Hire a DIT in Bristol. Every card verified, every take checked, and the rushes on their way.
Digital imaging technicians and data wranglers for shoots across Bristol and Bath, from the stages at The Bottle Yard in Whitchurch to the ship and the dry dock at Bristol Dockyards. They copy and verify every card, check the pictures while the crew can still fix them, and get the rushes to the edit, whether that’s across the city or in London, 1 hour 19 minutes away on the fastest trains. £527 a day, the APA/Bectu card rate, paid to the DIT 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: Here Now Films, Vitaly Gariev, Samsung Memory, Aleksandrs Karevs and Xiaoxia Xu
The role
What a DIT does on your shoot
A DIT (digital imaging technician) looks after the pictures between the camera and the edit. They agree the camera settings and the look with the DOP, check every take for focus, exposure and noise, run the verified backups, and often make the dailies the client watches that night.
The footage is the one thing a shoot makes that can’t be bought again. Dragging a card across in Finder gives no checksum, so a corrupted file can sit unnoticed until the card has been formatted and the original is gone. A DIT is there so that never happens.
On a Bristol shoot the DIT also plans the route the rushes take before the first card comes off camera: a shuttle drive on the train from Temple Meads, proxies uploaded through the day to an editor somewhere else, or the day’s takes on a cinema screen. Watershed runs its Industry Services every day for rushes, technical checks and cast and crew screenings, and its Cinema 1 seats 197.
- Verified copies. Checksum software such as Silverstack or ShotPut Pro, never drag and drop.
- Two copies, then three. Two verified copies before a card goes back to camera; a third off set by wrap.
- Pictures checked. Soft focus, clipped highlights and noise caught while the crew can still go again.
- A paper trail. A report for every card, and an MHL file of checksums that travels with the media.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Offloading every card with verified copies
- Spot checks for focus, exposure, sound and timecode
- The media log and checksum reports
- Camera settings and the look, agreed with the DOP
- The drives handed over at wrap
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- The DIT station or cart, at a day rate
- Drives, at cost, or bring your own
- Dailies, transcodes and colour, if the brief needs them
- Shuttle drives to the edit, on the train or by courier, at cost
- 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 a DIT for your own Bristol shoot, or have us take the production on, with the rushes delivered to the edit.
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 DIT, call to wrap
A two-camera brand film on the SS Great Britain and in the Dry Dock at Bristol Dockyards, which has power and Wi-Fi on site, with proxies for the agency through the day and the edit in London. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:30 Set up the station A cart in the corner the Dockyards team agreed at the recce, off the route the crew carry kit along: power, a calibrated monitor, card readers, three drives.
- 08:00 Camera check Format, frame rate and the look agreed with the DOP and set on both cameras.
- 10:30 First cards Offloaded with checksum verification to two drives, then checked: focus, exposure, noise and timecode.
- 11:00 A note to camera A soft take from the engine room, spotted on B camera. The focus puller knows before the next set-up.
- 13:00 Lunch Cards go back to camera only once two verified copies exist.
- 15:00 Proxies up Proxies with the look applied, uploading to the agency and the editor over a connection tested at the recce, while the crew shoot on in the Dry Dock.
- 19:00 Wrap Last cards in, the third copy made. A shuttle drive goes on the train from Temple Meads to the edit; the masters stay with the production until it has arrived.
Which kind
DIT, wrangler or loader?
Three jobs that overlap and get called different things on different sets, plus the way to start the edit before wrap.
DIT The pictures and the data £527 a day
Works with the DOP on the camera and the look, checks every take, runs the backups and makes dailies.
Best for RAW, ARRI or RED, three or more cameras, or same-night dailies, as on a stage at The Bottle Yard.
Data wrangler Copies and logs the cards Quoted on the brief
Takes the cards, copies them with verified backups and keeps the log. On bigger shoots, the DIT’s assistant.
Best for multi-camera event days, a conference or a gig at Bristol Beacon, without a colour pipeline.
Clapper loader Cards between set-ups £355–448 a day
The 2nd AC offloads cards with verification software between set-ups. See clapper loaders in Bristol.
Fine for one camera; not for a multi-camera RAW day.
Live proxies The edit starts before wrap
Proxies sent from the camera to Frame.io through a Teradek or the camera itself, so the edit can start before wrap. It needs a connection, which we check at the recce. Bristol Beacon offers fast internet for live broadcast and streaming, without a satellite truck; in most offices and venues we book a wired line before the day.
Best when the client or the editor isn’t in Bristol.
What it’s for
What people book a DIT for in Bristol
Drama and cinema camera shoots
ARRI, RED or Sony Venice on the stages at The Bottle Yard, where Rivals and The Crow Girl were made, and where RAW fills drives fast.
Events and live sessions
Three or more cameras through a day of talks or a gig at Bristol Beacon, with cards coming in faster than one person can clear them.
Agencies who want dailies
The day’s pictures with the look applied, on the agency’s screens that night, or on the big screen in Watershed’s Cinema 1.
