Film crew hire/Brighton/Art director
Hire an art director in Brighton. An art director designs the set and runs the props, dressing and builds on your shoot.
People book an art director in Brighton for offices at New England House, conferences at the Brighton Centre and shoots on the seafront. They design the look of the set, dress the location, and run the props, graphics and builds in the frame. Our art director day rate starts at £675, and the art director gets all of it.
- 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, Kumpan Electric, Hal Gatewood, Paolo Chiabrando and Egor Myznik
The role
What an art director does on your shoot
An art director looks after everything in the frame apart from the people and the lights. That means the set, the dressing, the props and the graphics. They take the look agreed with the director and the DOP, design it and budget it. Then they run the props buyers, dressers and builders who make it.
On a brand film, that might be dressing an office so it looks like the company at its best. On an advert, it can be a set built from scratch.
We book an art director who lives in Brighton or Hove first. If nobody local is free, or the shoot needs more people, we bring crew down from London. We add the travel to the quote before anything is booked. We can book one art director with a van of props or a full art department. On someone else’s property, we agree the dressing with the owner first, and we photograph their things before anything moves.
- The art director designs the look first. You agree the mood boards, references and drawings before anything is bought or built.
- The art director chooses every prop. Each one is hired, bought or made, and nothing goes in shot that you can’t clear.
- The art department dresses the location. They change a real place just enough to look right on camera, and put it back at wrap.
- The art director keeps to the budget. They track the spend, return the hires and make sure nothing is lost.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Designing the set and the dressing to the brief
- Running the props, dressing and build team
- Sourcing props, furniture and graphics
- Dressing on the day, and changes between set-ups
- The art budget, tracked and accounted for
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- The art budget, for props, hires, materials and graphics, at cost
- Prep and wrap days, which most jobs need, quoted separately
- Props buyers, dressers and set builders, as the brief needs
- The props van, bay suspensions, and props brought in from outside the city, at cost
- Travel from London or outside Brighton, and mileage and parking where the day needs them, at cost
Read how our rates work and the two ways to book in crew rates in Brighton.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production
The price depends on who is the producer of record. That’s the company responsible for the shoot. You can book an art director for your own shoot, or ask us to run the whole production.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% + 2% booking fee and insurance on everything we book for you, including 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
- You’re the producer of record, so the production is your responsibility
The 2% covers employers’ liability for every crew member we book and the kit we hire in for you. It doesn’t cover anything else on the shoot. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, which goes on the quote as its own line.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
15% + 5% production fee, plus insurance and contingency, on the whole production budget. We quote it 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
The 5% pays for our production insurance across the whole shoot, including £10m public liability, and the contingency.
If your own producer or director will run the day, book crew hire. If you want us to run the production, ask for a full production quote.
On the day
An example day with an art director
The art department dresses a flat in Hove as a family home for a brand film. The times are an example. The call sheet sets the real ones.
- Prep The week before You agree the references. The props buyer finds pieces at Snooper’s Paradise on Kensington Gardens and hires the bigger furniture from London. The graphics are printed, and a parking bay is suspended for the props van, booked with the council 7 working days ahead.
- 06:30 Dress The team unload the van from the suspended bay. They photograph the owner’s things and pack them away, then dress the flat to the design, room by room.
- 08:30 Camera check The DOP lines up the first shot. The art director moves a lamp, changes a picture and turns a brand on a cereal box round.
- 09:00 Standby A props person stays on set for continuity, and the team dress the next room ahead of the crew.
- 13:00 Lunch Lunch is an hour. The team replace the food on set and reset the kitchen for the afternoon.
- 15:00 Turnaround The living room becomes a bedroom. The team swap the furniture while the crew film the hall.
- 18:30 Strike The team take everything out and use the morning’s photos to put the owner’s things back exactly where they were. The hires are loaded for return.
We checked this in November 2026. Fees and rules change, and this page isn’t the official source. For the latest, check with Brighton and Hove City Council.
Types
Types of art department we book
We book one person with a van of props, or a full art department.
Art director Designs and runs the look Card £675–878
The art director designs the set and the dressing, budgets it and runs the team.
Good for adverts, brand films, music videos and drama.
