Film crew hire/Bristol/Drone operator
Hire a drone operator in Bristol. Aerials over the gorge and the harbour, cleared before take-off.
Drone operators for brand films, property, events and documentaries across Bristol and Bath. They plan the flight and fly it to the CAA’s 2026 rules, with a Bristol Film Office permit for take-off on council land, the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust’s rules round the bridge, and Bristol Airport’s permission where its flight restriction zone reaches. From £750 a day, with their own drone.
- 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: Diana Măceşanu, Nicolas Luna, William Bayreuther, Goh Rhy Yan and Sheila C
The role
What a drone operator does on your shoot
A drone operator plans and flies the aerial shots: the reveal down the Avon Gorge, a building from above, the harbour at first light. In Bristol most of the work comes before the day: checking the airspace, getting the Film Office’s permit for take-off and landing, and agreeing the flight with any landowner it crosses.
Taking off or landing on Bristol council land needs a Film Office permit, from £245 a day, with seven days’ notice; city centre flights are considered only early on Sunday mornings, and nothing takes off from a road without a road closure, sub-250g drones included (checked October 2026). The pilot keeps the drone in direct sight, never flying by the screen alone, and the Film Office aims to confirm within five working days of a complete application.
Landowners set their own rules. The Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust keeps drones of 250g or more 50 metres from the bridge, and anything closer needs CAA permission through the Trust. Bath takes film-industry drone applications through Bath Film Office. And Bristol Airport has a flight restriction zone round it, where only air traffic control can say 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.
- Airspace checked. The site against Bristol Airport’s flight restriction zone and any temporary restrictions, before we quote.
- Flown to CAA rules. A Flyer ID, an Operator ID, the right class mark and certificate, and an operational authorisation where the flight needs one.
- A site assessed. Take-off and landing, people, roads and the water, mapped for the Film Office, with a plan B.
- Shots that cut in. Frame rate and colour profile matched to the ground cameras.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- A day’s flying, with their own drone, batteries and spares
- Flight planning, the site assessment and the airspace check
- Their CAA registrations and any operational authorisation
- Their aviation insurance, checked before we book them
- The rushes at wrap, matched to the ground cameras
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Bristol Film Office’s drone permit, from £245 a day, where the take-off is on council land
- Airport clearance inside the flight restriction zone, quoted on the brief
- A road closure, if the take-off point or the flight path needs one
- A spotter, or a second operator for the camera, where the shot needs one
- 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 drone operator for your own production, or have us take the whole film 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 drone operator, call to wrap
Aerials of the Harbourside for a brand film, taking off from council land early on a Sunday. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- D–14 Airspace The site checked against Bristol Airport’s flight restriction zone. If any of the flight is inside it, permission comes from the airport’s air traffic control, whose details are in the UK AIP on the NATS portal.
- D–7 Permit The Film Office application in at least seven days ahead: the pilot’s A2 CofC or GVC, Flyer ID and Operator ID, £5m public liability, the risk assessment and method statement, and a map of the take-off, landing, cordons and flight path. The fee starts at £245 (checked October 2026).
- 06:00 Site walk Sunday, early: the take-off and landing points walked, the cordons set where the map shows them, people and paths checked.
- 06:30 Weather Wind, rain and any temporary airspace restriction checked on the morning. A weather day is agreed on the quote.
- 07:00 First flights Low-sun reveals along the water and over the cranes at Princes Wharf, while the quays are quiet.
- 09:30 Last flights and wrap Down before the city fills up, cordons lifted, the flight log written up and the cards copied.
Which kind
Which drone do you need?
The shot and the camera choose the drone; in Bristol, where you take off chooses the paperwork.
Camera drone Compact, quick and quiet From £750 a day
Small drones with good 4K or 5K cameras. Since 1 January 2026, new Open category drones carry a UK class mark, UK0 to UK6, and C-class marks count as their UK match until the end of 2027 (checked October 2026).
Best for property, events, establishing shots and social content.
Cinema drone Full-frame camera, interchangeable lenses Quoted on the brief
A larger drone carrying a full-frame camera and RAW recording, often with a second operator on the camera. Films at 59 Rental lists drones and aerial camera systems among its Bristol kit.
Best for brand films, adverts and anything graded with the main camera.
FPV drone Fast, low and close Quoted on the brief
Small, fast drones flown in first person: through doorways, along a road, or close behind a moving car.
Best for sport, venues and action. Close to people or a road in Bristol, it usually needs a closed set or a road closure.
Near the bridge, the airport or in Bath Where the rules change
Clifton Suspension Bridge: drones of 250g or more stay 50 metres away, nothing takes off or lands on the bridge, and flying over the road needs a full road closure. Bath: a film-industry drone permit through Bath Film Office, with an admin fee of £138 plus VAT (checked October 2026).
Bristol Airport: inside its flight restriction zone, the airport’s air traffic control decides. See filming permits in Bristol.
What it’s for
What people book a drone for in Bristol
Brand films
The Avon Gorge, the bridge from at least 50 metres, and the harbour that open the film.
Property and development
Offices, schemes and sites across the city, the city centre ones flown early on a Sunday morning.
Parks and open spaces
The Downs and the city’s other parks are council land, so the take-off goes on a Film Office drone permit.
Events
Outdoor events on the Downs and the Harbourside, planned round the crowd: Open category drones can’t fly over one.
Heritage and documentary
The SS Great Britain in its dry dock, and Bath’s Royal Crescent from above, with the landowner’s say-so.
Recent work
Drones on our jobs, and the Bristol rules we plan round
Our work · Bude, Cornwall
Float to Live, at Bude’s tidal pool
For Kärcher and the RNLI’s Float to Live campaign, which came to us through MSL Group, a London PR group, one of our team filmed the day at Bude’s tidal pool single-handed: the footage, the interviews and the drone shots. The edit went out to the press within two days.
How we crew it · Bristol
Over the city, the gorge and the bridge
A take-off on council land needs Bristol Film Office’s permit first, and in the city centre that means an early Sunday morning slot. Nothing takes off from a road without a closure, even a drone under 250g, and round Clifton Suspension Bridge drones of 250g or more keep 50 metres away. Before we book an operator we check their Flyer ID, Operator ID, certificate and insurance. When the shot needs a take-off point nobody will give, we look for another way to it: a long lens from a roof, or a site whose owner says yes.
Before you book
Things to know
Permission in Bristol
- Bristol Film Office asks for at least £5m public liability and a full risk assessment with every application.
- Take-off or landing on council land: a Bristol Film Office drone permit, from £245 a day, at least seven days ahead (checked October 2026).
- City centre flights: early on Sunday mornings only.
- Clifton Suspension Bridge: 250g or more stays 50 metres away; over the road needs a full road closure and a filming permit.
The CAA rules
- A Flyer ID for any drone of 100g or more: free, for five years.
- An Operator ID for 250g or more, or 100g or more with a camera: £12.34 a year.
- An A2 CofC to fly near people in the A2 sub-category (checked October 2026).
The day
- 11 hours, including an hour for lunch.
- Overtime at card rates, agreed with you before it happens.
- Wind and rain can ground a drone: a weather day is agreed on the quote.
- A temporary airspace restriction can close the sky at short notice, so the operator checks on the morning.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the operator.
- 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 operator 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.
- The drone and its flights: the operator’s own aviation insurance, checked before we book them.
From £750 a day
There’s no APA/Bectu card rate for drone operators: they price per day, with the drone.
| Operator and drone, a day | £750 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £75 |
| Insurance, 2% | £15 |
| One day, before permissions and travel | £840 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the operator we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the operator.
- 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 drone operator in Bristol.
Tell us the date, the place and the shots. We check the airspace and the take-off point before we quote. 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 This page 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
A drone needs more paperwork than crew: the Film Office permit, a road closure if the take-off needs one, and parking for the van each get their own line on the quote, or you can sort them yourself.
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 drone operator in Bristol: questions
How much does a drone operator cost in Bristol?
Our drone operators start at £750 a day with their own drone. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day comes to £840 + VAT, before permit, landowner and airport fees and any travel from outside Bristol. Cinema drones and FPV are quoted on the brief. There’s no APA/Bectu card rate for drone work.
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.
Do I need a permit to fly a drone in Bristol?
To take off or land on council land, yes: a Bristol Film Office drone permit, from £245 a day, with at least seven days’ notice. City centre flights are considered only early on Sunday mornings, and nothing takes off from a road without a road closure, sub-250g drones included (checked October 2026). The application needs the pilot’s A2 CofC or GVC, their Flyer ID and Operator ID, £5m public liability, a risk assessment and method statement, and a map of the take-off, landing, cordons and flight path; the Film Office aims to confirm within five working days. It issues no permits for amateur, survey or research flights. More in filming permits in Bristol.
Can you fly a drone near Clifton Suspension Bridge?
Not close. The Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust keeps drones of 250g or more 50 metres from the bridge and allows no take-off or landing on it; anything closer than the Drone Code allows needs CAA permission, which goes through the Trust. Commercial drone filming also needs Bristol Film Office’s or the landowner’s permission, and flying over the road needs a full road closure and a filming permit (checked October 2026).
Can you fly a drone near Bristol Airport?
With air traffic control’s permission. Airports have a flight restriction zone: a circle of 2 or 2.5 nautical miles, depending on the aerodrome, plus zones 1km wide running 5km out from each end of the runway, all up to 2,000 feet. Inside it, permission comes from the airport’s air traffic control, whose contact details are in the UK AIP on the NATS portal, and it can be refused on safety or security grounds (checked October 2026). We check every site against the zone map before we quote.
Can you fly a drone in Bath?
Yes, with permission. Bath & North East Somerset Council needs a permit for a drone over 250g, for anything that sections off a pavement, road or park, and for flights in the Specific or Certified categories. Film-industry drone permits go through Bath Film Office’s online system, with an admin fee of £138 plus VAT; other commercial flights use the council’s drone form, at least five working days ahead. Open category drones can’t fly over crowds, sub-250g ones included (checked October 2026).
What do drone operators need from the CAA in 2026?
A Flyer ID for any drone of 100g or more, free and valid for five years, and an Operator ID from 250g, or from 100g with a camera, at £12.34 a year. Since 1 January 2026 new Open category drones carry a UK class mark, UK0 to UK6, and C-class marks count as their UK match until the end of 2027. Flying near people in the A2 sub-category takes an A2 CofC (checked October 2026). We check every operator’s paperwork and insurance before we book them.
Are your drone operators from 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. We book drone operators from Bristol and Bath first; when the brief or the date needs someone else, they come from across the South West, Cardiff or London, and the travel goes on the quote before anything is booked. 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).