Shoots you can’t repeat
Researchers in the University of Bristol’s Life Sciences building, a launch on the Harbourside, a chief executive with one free hour.
Productions passing through
Teams who arrive at Temple Meads or fly into Bristol Airport with their own director and DP, and leave with verified drives.
Recent work
DITs on our jobs, and how we crew Bristol
Production service · Portsmouth, London and Oxford · November 2023
Two mirrored drives, three cities, three days
Swanson Studio flew in from Oregon to photograph and interview surgeons for Intuitive, on its own two REDs, over three days in a row: a hospital in Portsmouth, a hospital in London and Intuitive’s office at Oxford Science Park. We ran the UK side. Each day our DIT ingested the RED footage and the sound, made proxies and backed up to two mirrored drives, one for Swanson and one for its client, before the vans were packed for the next city.
How we crew it · Bristol
Rushes from Temple Meads to the edit
When the edit isn’t in Bristol, we plan how the rushes travel at the recce. Proxies go up through the day if the location gives us a wired line. The shuttle drive goes on the train: Temple Meads is 1 hour 19 minutes from London Paddington on the fastest services and 48 minutes from Cardiff Central. On a stage at The Bottle Yard, Films at 59’s branch there handles ingest and media management. Our Bristol list is shorter on DITs than on camera crew, so when the brief needs one we bring them in from across the South West, Cardiff or London, with the travel on the quote before anything is booked.
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 and travel days are quoted separately.
Drives and the train
- Three copies, checksum-verified, one off site: tell us whose drives they go on.
- A shuttle drive can go on the train from Temple Meads. Send a copy, never the only one.
- Films at 59 offers ingest and media management at The Bottle Yard, and Baselight grading and a DI suite at Cotham Hill.
Filming in Bristol
- Bristol Film Office asks for at least £5m public liability and a full risk assessment with every application.
- A DIT who drives the cart into the centre pays the Clean Air Zone charge if the car or van isn’t compliant: £9 a day, cars included, because Bristol’s zone is Class D (checked October 2026). It goes on the quote at cost.
- Bristol Dockyards has power and Wi-Fi on site. Elsewhere, power and a corner for the cart are agreed with the venue before the day.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the DIT.
- 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 DIT 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.
£527 a day
APA/Bectu card: Up to £527 a day for a DIT.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £527 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £52.70 |
| Insurance, 2% | £10.54 |
| One day, before the station and drives | £590.24 |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the DIT we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the DIT.
- 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 DIT in Bristol.
Tell us the cameras, the formats, roughly how much you’ll shoot, and where the edit is. 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 £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 This page £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
A DIT sits between the camera and the edit. Here’s how the rest of a Bristol shoot works around them, from kit at The Bottle Yard to getting the rushes out of the city.
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 DIT in Bristol: questions
How much does a DIT cost in Bristol?
Our DITs are £527 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch: the APA/Bectu card rate, paid to the DIT in full. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance: £590.24 + VAT for the day. The DIT station, drives, shuttle drives and any travel from outside Bristol are priced separately.
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 DIT and a data wrangler?
A data wrangler copies and logs the cards. A DIT does that and works with the DOP on the pictures themselves: settings, the look, checks and dailies. For a one- or two-camera interview day in an office in the centre, a camera assistant with verification software is often enough. For a multi-camera event at Bristol Beacon, book a wrangler at least.
Can you get rushes from Bristol to our editor the same day?
Yes. A shuttle drive goes on the train. Temple Meads is 1 hour 19 minutes from London Paddington on the fastest trains, 11 minutes from Bath Spa, 48 minutes from Cardiff Central and about 1 hour 25 from Birmingham (checked October 2026). Proxies can upload while you shoot, if the location gives us a connection. The masters stay with the production until the copy has arrived and been checked.
Can we watch the rushes on a big screen in Bristol?
Yes. Watershed runs its Industry Services every day for rushes, technical checks and cast and crew screenings, and its Cinema 1 seats 197. The DIT preps the files for the screening, and the cinema goes on the quote as its own line.
What does a DIT need from a Bristol location?
Power, a corner for the cart out of the traffic of the set, and a way in for the kit. Bristol Dockyards lists power, running water and Wi-Fi on site, and Bristol Beacon offers fast internet for live broadcast and streaming, without a satellite truck. Elsewhere we agree power and a room with the venue before the day. If the DIT drives into the centre: 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 Bristol DITs get their kit?
Most bring their own cart, drives and readers, priced on the quote. Films at 59 Rental hires kit from Barley House in Clifton and from The Bottle Yard, where it also handles ingest and media management. VI Rental, also at The Bottle Yard, hires drama kits and TV shooting packages. Specialist kit can come down from London.
Are your DITs local to Bristol?
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. Our Bristol office is at Raw Space, 111 Gloucester Road, in Bishopston; our headquarters is on City Road in London.