Props buyer Finds and buys everything on screen Card £493–585
A props buyer finds, buys and hires props and dressing from the art director’s list.
Good for any shoot with a dressed set. In Brighton, that means knowing what to buy locally, such as pieces from Snooper’s Paradise on Kensington Gardens, and what’s worth bringing down from London once the van and the returns are counted.
Standby props and dressers On set, every take Quoted on the brief
Standby props and dressers look after the props on set, reset them between takes and keep continuity.
Good for drama and any shoot where the cast use props.
Set builders Carpentry, paint and construction From £341 a day
Set builders build, paint and strike sets and pieces to the art director’s drawings. See set builders in Brighton.
Good when the location can’t give you the look on its own.
Armourer Replica and prop weapons Quoted on the brief
A film armourer looks after any firearm or weapon on set, including props and replicas.
Book one whenever firearms or offensive weapons are on set.
What it’s for
What people book an art director for in Brighton
Adverts and fashion on the seafront
The art department dresses the beach, Hove Lawns or the piers to look like the brand’s world. The Sussex Film Office handles the beach, and the pier’s owner handles the pier.
Founder and customer films
Offices at New England House and round the station, where many of the city’s tech and games companies work. A meeting room can become an interview set or a podcast studio for the day.
Conferences at the Brighton Centre
Stages and stands at the Brighton Centre are dressed for the camera as well as the room.
University and research films
Rooms at the University of Sussex at Falmer and the University of Brighton are dressed so the research shows on camera.
The Downs and the coast
Brand films at Devil’s Dyke, Ditchling Beacon and Seven Sisters need a light set that’s easy to carry in. The art department weighs every piece down against the wind.
Recent work
Art departments on our jobs, and how we crew Brighton
Crew hire · Canary Wharf, London · Oct 2024
A podcast set on the 48th floor
When the planned office fell through, a US media agency moved its podcast panels to a day-hired floor of One Canada Square, eight days out. An art director, signed off the day before, dressed it for three cameras. They used four podcast mics on boom arms as dressing, covered the logos and tidied the room. The vans unloaded in the estate’s loading bay and moved on, as Canary Wharf’s procedure requires.
How we crew it · Brighton
An art director who lives locally, and a studio to build in
We start with art directors who live in Brighton or Hove. If the brief needs a bigger department, or nobody local is free that day, we book from London. For a small build, Capture Factory Studios has four studios in central Brighton, five minutes’ walk from the station. Studio 4 has a 13-metre L-shaped infinity cove. For a big build, we use studios near London. We add the studio and the travel to the quote before anything is booked. We checked this in November 2026. Fees and rules change, and this page isn’t the official source. For the latest, check with Capture Factory Studios.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- The day is 11 hours, including an hour for lunch.
- Overtime is paid at card rates, and we agree it with you before it happens.
- Prep, dressing and strike days are quoted separately.
The art budget
- Props, hires and materials go on the quote at cost, each on its own line.
- Ask each prop house whether it charges by the day or by the week.
- Props hired from outside the city come in by van or courier, at cost, and the trip is on the quote.
Brighton locations
- Filming on council land in Brighton and Hove, including streets, the beach and parks, goes through the Sussex Film Office. It prices each application, and the permit goes on the quote as its own line.
- If firearms or weapons are on set, including props and replicas, book an armourer.
- Brighton’s low emission zone only covers buses, so there’s no charge for a props van. A suspended parking bay needs 7 working days’ notice, and a road closure can take up to 12 weeks. We checked this in November 2026. Fees and rules change, and this page isn’t the official source. For the latest, check with the Sussex Film Office and Brighton and Hove City Council.
Paying and changes
- You pay nothing until you confirm the art director.
- We take 50% by card when you book and 50% when you receive the final rushes.
- The quote shows every line, including the day rate, booking fee, kit and travel.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
What our insurance covers
- Our insurance covers employers’ liability for the art director we book, up to £10m.
- Kit we hire in for you is insured. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
- On a crew hire, it doesn’t cover anything else. Public liability, the location and your own kit stay with you, and your venue will want to see your certificate. When we’re the producer of record, our policy covers the shoot.
