Film crew hire/Oxford/Focus puller
Hire a focus puller in Oxford. A focus puller keeps the picture sharp on your shoot and looks after the camera.
People book a focus puller in Oxford for college halls, labs at the Science Park and Harwell, and shoots on the street. A focus puller, or 1st AC, preps the camera at the kit house, keeps the shot sharp and runs the camera team so the DOP can light. Our focus puller day rate starts at £461, and the focus puller gets all of it.
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- £10m employers’ liability on every crew member we book
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books, across the UK
Photos: ShareGrid, Here Now Films, Voice + Video, Johannes Blenke and Ray Harrington
The role
What a focus puller does on your shoot
A focus puller, or 1st AC (first assistant camera), keeps the picture sharp while the camera, the actors or both are moving. They measure distances, mark the floor at rehearsal and pull focus live with a wireless follow-focus, often from beside the camera or at a monitor. They also build the camera, swap lenses and keep it running all day.
A large sensor and a fast lens make focus very shallow. On a close-up at T1.5, the sharp area can be a few centimetres deep. A brand film or an advert needs a focus puller for that reason, and a two-camera interview usually doesn’t.
We book a focus puller who lives in or near Oxford first. If nobody local is free, or the shoot needs more people, we bring crew from London. In practice, camera assistants for Oxford shoots usually come from London with the camera package, after a prep day at the kit house. We add the travel and the prep day to the quote before anything is booked.
- The focus puller keeps the shot sharp where it matters. They hold focus on eyes, hands and product through every move and every take.
- The camera works all day. The focus puller preps it at the kit house, then builds and tests it at call. They clean, swap and log the lenses.
- Fewer takes are lost. They set marks at rehearsal, and have a quiet word if a move won’t hold focus.
- The focus puller runs the camera team. That leaves the DOP free to watch the light.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Pulling focus on every take, live
- Building, testing and maintaining the camera
- Lens changes, cleaning and the lens log
- Marks and measurements at rehearsal
- Running the camera team, including the loader, DIT and video
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- A prep day at the kit house, if the package needs one
- Their own focus kit, if it’s not in the camera package
- Travel from London or outside Oxford, at cost
Read how our rates work and the two ways to book in crew rates in Oxford.
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 a focus puller 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 a focus puller
A brand film on an ARRI Alexa 35 with cine primes. The morning is a walking shot on Broad Street, and the afternoon is a product scene in a studio hired by the day. The times are an example. The call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Camera build At the unit base, the focus puller checks the lenses, calibrates the follow-focus and pairs the monitors and video sender. They prepped the package at a London kit house the day before and drove it to Oxford in the van.
- 08:00 Rehearsal The actor walks the move along Broad Street. The focus puller marks the ground, measures the distances and sets the focus points. It’s a small crew of ten or fewer, and Broad Street is one of the listed streets in the centre, so Oxfordshire County Council had 30 working days’ notice.
- 08:30 Turnover The focus puller pulls focus live as the actor walks towards a long lens. They tell the DOP if a take was soft.
- 10:30 Lens change The focus puller swaps the 35mm lens for a 75mm for the close-up. They clean and log the new lens in under two minutes.
- 13:00 Lunch The camera goes on charge and the filters are cleaned. The focus puller looks over the afternoon’s set-ups.
- 14:00 Studio The unit moves to the studio. The van stayed outside the Zero Emission Zone all morning, so there’s no daily charge. The camera goes on a slider, and the focus puller pulls focus by wireless from a monitor.
- 18:30 Wrap The camera is packed for the return to the kit house. The focus puller hands the lens log and camera report to the loader.
We checked this in November 2026. Fees and rules change, and this page isn’t the official source. For the latest, check with Oxfordshire County Council.
Types
Types of camera assistant we book
These are the camera assistants we book, in order of seniority, and when each one is worth booking.
Focus puller, 1st AC Focus, the camera and the lenses Card £461–575
A focus puller pulls focus, builds and runs the camera, and leads the camera team. The job starts with the prep day at the kit house and ends when the kit goes back.
Good for brand films, adverts and drama on large-sensor cameras with cine lenses.
Wireless focus puller From a monitor, off the camera Card £461–575
A wireless focus puller pulls focus from a monitor, when the camera is on a crane, a car, a Steadicam or a gimbal.
Good for moving shots where nobody can stand beside the camera.
Clapper loader, 2nd AC Slate, cards, mags and reports Card £355–448
A clapper loader slates every take, changes cards or film magazines, and keeps the camera report. See clapper loaders in Oxford.
Good alongside a focus puller on any shoot with more than one camera, or on film.
Camera trainee Learning the department Quoted on the brief
A camera trainee is an extra pair of hands for the camera team. They carry and charge the kit, and learn the job as they go.
Good for long or multi-camera shoots. It’s also how new crew learn the job.
Do you need one at all? Interviews and simple shoots Often not
A two-camera interview on Sony FX6s with autofocus or a deep stop often doesn’t need a focus puller.
Book one when the lens is fast, the shot moves, or the picture is the point.
What it’s for
What people book a focus puller for in Oxford
Brand films and adverts on the street
Brand films and adverts use large-sensor cameras and fast primes on Broad Street, the High and the Covered Market. Oxfordshire County Council handles filming on streets and pavements.
Founder films for spin-outs and biotech
Founder interviews are shot wide open on cinema cameras at the Oxford Science Park, Begbroke and Harwell Campus, where spin-outs and biotech companies film their founders and labs.
