Film crew hire/Bristol/Hair and make-up
Hire a hair and make-up artist in Bristol. Faces ready for the lens, and kept that way until wrap.
Hair and make-up artists for Bristol and Bath shoots: interviews on the University of Bristol’s campus, presenters at Bristol Beacon, adverts on the Harbourside, and period drama at The Bottle Yard or along Bath’s Royal Crescent. They work to the camera, not the mirror, and keep every look the same until the last take. £398 a day, paid to the artist in full, plus a daily kit fee.
- 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: Christian Agbede, Rhamely, Bright Eliya, hessam nabavi and Bradley Pritchard Jones
The role
What a hair and make-up artist does on your shoot
A hair and make-up artist (HMUA, or HMU on the call sheet) gets the people on camera ready and keeps them that way: skin evened out, shine taken down, hair and brows tidy, then powder, flyaways and collars between every take.
On an advert or a drama the artist builds a look to a brief and a mood board. On an interview day the job is to go unnoticed, which is harder than it sounds under lights. We book hair and make-up for the camera: film, TV, video and stills.
Bristol has a drama industry on its doorstep. The Bottle Yard Studios in Whitchurch hosted 17 major productions in 2024–25 (checked October 2026), and period dramas from Poldark to Bridgerton have filmed at Ashton Court and on Bath’s Royal Crescent. For a corporate day the artist needs a table, a mirror and a plug near the set; for wigs, period hair or ageing, a specialist. 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. Hair and make-up is a role we often widen the search for: when the brief needs a specialist, or the local artists are booked, one comes in from across the South West, Cardiff or London, with the travel on the quote before anything is booked.
- Checked on the monitor. Every look signed off on camera, under the real light, not in the mirror.
- The same look all day. A continuity photo of every look, so the afternoon matches the morning and day two matches day one.
- Contributors settled. Fifteen minutes in the chair is often where a nervous interviewee relaxes before the first question.
- Every skin tone and hair type. Tell us who’s on camera and we’ll match the artist to the people in the chair.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Their own professional kit: foundations, powders, brushes and heated tools
- Hair and make-up for your contributors or cast, to the brief
- Checks and touch-ups between every set-up
- A continuity photo of each look
- Brushes cleaned between people, and single-use applicators
On top, each on its own line
- A daily kit fee for the artist’s own kit: £25
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote, kit included
- Wigs, prosthetics and effects materials, priced to the brief
- A second artist, for full looks, a presenter all day or a big cast
- 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 an artist for your own Bristol shoot, or have us take the whole production on, wardrobe 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 hair and make-up day, call to wrap
A presenter-led brand film on the Harbourside, with two interviews indoors after lunch. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Arrive By train into Temple Meads with the kit on a trolley, or by car with the Clean Air Zone checked first: Bristol’s zone charges an older car £9 a day, as it does a van (checked October 2026).
- 07:15 Set up the station A table, a mirror, good light and a plug, in a room or a unit near the set and out of the wind off the water.
- 07:30 Presenter in the chair 30 to 45 minutes for a look that has to last all day, under lights and outside.
- 08:30 Camera check The look checked on the monitor with the DOP, in the real light on the quayside.
- 09:00 Through the takes Beside the monitor with a set bag: powder, lips and flyaways between takes, and a continuity photo of every look. Wind and drizzle by the water mean more checks, not fewer.
- 13:00 Lunch An hour. Lips and powder back on before the first set-up after.
- 14:00 Interviews Two interviewees indoors, 15 to 20 minutes each in the chair, worked around their diaries.
- 18:00 Wrap Make-up off for anyone who wants it, and the kit packed and out with the camera team’s.
As a rough guide, one artist can groom six to eight interview contributors in a day. For full looks, a presenter all day or a big cast, book two.
Which kind
Which kind of hair and make-up do you need?
The kind of film decides the artist. Chair times are per person, as a rough guide.
Natural grooming Interviews, corporate and documentary 15–20 min
Even skin, no shine, tidy hair and brows. Nobody watching should be able to tell.
Best for interviews, testimonials and leadership films, and for academics on camera at the University of Bristol.
Presenter and broadcast Talking to camera, all day 30–45 min
Built to last under lights or outside on the Harbourside, and checked between every take.
Best for presenters, podcast hosts and live streams: Bristol Beacon streams from the building without a satellite truck (checked October 2026).
Beauty and commercial Adverts, brand films and product shots 45–90 min
A designed look to a brief and a mood board, with close-ups that hold up at 4K.
Best for adverts and beauty or fashion products, often on a cove: Qu Studios in Bedminster has a white infinity cove, and Factory Studios in Barton Hill hires its cove with a styling suite (checked October 2026).
Styled hair When the hair is the point 45–90 min
Hair styled to a look with heated tools, extensions or wigs, often alongside a wardrobe stylist.
Best for fashion and campaign shoots. Book the look with a costume designer or stylist in Bristol.
Period and character Drama, reconstructions and heritage films 1–2 hours
Period hair, wigs, facial hair and ageing, researched to the era and the character.
Best for drama and heritage films. Bristol’s Princes Wharf has doubled for 1940s St Helier and 1950s Cobh, and No.1 Royal Crescent in Bath appears in Bridgerton.
Special effects and prosthetics Wounds, ageing and casualty make-up From 1 hour
Prosthetic pieces, blood, bruising and casualty simulation, made and tested before the shoot.
Best for drama, and safety and training films. Book it early: pieces are made to order. Bristol Film Office wants violence and special effects declared on the application, and police guidance before a staged crime or accident (checked October 2026).
