Film crew hire/Edinburgh/Director
Hire a director in Edinburgh. One person deciding what the film is, from the treatment to the last take.
Directors for interviews, brand films, documentary and commercials across Edinburgh and the Lothians, from a boardroom on St Andrew Square to a close in the Old Town or the Shore at Leith. Most of the films we make are directed in-house; on larger shoots we bring in an outside director and build the production around them. From £500 a day, paid to the director in full.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
- £10m employers’ liability on every crew member we book
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books, across the UK
Photos: Here Now Films and Ivan Bokii
The role
What a director does on your shoot
A director decides what the film is and gets it on the day. Before the shoot they write the treatment, plan the interviews or the script with you, and agree the look with the DOP. On the day they run the contributors or the cast, call the takes and the set-ups, and keep a list of what the edit still needs.
The director says what the film should feel like; the DOP decides how that looks. On a small corporate crew the director often produces too, and in Edinburgh that can mean the permissions as well: Film Edinburgh for a street, a park or a kirkyard, Historic Environment Scotland for the Castle or Holyrood Park, Network Rail for Waverley. We’re a crew agency with 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, and for the crew round the director we book people who live in or near Edinburgh first. When the brief or the date needs someone else, they come from elsewhere in Scotland, the north of England or London, with the travel on the quote.
- A plan before the day. Treatment, interview questions or shot list, signed off with you.
- Contributors at ease. People who’ve never been filmed, settled enough to say it properly.
- The coverage the edit needs. Selects noted and gaps picked up before the crew wraps.
- One voice on set. The crew, the client and the contributors hear one set of calls.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Directing the shoot: contributors or cast, camera and set-ups
- The shot list or interview plan for the day
- A walk-through with you before the first set-up
- Notes on selects and pick-ups at wrap
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Prep: the treatment, recces and casting, quoted on the brief
- Edit days, if the director cuts or supervises the cut
- Travel from outside Edinburgh, mileage and parking where the day needs them, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in Edinburgh.
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 director for your own production and crew, or have us make the film with you.
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 director, call to wrap
A leadership film at a company’s offices on St Andrew Square: four contributors, then b-roll in Princes Street Gardens after lunch. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:30 Before call The van, which meets the Low Emission Zone, unloads on a yellow line under a £16 parking dispensation (checked October 2026). Every crew name and the kit list went ahead to security, so the unit goes straight up.
- 08:00 Crew call The plan walked through with the DOP: the frames, the interview set-up, and where the second camera sits.
- 09:30 First contributor Settled and talked through it. The director runs the interview and listens for the line the film hangs on.
- 12:30 Lunch The morning’s answers checked against the plan; one question rewritten for the afternoon.
- 13:30 Gardens b-roll A handheld unit of five in Princes Street Gardens, the Castle above. It’s a council park: at least 48 hours’ notice through Film Edinburgh, and £79 plus VAT for under four hours with five people or fewer (checked October 2026).
- 15:30 Last contributor 20 minutes between meetings, so straight to the questions that matter.
- 18:30 Wrap Selects noted for the edit, pick-ups listed, rushes on two drives and on their way. Out by 19:00.
Which kind
Which director do you need?
“Director” covers different jobs on different shoots. Here’s how we match one to a brief.
Interview and corporate director Leadership films, customer stories, internal films From £500 a day
Plans the questions with you, runs the contributors and directs the camera team. It’s most of what we direct in-house.
Best for interview days with a few contributors and a fixed window with each, from an office on George Street to a keynote speaker at the EICC.
Documentary director, or shooting producer-director Plans the story and finds it on the day Quoted on the brief
Researches and plans the film, runs the interviews and directs, sometimes with a camera in hand; on a small crew they produce too.
Best for branded documentary and interview-led films: a lab at one of the universities, a festival venue getting ready for August.
Commercials director Adverts and campaigns with a cast Quoted on the brief
Usually represented, and brought in for the job, with the production built round them. That’s how we ran AI for Empowerment.
Best for scripted work with a cast: in Edinburgh that means an AD team, and a stage at FirstStage Studios in Leith or a street on a Notice of No Objection from Film Edinburgh, £166 plus VAT for a crew of 11 to 24 (checked October 2026).
A director for your crew You bring the director, we crew the shoot Crew hire
When the director is yours, flown in to Edinburgh Airport or up from London on the train, we put the crew and kit round them and they direct. Matt Dunstan, a US director, has worked with us that way in London and in Manchester. His note after the first, in London in February 2024: “We had one hell of a team.”
Best for agencies and overseas productions with a director already attached.
Us making the film We’re the producer of record From £9,500
If you want the whole film made, we produce it too: director, producer, crew, permissions and edit, quoted as a production at cost plus 15% and 5% for insurance and contingency.
Best when there’s no production team on your side. See video production in Edinburgh.
What it’s for
What people book a director for in Edinburgh
Leadership and customer films
Interview days in the New Town’s offices, on St Andrew Square and George Street, with contributors who have half an hour between meetings.
Conferences and events
Keynotes and speaker interviews at the EICC in the Exchange district, where the director gets minutes with each speaker, not hours.
