charge if they drive.
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 runner and a PA?
A runner fetches, carries and keeps the base going. A production assistant works closer to the producer, on contributors and paperwork.
Can your runners drive in central Bristol?
Some can, with their own car and business insurance; tell us when you book. Mileage and parking go on the quote at cost, and the Clean Air Zone charge too if the car isn’t compliant. Bristol’s Clean Air Zone is Class D, so it charges cars as well as vans: £9 a day for a car or van below Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol, £100 for an HGV or coach, around the clock. Bath’s zone is Class C and doesn’t charge private cars (checked October 2026).
Where do runners collect kit from in Bristol?
Mostly from Films at 59 Rental in Clifton and at The Bottle Yard, VI Rental and Grip Services at The Bottle Yard, and Floating Harbour Studios on Welsh Back. Specialist kit can come down from London. See film equipment hire in Bristol.
Can a runner hold a parking space for us?
Yes, once the bay is suspended: the runner keeps it clear and meets the vans in. A multiple-locations permit is cheaper, £15 plus VAT a vehicle a day, but comes with no cones and no guaranteed space (checked October 2026). Yellow lines need at least three working days’ notice and a £30 coning fee per street, and a bay on an unrestricted street can’t be enforced, so if the space has to be there, it’s a road closure (checked October 2026).
Are your runners local to Bristol?
Where we can. 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.
Why pay a runner the full card rate?
Because it’s the rate. Runners work the same 11-hour day as everyone else, and the people who start as runners are the crew of the next ten years.
How far ahead should I book a runner in Bristol?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. If the runner is holding bays, it’s the bays that need the notice: three working days for a parking suspension, and at least three working days for yellow lines (checked October 2026).