Film crew hire/Cornwall/Production assistant
Hire a production assistant in Cornwall. The extra pair of hands that keeps the day on time.
Production assistants for shoots across Cornwall. They meet your contributors, get the releases signed, meet the sleeper at Penzance or the flight at Newquay, run to the kit house in West Cornwall or Falmouth, and mind the kit, working to your producer or director. £400 a day, paid to the PA in full.
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK
- 30+ of them in and around Cornwall
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
Photos: Here Now Films, Erwi and dix sept
The role
What a production assistant does on your shoot
A production assistant (PA) works to the producer or director and takes the small jobs off them, so they can concentrate on the shoot: meeting contributors, getting release forms signed, running to the shop, minding kit, keeping the room tidy and the call sheet up to date.
On a busy interview day, a good PA is the difference between a producer who watches the interviews and one who spends them in the car park. In Cornwall the runs can be long: the kit houses are in West Cornwall and Falmouth, and bigger kit comes from Bristol or London, so a PA who checks the spares list at load-in saves a drive.
As a crew agency we have 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, 30+ of them in Cornwall, and we scale a crew up as the shoot needs: one PA for an interview day, a PA and a runner when the contributors keep coming.
- Contributors looked after. Met at the door or the car park, briefed, given a drink and ready when the producer calls.
- Releases signed. Every person on camera, before they leave.
- Kit minded. Nothing left on a harbour wall, at the top of a beach path or in an open van.
- The producer freed up. The small jobs done without being asked twice.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Contributors met, briefed and looked after
- Release forms signed and filed
- Runs: the shop, lunch, a forgotten cable
- Help loading in and out
- The call sheet and contact list kept current
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Prep, if the PA is chasing releases or contributors before the day
- Travel from outside Cornwall, hotels where the day needs them, mileage and parking, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in Cornwall.
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 PA for your own shoot, or have us run the whole production.
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 production assistant, call to wrap
A customer film at a boatyard in Falmouth: three interviews in the morning, vox pops on the waterfront after lunch. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:45 Arrive Met by the yard manager, parking for the van agreed, a quiet room found for contributors to wait in.
- 08:00 Load in Kit in, water and a list of who’s coming in the waiting room, the release forms on a clipboard.
- 09:30 Interviews Each contributor met at the gate, told what the film is for, release signed before they say a word.
- 11:30 A run Lunch ordered, and an extra light for the afternoon collected from Falmouth University’s film school stores, booked yesterday because they want 24 hours’ notice (checked October 2026).
- 13:00 Lunch Laid out and cleared away, and the afternoon’s spots walked with the producer.
- 14:00 Vox pops On the waterfront: passers-by told what it’s for, and a release from every face. On council land that means a FilmApp permit, with five working days’ notice for fewer than five people, cast and crew together, with a handheld camera (checked October 2026).
- 17:30 Wrap Releases checked against the list, the room put back, kit down to the van.
Which kind
PA, runner or something else?
The junior production jobs overlap. Here’s how they differ.
Production assistant People and paperwork £400 a day
Works to the producer: contributors, releases and the jobs nobody else has time for.
Best on interview days, events and anything with contributors.
Runner Fetching, carrying, tea and parking £245 a day
The entry-level job: fetching, carrying, tea and parking. See runners in Cornwall.
Best as an extra pair of hands on a bigger crew.
Production coordinator Works to the production manager
Works to the production manager on bookings, travel, hotels and call sheets. See production managers in Cornwall.
Best on long shoots and series.
Driver Moves the crew, the kit or the talent
Drives the crew van or the talent, with the right licence and business insurance, and plans the route by the road signs, not the sat-nav.
Best when the crew and kit move along the coast, or a team arrives at Penzance or Newquay.
Producer When the day needs decisions
If the day needs someone to make decisions, book a producer in Cornwall.
Best when there’s a client or contributors to manage.
What it’s for
What people book a production assistant for in Cornwall
Interview days
Contributors met, settled and signed off, one after another, at offices in Truro, boatyards in Falmouth or the studios at Krowji in Redruth.
Vox pops and street casting
Harbourside and high-street faces in Falmouth, St Ives or Newquay, with a release for every one.
Festivals and events
A waterfront festival or a conference day, with the producer on the interviews and the PA on the people.
Shoots on the coast
Someone to look after the contributors between takes on a windy beach, and walk them back up to the car.
Visiting productions
An extra pair of hands for a London or overseas producer, from the sleeper at Penzance or the flight into Newquay to the first set-up.
Recent work
PAs on our jobs, from the Lizard to Oxford
Our work · The Lizard, Cornwall · June 2026
A PA on the call sheet, along a mile of cliff path
Our call sheet for Cohere’s day on the Lizard had a production assistant on it, alongside a producer, a 1st AD, a runner and driver, a medic and two traffic controllers. It was that kind of day: a unit spread along a mile of cliff path with no phone signal, run on twelve radios, a 07:00 call and a 21:00 wrap in fog, and a crew hotel in Helston for the people who’d travelled.
Production service company · Portsmouth, London and Oxford · November 2023
Three cities in three days for Swanson Studios
Swanson Studios flew in from Oregon to photograph and interview surgeons and the people around them for Intuitive, the surgical robotics company: a hospital in Portsmouth, a hospital in London, then Intuitive’s office in Oxford, one city a day. They brought the cameras. We brought everything else, a production assistant and driver from our own team among them, with two vans, the hotels and the pick-ups from Heathrow. On days like those the PA’s job is the contributors: interviews of ten to twenty minutes, back to back, 17 slots across the three days.
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.
Getting around Cornwall
- Tell us if the PA needs to drive: mileage and parking go on the quote at cost.
- A parking dispensation for vehicles essential to filming is £20 a day per vehicle from Cornwall Council, with at least five working days’ notice (checked October 2026).
- Kit runs go to The Cornish Camera Co. in West Cornwall or Falmouth University’s film school stores, which want 24 hours’ notice (checked October 2026).
Filming in Cornwall
- Cornwall Council asks for £5m public liability and a location-specific risk assessment with every application.
- RNLI lifeguards patrol 20 Cornish beaches from May; tell the lifeguards before filming on a patrolled beach.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the PA.
- 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 PA 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.
£400 a day
APA/Bectu card: £350–441 a day for a production assistant.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £400 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £40 |
| Insurance, 2% | £8 |
| One day, before travel | £448 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the PA we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the PA.
- 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 production assistant in Cornwall.
Tell us the date, the place and what the PA should look after. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in Cornwall, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Cornwall, 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 This page £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 Cornwall. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Cornwall.
Production support
Everything around the crew
A PA helps with everything around the shoot, from the releases to the kit run to West Cornwall, and each item can go on the quote if you want us to book it.
01
Kit rental
Kit in West Cornwall and Falmouth, the crew’s own kit, and what comes down from Bristol and London.
02
Locations and permits
Cornwall Council, the National Trust, Natural England, the harbours and the drone rules.
Questions
Hiring a production assistant in Cornwall: questions
How much does a production assistant cost in Cornwall?
Our production assistants are £400 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, paid to the PA in full; the APA/Bectu card sets £350–441. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance: £448 + VAT for the day, before any travel from outside Cornwall.
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 PA and a runner?
A runner fetches, carries and keeps the unit base going. A PA works more closely with the producer, on contributors, releases and the call sheet. On a small crew one person often does both.
Do I need a PA or a producer?
If someone has to make decisions on the day, book a producer. A PA helps the producer. Busy days with lots of contributors often have both.
Can a PA handle releases and vox pops in Cornwall?
Yes. Send us your release, or use ours, and the PA gets one signed by everyone on camera before they leave. Vox pops on a council beach or in a council park are filming on Cornwall Council land, so they need a FilmApp permit: five working days’ notice for fewer than five people, cast and crew together, with a handheld camera, and a full-day location fee of £180 for online content (checked October 2026). On a harbour, a festival site or private land, the owner’s rules apply, so we ask before the day.
Can a PA drive in Cornwall?
Yes, if they have a car and business insurance; tell us when you book. Mileage and parking go on the quote at cost. Visit Cornwall advises following road signs rather than the sat-nav, which sends drivers down narrow lanes, and warns of heavy traffic in peak season, in the school holidays and at weekends (checked October 2026).
Can a PA meet a team off the sleeper or a flight?
Yes, and it’s often the first job of the day. The Night Riviera sleeper leaves Paddington at 23:45 on weeknights and reaches Penzance at 07:50, stopping at Truro and St Erth among others on the way (checked October 2026). Cornwall Airport Newquay has Ryanair to London Stansted, a twice-weekly easyJet summer service to Gatwick, and flights to Manchester all year (checked October 2026). The PA meets the train or the flight, and the team goes straight to the first set-up.
How far ahead should I book a PA in Cornwall?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. If the PA is chasing releases or meeting a team off the sleeper, send us the contributor list and the travel early. Vox pops on council land need a FilmApp permit, five working days ahead for a small handheld crew (checked October 2026).