University and research films
Researchers are filmed in the University’s labs, lecture theatres and libraries, often on cinema cameras with fast lenses. Start with the University’s filming coordinator or the college.
Conferences and events at college venues
A focus puller is worth booking when the talks, or the interviews filmed between sessions, are shot on cinema cameras with fast lenses. Keble is one of the colleges that takes location filming.
Heritage locations out of town
Brand films use long lenses at Blenheim Palace at Woodstock and on the edge of the Cotswolds, with the owner’s permission. Holding focus there takes a skilled 1st AC.
Recent work
Focus pullers on our jobs, and how we crew them in Oxford
Our work · the Lizard, Cornwall · June 2026
A 1st AC on 35mm, along a mile of cliff path
Cohere’s AI for Empowerment was shot on 35mm, on an Arricam LT with an Angénieux zoom and Canon K-35 primes. For the Lizard our 1st AC and 2nd AC travelled in, with a camera trainee working as 3rd AC, and the call moved up to 07:00 to work in the fog. With no phone signal on the headland, the unit ran on twelve radios along a mile of cliff path, and wrapped at 21:00.
How we crew it · Oxford
A 1st AC who comes from London with the camera package
The focus puller is booked for the prep day as well as the shoot. Camera assistants for Oxford shoots usually come from London with the camera package. The 1st AC checks the package out at the London kit house the day before and travels to Oxford with it. When a focus puller who lives in or near Oxford fits the brief, we book them first. We add the travel and the prep day to the quote before anything is booked.
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.
- A prep day at the kit house is quoted separately.
Kit
- The camera package comes from a kit house or the DOP. The focus puller checks it out, usually on a prep day.
- Cinema camera packages for Oxford shoots usually come from London kit houses, and the focus puller travels with them.
- Wireless follow-focus and monitors are usually in the package. If not, theirs goes on the quote.
On the road
- A car rig on a public road needs a road closure. Oxfordshire County Council handles filming on streets in Oxford and the county. A road closure needs a Special Event Order and at least 12 weeks’ notice, and the order costs £3,029 plus VAT, including up to £600 of advertising.
- Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone covers the city centre from 7am to 7pm, every day. A Euro 6 diesel van pays £4 a day, an older diesel £10 and an electric van nothing. We checked this in November 2026. Fees and rules change, and this page isn’t the official source. For the latest, check with Oxfordshire County Council, on filming and the Zero Emission Zone.
Paying and changes
- You pay nothing until you confirm the focus puller.
- 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 focus puller 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.
- Venues usually ask to see it. Oxfordshire County Council, for example, asks for at least £10m public liability for filming on streets and pavements. We checked this in November 2026. Fees and rules change, and this page isn’t the official source. For the latest, check with Oxfordshire County Council.
£461 a day
APA/Bectu card: £461–575 a day for a focus puller.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £461 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £46.10 |
| Insurance, 2% | £9.22 |
| One day, before travel | £516.32 + VAT |
The 2% covers employers’ liability for the focus puller we book and the kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the focus puller.
- 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 a focus puller in Oxford.
Tell us the date, the camera and lenses, where the package is coming from, and what moves. 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 Oxford
Send one brief and we send one quote, with every role on its own line. These are our day rates in Oxford, 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 This page £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
See how our rates work in crew rates in Oxford, or start from one of our crew set-ups in Oxford.
Production support
Everything around the crew
A focus puller works inside a camera package. The kit house, a studio and the county council’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 an Oxford shoot, and when the crew bring their own.
02
Locations and permits
The county council for streets, the colleges and the University, the Bodleian and the drone rules.
03
Studios and set builds
Studios at Didcot and south of Reading for set builds, and college rooms hired by the day for interviews.
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 a focus puller in Oxford
How much does a focus puller cost in Oxford?
The APA/Bectu card puts a focus puller at £461–575 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, and we pay that to the focus puller in full. We add our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so one day comes to £516.32 + VAT. A prep day at the kit house and any travel from London are extra, and each goes on the quote as its own line.
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.
Is a focus puller the same as a 1st AC?
Yes. In the UK the first assistant camera is usually called the focus puller. The second assistant camera is the clapper loader.
Where do focus pullers prep the camera for an Oxford shoot?
At the kit house, usually the day before. Camera assistants for Oxford shoots usually come from London with the camera package. The 1st AC preps it at the London kit house and travels to Oxford with it. The prep day goes on the quote as its own line.
Can a focus puller work on a car rig in Oxford?
Yes. They pull focus from a monitor on a wireless follow-focus, and the grip builds the car mount. On a public road, start with Oxfordshire County Council. A road closure needs a Special Event Order and at least 12 weeks’ notice, and the order costs £3,029 plus VAT. Check with Oxfordshire County Council for the latest.
Are your focus pullers from Oxford?
We book focus pullers who live in or near Oxford first. Camera assistants for Oxford shoots usually come from London with the camera package. We add the travel and the prep day 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.
Is there a studio near Oxford for a product shoot?
Yes. Rebellion Film Studios at Didcot has a 22,000 sq ft main stage, and Shadowbox Studios Shinfield, south of Reading, has 18 stages. For a smaller set-up, some colleges hire rooms by the day. If we book the studio, it goes on the quote as its own line. See film studios near Oxford. Check with the studio for the latest.
How far ahead should I book a focus puller in Oxford?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours and replies with a focus puller and a price. Then allow for the prep day, and for the permission the shot needs. Oxfordshire County Council needs at least 15 working days’ notice for a small crew on the street, or 30 on listed streets in the centre, and a road closure needs at least 12 weeks. Check with Oxfordshire County Council for the latest.