What it’s for
What people book hair and make-up for in Bristol
Drama at The Bottle Yard
Extra artists for crowd days on a drama, or the whole make-up team for a commercial or a smaller production on the stages at Whitchurch and Hengrove.
Interviews and leadership films
Contributors groomed in offices and meeting rooms across the city, and researchers on camera in the University of Bristol’s buildings.
Presenters and live streams
Hosts and speakers at Bristol Beacon, at conferences and in front of a podcast set, made up to last the whole session.
Adverts and brand films
A look that has to match across days on the Harbourside, in Clifton’s streets or on a cove in Bedminster or Barton Hill.
Period and heritage
Wigs, period hair and ageing for drama and reconstructions on the SS Great Britain, at Ashton Court or along Bath’s Royal Crescent.
Visiting productions
A team from London comes down from Paddington, 1 hour 19 minutes on the fastest trains, with its director and DOP, and books hair and make-up here.
Recent work
Hair and make-up on our jobs
Our work · Talland Bay, Hessenford and Lostwithiel, Cornwall · August 2025
Whistlefish’s first TV ad
A 30-second ad for Whistlefish’s design-led cards, which launched on ITV in the West with Sky AdSmart behind it. Two days in one house and on the coast, with two professional leads and real families, children included. We booked a key make-up artist for both days and a chaperone for the children, then our own team cut, graded and mixed the ad and took it through Clearcast.
Production service · Portsmouth, London and Oxford · November 2023
Seventeen interviews in three cities
Seventeen interview slots in three days, each ten to twenty minutes, with a stills set and an interview set built every morning and struck every night. Swanson Studios flew in from Oregon with its own two REDs to photograph and interview surgeons for Intuitive, the surgical robotics company; we ran the UK side, from a hospital in Portsmouth to a hospital in London and Intuitive’s office at Oxford Science Park. Hair and make-up came with the gaffer, sound, a DIT, two vans and the hotels.
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.
- Test-look days, for a period or effects job, are quoted separately.
Before the day
- Allergies and skin sensitivities go on the booking, and we pass them to the artist.
- Ask contributors to come with clean skin, hair as they usually wear it, and their outfit on a hanger.
Filming in Bristol
- Bristol Film Office asks for at least £5m public liability and a full risk assessment with every application.
- On a street the artist counts as crew on the Film Office permit: £84 plus VAT for up to ten, and £178 for up to ten on the Harbourside or in a park (checked October 2026).
- Bristol’s Clean Air Zone charges older cars as well as vans: £9 a day below Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol (checked October 2026).
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the artist.
- 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 artist 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.
£398 a day
APA/Bectu card benchmark: £341–398 a day.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £398 |
| Kit fee | £25 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £42.30 |
| Insurance, 2% | £8.46 |
| One day, before travel | £473.76 |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the artist we book. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the artist.
- 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 hair and make-up artist in Bristol.
Tell us how many people are on camera, the look, and where in Bristol or Bath you’re shooting. 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 This page £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
Hair and make-up rarely comes alone: here’s where the costume, the studios and the permits come from on a Bristol shoot.
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 hair and make-up artist in Bristol: questions
How much does a hair and make-up artist cost in Bristol?
Our hair and make-up artists are £398 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, paid to the artist in full. The APA/Bectu card benchmark is £341–398. A daily kit fee of £25 goes on top, then our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance on the lot: £473.76 + VAT for the day, before any travel from outside Bristol. Our rates are national, so a Bristol day costs the same as anywhere else we crew.
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.
Where do your hair and make-up artists come from?
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 artists first. For a specialist, such as prosthetics or period hair, or on a date when the Bristol artists are booked, we bring one in from across the South West, Cardiff or London, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. Cardiff Central is 48 minutes from Temple Meads on the fastest trains, and London Paddington 1 hour 19 (checked October 2026). Our own team works from our Bristol office, at Raw Space on Gloucester Road, and our London headquarters at 124 City Road.
Does the make-up artist count on a Bristol filming permit?
Yes, as crew. Filming on council land in Bristol goes through Bristol Film Office, part of Bristol City Council and based at The Bottle Yard Studios; Bath and North East Somerset has its own film office. Bristol’s 2026–27 street filming permit is £84 for a crew of up to ten and £163 for 11 to 40; parks, green spaces and the harbourside are £178 for up to ten, all plus VAT (checked October 2026). Bristol Film Office wants at least seven days’ notice and £5m public liability. See filming permits in Bristol.
Does the Clean Air Zone affect the make-up artist?
It can. 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). If the artist’s car has to pay it, the charge goes on the quote at cost, with the parking, before anything is booked. A parked car that doesn’t move that day isn’t charged.
Can you put hair and make-up on a shoot at The Bottle Yard?
Yes. The Bottle Yard Studios in Whitchurch, the largest film and TV studio in the West of England, has 11 stages across two sites, the biggest 21,700 sq ft, plus a 5,000 sq ft green screen studio (checked October 2026). Bristol Costume Services, with more than 90,000 period and contemporary costumes, is on the same site. Tell us the stage, the call time and how many people will be in the chair, and we’ll book the artists to match. See film studios in Bristol.
Can children be made up for a shoot in Bristol or Bath?
Yes, with the paperwork in place. Bristol Film Office wants children declared on the permit application. In Bath and North East Somerset, a child needs a performance licence for a broadcast, recorded or paid performance, applied for at least 21 days before rehearsals start, and the producer hires council-approved chaperones, at least one for every 12 children; the child’s home council issues the licence (checked October 2026). On Whistlefish’s TV ad we booked a chaperone alongside the make-up artist.