- Private venues usually ask to see it. The Royal Pavilion, for example, asks for at least £10m public liability. We checked this in November 2026. Fees and rules change, and this page isn’t the official source. For the latest, check with Brighton and Hove Museums.
£675 a day
APA/Bectu card: £675–878 a day for an art director.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £675 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £67.50 |
| Insurance, 2% | £13.50 |
| One day, before the art budget | £756 + VAT |
The 2% covers employers’ liability for the art director we book and the kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the art director.
- 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
These reviews come from our Google Business Profile.
Book an art director in Brighton.
Tell us the location or set, the look, and what needs dressing, building or propping. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every crew role we book in Brighton
Send one brief and we send one quote, with every role on its own line. These are our day rates in Brighton, and each crew member gets their full rate:
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 This page £675–878
- Set builders £341–512
Post-production 01
- Editor From £350
See how our rates work in crew rates in Brighton, or start from one of our crew set-ups in Brighton.
Production support
Everything around the crew
An art director works with the studio, the prop houses and the van. A studio, props and the Sussex Film Office’s permission each go on the quote as their own line, or you can sort them yourself.
01
Kit rental
Where to hire camera, lighting and sound kit for a Brighton shoot, and when the crew bring their own.
02
Locations and permits
The Sussex Film Office, private places such as the pier, filming on the beach and the drone rules.
03
Studios and set builds
Studios in Brighton for interviews and product shots, and where to go for a bigger set build.
04
Props and wardrobe
Where props and costume come from, and the stylists and hair and make-up artists we book.
Questions
Questions about hiring an art director in Brighton
How much does an art director cost in Brighton?
The APA/Bectu card puts an art director at £675–878 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, and we pay that rate in full. We add our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £756 + VAT. The art budget, for props, hires and materials, is at cost. Our rates are the same in Brighton as anywhere else we book crew.
What does the insurance on a crew booking cover?
It covers two things. The first is employers’ liability for every crew member we book, up to £10m. The second is the kit we hire in for you. That’s what the 2% pays for. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, which goes on the quote as its own line. On a crew hire, you’re the producer of record, so public liability, the location, your own kit and anything you book yourself stay with you. If you want us to be the producer of record, we quote it as a full production, and our insurance covers the whole shoot.
Where do the props come from for a Brighton shoot?
Some are bought locally. Snooper’s Paradise on Kensington Gardens is a place to buy props and one-off pieces. Bigger furniture, themed ranges and anything specialist come down from the London prop houses by van, at cost. The props buyer works out which is cheaper once the van and the returns are counted, and every hire is its own line on the quote.
Is there a studio in Brighton for a set build?
For a small build, yes. Capture Factory Studios has four studios in central Brighton, five minutes’ walk from the station, with parking on site. Studio 4 is 1,330 sq ft with a 13-metre L-shaped infinity cove, and Studio 7b can use natural light or be blacked out. For a big build, we use studios near London. If we book the studio, it goes on the quote as its own line. Check with Capture Factory Studios for the latest.
Can you dress someone’s home or office for a shoot?
Yes. We photograph everything first and pack it away. Then we dress for the camera, and at wrap we put it all back exactly as it was. In an office, the building’s rules come first. Crew names go in advance, the dressing goes up the goods lift or the stairs, and everything is out by the time the building wants the floor back. If the props van needs a bay outside, the council needs 7 working days’ notice to suspend it. Check with Brighton and Hove City Council for the latest.
Can you dress a room at the Royal Pavilion?
The Royal Pavilion takes filming requests through Brighton and Hove Museums, and it sets its own conditions. Any electrics on set, practical lamps included, must have been PAT tested in the past year, and the museum asks for at least £10m public liability. Agree the dressing and the strike time with the venue when you book. Check with Brighton and Hove Museums for the latest.
Art director or production designer?
On a big production, the production designer sets the look and the art director runs the department that makes it. On most adverts and brand films, one person does both.
Are your art directors from Brighton?
We book art directors who live in Brighton or Hove first. If the brief or the date needs someone else, we book an art director from London, about an hour away by train. We add the travel to the quote before anything is booked. Our own base is London, at 124 City Road, and we have bases in Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall.