Film crew hire/Bristol/Gaffer
Hire a gaffer in Bristol. The DOP’s plan, lit, powered and safe, with the van on its own line.
Gaffers for brand films, adverts, interviews and studio days across Bristol and Bath, from Georgian rooms in Bath to the stages at The Bottle Yard. They turn the DOP’s lighting plan into lamps, stands, cable and power, work to the building’s rules and Bristol Film Office’s, and run the sparks who rig it. Local where we can; from across the South West, Cardiff or London where the brief needs it. £550 a day, paid to the gaffer in full, with the van and kit on its own line.
- 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, Jametlene Reskp, Eli Cooper, Jonah De Oliveira and Mikey Harris
The role
What a gaffer does on your shoot
The gaffer is the head of the lighting department. They work out with the DOP how each set-up will be lit, choose the lamps, plan the power and run the sparks who rig and focus them. On location they find the power, or bring it, and make sure nothing trips, overheats or falls over.
Many gaffers own a van of LEDs, stands, flags and cable, so one booking covers the person and the kit. In Bristol the van has lines of its own: the Clean Air Zone charge if it isn’t compliant, a parking suspension booked three working days ahead, and the lamps and cable in Bristol Film Office’s application before anything goes on a pavement.
- The plan, lit. The DOP describes the look; the gaffer chooses and places the lamps that make it.
- Power that holds. House power, distribution, batteries or a generator, worked out at the recce.
- Quick turnarounds. The next set-up pre-rigged while the current one shoots.
- Safe rigging. Stands weighted, cable taped down or flown, heads above people secured, PAT certificates to hand.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Planning the lighting with the DOP
- Rigging, focusing and adjusting every lamp
- Power: finding it, distributing it, keeping it safe
- Running the sparks, if you book them
- Striking the lights and leaving the location as it was
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- The van and kit, at a day rate, on its own line
- Batteries, a generator, a cherry picker or extra distribution, if the location needs them
- A parking suspension for the van, where the street needs one, 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 gaffer for your own Bristol shoot, or have us take the whole film on, lighting and all.
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 gaffer, call to wrap
Interviews in a converted warehouse in central Bristol, inside the Clean Air Zone, then a lit shot on the street outside at dusk. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Van in Parked in a bay suspended three working days ahead; the van is compliant, or its £9 Clean Air Zone charge is on the quote (checked October 2026).
- 07:30 Power The building’s circuits checked with the site manager, cable runs planned so nothing crosses a fire exit.
- 08:00 The plan A walk round with the DOP: the big windows as the key, a soft fill, the brick behind the chair lit so it reads.
- 09:00 Rigged and focused Lamps up, flags set, the practicals dimmed to sit under the key.
- 13:00 Lunch The afternoon set-up pre-rigged at the other end of the floor.
- 15:30 The light goes The sun drops behind the buildings opposite; the key comes up to hold the look.
- 18:00 Street at dusk Two battery LEDs on weighted stands on the pavement, covered by the Bristol Film Office permit, the cable matted where people walk.
- 19:30 Wrap Everything struck and loaded, the street and the floor as they were.
Which kind
Which lighting crew do you need?
How big the lighting team gets depends on the look, the space and how fast the day moves. In Bristol it also depends on whether anything goes on the street after dark.
Gaffer with a van One person, one kit £550 a day
A gaffer with their own van of LEDs, stands, flags and cable, priced on its own line. Often all an interview or a small brand film needs.
Best for interviews, corporate films and one-location days.
Gaffer and spark Two to rig Spark £457 a day
The gaffer runs the plan; the spark rigs, runs cable and pre-rigs the next set-up. A move from the Harbourside up to Clifton is where a spark earns the day. See sparks in Bristol.
Best for multi-set-up days, company moves and bigger lamps.
Full lighting crew A best boy and sparks Quoted on the brief
A best boy to run the crew and the kit, and as many sparks as the plan needs. Lighting comes from VI Rental or Films at 59 at The Bottle Yard; the biggest lamps come down from London.
Best for adverts, drama, night exteriors and stage days.
Desk operator Programmed light
A desk operator for colour-changing LEDs, practical effects and lighting cues, on a stage or a music video.
Best for music videos, events and studio shoots with effects.
Batteries or a generator Power where there isn’t any
Battery power for quiet, small set-ups; a silent generator and an operator for big lamps. Bristol Film Office’s code wants generators baffled or built into vehicles, and its night filming guidance encourages batteries over generators.
Best for night exteriors, and for places that can’t take a generator at all.
What it’s for
What people book a gaffer for in Bristol
Interviews in real rooms
Offices by the Harbourside, and the University of Bristol’s historic rooms, from Royal Fort House to the Victoria Rooms, lit so the windows don’t win.
Studio days
The Bottle Yard’s eleven stages, from 7,000 to 21,700 sq ft, and the smaller coves at Qu Studios in Bedminster and Factory Studios in Barton Hill.
Caves, cellars and tunnels
Redcliffe Caves, tunnels dug for glassmaking and pottery sand that stood in for Cornish tin mines in Poldark, where every bit of light is brought in.
Brand films in old buildings
The SS Great Britain at Bristol Dockyards, and Bath’s Georgian interiors, No.1 Royal Crescent among them.
Night exteriors
Streets and the Harbourside lit for camera with Bristol Film Office’s say-so, and residential night shoots de-rigged by 23:00 unless it’s agreed otherwise.
Recent work
Lighting on our jobs, and how we crew Bristol
Full production · The Lizard, Cornwall · June 2026
Lighting a clifftop with no generators
For AI for Empowerment, Cohere’s campaign shot on 35mm in four countries, the Cornwall film was made on the Lizard, across three land ownerships. The clifftops are a Site of Special Scientific Interest: no generators, so the shoot ran on portable power stations; no breaking ground, so every gazebo was weighted; and the kit went in on beach carts. A gaffer was on the call sheet. Fog came in the night before, the call moved up to 07:00 to catch the mist, and the unit wrapped fourteen hours later.
How we crew it · Bristol
A gaffer and a van, brought in when the brief needs one
Our Bristol list is shorter on lighting crew than on camera, so we start with who’s free locally. Where the brief needs more, a gaffer and their van come from across the South West, Cardiff or London, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. Bigger lamps come from VI Rental or Films at 59 at The Bottle Yard. Anything on a street goes in the Bristol Film Office application first, with at least seven days’ notice, cable flown 2.6 metres over a footway and 5.2 metres over a road, or matted, and generators baffled or built into vehicles (checked October 2026).
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.
The van and the city
- Bristol’s Clean Air Zone is Class D: a van or car that isn’t compliant pays £9 a day, around the clock, on the quote at cost (checked October 2026).
- A parking suspension for the van needs three working days: £22 + VAT for one day in a pay and display bay (checked October 2026).
- Tell us the address when you book: the loading bay, the goods lift and the parking come first.
Filming in Bristol
- Bristol Film Office asks for at least £5m public liability and a full risk assessment with every application.
- Its code of practice asks for cable flown 2.6 metres over a footway and 5.2 metres over a road, or matted, and generators baffled or built into vehicles, with engines off on arrival.
- Night shoots need Bristol Film Office’s and Avon and Somerset Police’s authorisation in advance (checked October 2026).
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the gaffer.
- 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 gaffer 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.
£550 a day
APA/Bectu card: Up to £585 a day for a gaffer.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £550 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £55 |
| Insurance, 2% | £11 |
| One day, before the van and travel | £616 |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the gaffer we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the gaffer.
- 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 gaffer in Bristol.
Tell us the date, the address, the look, and where the van can stop. 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 £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 gaffer needs power, a place for the van and, after dark, Bristol Film Office’s say-so. Here’s how each works in Bristol, from kit hire to the permits behind it.
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 gaffer in Bristol: questions
How much does a gaffer cost in Bristol?
Our gaffers are £550 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, paid to the gaffer in full (APA/Bectu card: Up to £585). On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance: £616 + VAT for the gaffer’s day. The van and lighting kit go on their own line, with the same fee and insurance.
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.
Are your gaffers 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. Our Bristol list is shorter on lighting crew than on camera, so some of the gaffers we book come in from across the South West, Cardiff or London, usually with their van, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. Where a local gaffer fits the brief, we book them first.
Do your gaffers bring their own van?
Many do: LED panels, stands, flags and cable, priced on its own line. Bigger lamps come from a kit house. In Bristol that means VI Rental at The Bottle Yard, whose lighting includes Nanlux and Aputure; Films at 59, at The Bottle Yard and in Clifton; and Re-Production, which hires film lighting by the day. The biggest units come down from London.
What does the Clean Air Zone mean for the lighting van?
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). You pay online, up to six days before or six days after; not paying costs £120 plus the charge, or £60 plus the charge within 14 days. A van parked inside the zone that doesn’t move isn’t charged. It goes on the quote at cost.
What if the location doesn’t have enough power?
The gaffer checks at the recce. If the house power won’t do, we add batteries, or a silent generator and an operator, to the quote. On a Bristol street, the Film Office’s code wants generators baffled or built into vehicles, and its night filming guidance encourages batteries over generators, with any noisy kit that can’t be moved quietly left until 07:00 under security.
Can we light a Bristol street at night?
Yes, with permission. Filming on council land goes through Bristol Film Office, which asks for at least seven days’ notice and a letter to neighbours and businesses seven days before, including when the light may reach them. Night shoots need its authorisation and Avon and Somerset Police’s in advance, and in a residential street the shoot is finished and de-rigged by 23:00 unless permission is given and the neighbours don’t object. Bath has its own film office (checked October 2026).
How far ahead should I book a gaffer in Bristol?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. The notice that sets the date is usually the location’s. Bristol Film Office asks for at least seven days’ notice and a letter to neighbours and businesses seven days before the shoot; a road closure of up to two days needs two weeks, and one of three days or more usually eight to ten weeks (checked October 2026).