Branded documentary
People filmed where they work: a lab at one of the universities, a distillery in Leith, a kitchen on the Shore.
Commercials with a cast
A script, an AD team, and a stage at FirstStage Studios in Leith, or the Old Town’s closes and the New Town’s Georgian streets with Film Edinburgh’s say-so.
Overseas productions
A director for a US or European team landing at Edinburgh Airport, a tram ride from the city centre.
Recent work
Directing on our jobs, on the moors and in four countries
Our work · the moors of the South West of England
The Living Layer, Overall Winner in Edinburgh
A documentary for the South West Peatland Partnership, made by our own team over a year on the moors of the South West of England, following the restoration work from the planning to the first moss on bare peat. In 2026 it was named Overall Winner at the Edinburgh Conservation Film Festival, part of the Edinburgh Science Festival.
Full production · Canada, Norway, Cornwall and Portugal · 2026
An outside director, our production round them
Cohere’s AI for Empowerment, shot on 35mm in four countries, one shoot day in each. The director was brought in for the job, as a commercials director usually is, and we built the production round them: the film camera package, a crew in each country, three landowners’ permissions for a single sequence on the Lizard, and all of it on one budget.
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, recces and edit days are quoted separately.
Permissions in Edinburgh
- Private property: the owner’s permission in writing, with the usage agreed.
- Streets, parks and kirkyards: Film Edinburgh, the City of Edinburgh Council’s film office. Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Park: Historic Environment Scotland. Waverley: Network Rail.
- Film Edinburgh asks for at least £10m public liability on every application, with a risk assessment and a map where the shoot needs them (checked October 2026). On a crew hire that certificate is yours; on a full production it’s ours.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the director.
- 50% by card when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, kit, travel.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
What our insurance covers
- Employers’ liability for the director 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.
From £500 a day
There’s no APA/Bectu card rate for directors.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £500 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £50 |
| Insurance, 2% | £10 |
| One day, before travel | £560 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the director we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the director.
- 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 director in Edinburgh.
Tell us what the film is for, who’s in it, and whether you need a crew as well. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in Edinburgh, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Edinburgh, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director This page 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 Edinburgh. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Edinburgh.
Production support
Everything around the crew
A director’s prep in Edinburgh is half permissions and places, from Film Edinburgh to Historic Environment Scotland and Waverley, and each item can go on the quote if you want us to book it.
01
Kit rental
Kit houses in Leith and out towards the airport, the crew’s own kit, and what comes from Glasgow or London.
02
Locations and permits
Film Edinburgh, Historic Environment Scotland, Waverley, the kirkyards, the trams and the drone rules.
03
Studios and set builds
FirstStage in Leith, smaller studios for interviews and product, and set builds.
Questions
Hiring a director in Edinburgh: questions
How much does a director cost in Edinburgh?
Our directors start at £500 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, and the director is paid all of it. Prep, recces and edit days are quoted on the brief. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so one day comes to £560 + VAT, before any travel from outside Edinburgh. If you want the whole film made, it’s quoted as a production, and every production starts at £9,500.
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 you direct in-house, or book freelance directors?
Both. Most of the films we make are directed in-house: all six of our productions for AlTi Tiedemann Global, in London and New York, were directed by our London team, with the New York crews booked locally. On larger shoots we bring in an outside director and run the production around them, as we did on AI for Empowerment.
Do I need a permit to film on a street in Edinburgh?
If it’s a street, a park or a kirkyard, yes. Filming on council land in Edinburgh goes through Film Edinburgh, the City of Edinburgh Council’s film office, which also covers East Lothian, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders. Its Notice of No Objection is £56 plus VAT for a crew under ten and £166 for 11 to 24, and a council park wants at least 48 hours’ notice (checked October 2026). Every application needs at least £10m public liability. A small crew filming on the street with nothing closed off still tells Film Edinburgh first, so it can let local officers and Police Scotland know. See filming permits in Edinburgh.
Can you crew an Edinburgh shoot for a director flying in?
Yes: we crew it and book the kit and locations, and your director directs. If you need a UK company to contract, we become the producer of record and it’s a production quote. From Edinburgh Airport the tram reaches the city centre in under 35 minutes, and runs on through Haymarket and Princes Street to Leith (checked October 2026). See how a UK production service company works.
Are your directors from Edinburgh?
Our own directors aren’t. Our base is London, at 124 City Road, with bases in Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall, and our directors come up for the shoot: Waverley is about four hours ten from King’s Cross on LNER’s fastest trains (checked October 2026). For the rest of the call sheet, we’re a crew agency with 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, so we can scale a crew from one person for a morning to a full unit for a week. Crew who live in or near Edinburgh come first. When the brief or the date needs someone else, we bring them from elsewhere in Scotland (Glasgow is about 45 minutes away by train), the north of England or London, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked.
How far ahead should I book a director in Edinburgh?
As early as you can: the prep is where the film gets decided. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. The dates that bind are the notice periods: a council park wants at least 48 hours, a suspended pay bay three working days, Waverley five working days for up to ten crew, and a road closure of under five days two weeks (checked October 2026). In August, allow more: the festivals fill the Old Town.