Film crew hire/Edinburgh/Grip
Hire a grip in Edinburgh. The camera moves, smoothly, safely, and the same way every take.
Key grips and grips for adverts, brand films, studio days and car work across Edinburgh and the Lothians. They build and push the dolly, lay the track, rig the camera to cars and cranes, and plan any car rig with Film Edinburgh and Police Scotland. From £526 a day, paid to the grip 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: sippakorn yamkasikorn, David Glessner, Rendy Novantino, Here Now Films and Wyatt Simpson
The role
What a grip does on your shoot
Grips move and hold the camera. They lay track and push the dolly, build sliders and jibs, rig the camera to a car, a crane or a wall, and make sure every rig is safe. A good dolly grip hits the same mark at the same speed, take after take.
In the UK, grips handle the camera support. Lighting stands and flags belong to the sparks, which is different from the US, where grips do those too. Worth saying when a US production flies into Edinburgh with its own DP: the grip here won’t be rigging the lights.
We start with grips who live in or near Edinburgh, as we do with the lighting crew they work beside. When the brief or the date needs someone else, they come from elsewhere in Scotland, the north of England or London, often with the package, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. Lights Camera Scotland, out towards the airport, hires grip kit and stands; cranes and tracking vehicles come in from further away, with their own crew.
- Moves that repeat. The same push-in at the same speed, so the director can choose any take.
- Track laid level. On a stage floor, a pavement or an office carpet, levelled with wedges until it’s silent.
- Rigs that hold. Cameras on cars, cranes and walls, rigged and checked by someone who does it every week.
- Safety first. Weights, straps and a plan for every rig, before the camera goes on.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Building and operating the dolly, slider or jib
- Laying and levelling track
- Rigging cameras to cars, cranes and structures
- Risk-checking every rig
- Striking and loading out the grip kit
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- The grip package: dolly, track, jib or car mounts, at a day rate on its own line
- A tracking vehicle or crane, with its own crew
- Road closures, police time and permits for car work, at cost
- Travel from outside Edinburgh, mileage, and a parking dispensation or suspended bay for the grip van, 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 grip for your own camera team, or have us take the production on, road plans and permits with it.
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 grip, call to wrap
Track on a New Town street in the morning and a slider interview in a Georgian drawing room after lunch, with the track on the pavement agreed with the council through Film Edinburgh two weeks ahead. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:30 Load in The grip van, which meets the Low Emission Zone, at the kerb on a yellow-line dispensation; the package checked against the list from the kit house.
- 07:00 Track down 30ft of track laid where the council agreed it, with 1.2 metres of pavement left clear for people to pass, levelled with wedges, the dolly on and pushed until it’s silent.
- 08:30 First move A slow push-in on the presenter as they walk. Marks for start and stop.
- 10:30 Track up Lifted and loaded before the street gets busy, the pavement as it was.
- 13:00 Lunch The slider prepped in the drawing room for the afternoon interview, the floor protected.
- 14:00 Interview A slow slider move on the contributor, rigged so it doesn’t creak.
- 18:30 Wrap Rigs struck and counted, the van loaded for the run back to the kit house.
Which kind
Which grip set-up do you need?
The camera support decides the grip. Here’s what each involves, and where Edinburgh adds a rule.
Key grip Runs the grip department Card: Up to £575
Plans the camera support with the DOP and runs the grips.
Best on any shoot with dolly, crane or rigging work.
Dolly grip Track, dolly and repeatable moves From £526 a day + kit
Lays track, builds and pushes the dolly, and hits the marks every take. Track on an Edinburgh street or pavement is discussed with the council’s Roads team through Film Edinburgh at least two weeks ahead, with a safe route at least 1.2 metres wide kept for people on foot.
Best for adverts, drama and slow, precise moves.
Slider and jib Small moves, small crews From £526 a day + kit
A slider, a Dana Dolly or a jib arm, set up and operated by one grip. A jib on the road is positioned with the council’s agreement through Film Edinburgh, like a crane.
Best for interviews and brand films that need a bit of movement.
Car rigs and tracking vehicles Cameras on moving cars Quoted on the brief
Suction and hard mounts, a tracking vehicle with a crane, and a closed road or private land. On a public road in Edinburgh that means telling the council through Film Edinburgh, which brings in Police Scotland. See filming permits in Edinburgh.
Best for car adverts and driving scenes.
Cranes and remote heads Big rising and sweeping moves Quoted on the brief
A telescopic crane with a remote head, operated by a crane crew and a camera operator at a wheels or a joystick, brought in with its crew. On a public road it needs a council permit, £126 a day (checked October 2026).
Best for big adverts, events and music videos.
What it’s for
What people book a grip for in Edinburgh
Adverts and brand films
Dolly moves and jib shots on the stages at FirstStage Studios in Leith, and in smaller studios hired by the day.
Car shoots
Tracking vehicles on closed roads and private land, planned with Film Edinburgh, which also covers East Lothian, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders, and with Police Scotland.
Interviews with movement
A slow slider move in a boardroom on St Andrew Square or a drawing room in the New Town, rigged so it doesn’t creak.
The Castle and Holyrood Park
Slow moves on Historic Environment Scotland’s ground, with its written permission first: fees from £300 for up to two hours on site, with road closures in the park charged on top (checked October 2026).
Drama and music videos
Track and dolly on the Old Town’s cobbles and in its closes, or along the Shore at Leith.
Recent work
Grips on our jobs, and on the road
Crew hire · City of London and Uxbridge · September 2025
Four days, two offices, one grip line
Customer-story interviews for a chip maker, with a US production company, over four days: two at a law firm’s office on Cannon Street, two at an office in Uxbridge. The quote carried a grip, a swing and a grip package; in the end the grip line went to a grip/spark, saving money every day. In the City the crew unloaded from the car park straight into the lift. The job came in £498 under budget.
Full production · The Lizard, Cornwall · June 2026
A tracking vehicle, its crew and a private road
For AI for Empowerment, Cohere’s campaign shot on 35mm and our own production, the cycling on the Lizard moved to a private road on the Trelowarren Estate, one of three landowners whose permission that sequence needed. The moving shots called for a precision tracking vehicle, and it came with its three crew: a head tech, a precision driver and a Level 3 grip. Like the 1st and 2nd ACs, the tracking team travelled to the shoot. It’s how we crew anywhere the local pool runs out.
Before you book
Things to know
The day and the kit
- 11 hours, including an hour for lunch.
- Overtime at card rates, agreed with you before it happens.
- The grip package goes on its own line, at a day rate.
Roads and permission
- A car rig on a public road means telling the council through Film Edinburgh, which consults Police Scotland. That covers low loaders, tracking vehicles, vehicle-mounted cameras and A-frames.
- Traffic is held by a traffic management company under the council’s traffic notice or order, not by the crew, and any Police Scotland presence is set by risk assessment, with its cost recovered from the production.
- A road closure of under five days is £675 plus VAT with at least two weeks’ notice; five days or more is £1,980 plus advertising, with at least ten weeks (checked October 2026).
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the grip.
- 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 grip 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.
- Film Edinburgh asks for at least £10m public liability on every application, with a risk assessment where the shoot needs one (checked October 2026).
£526 a day
APA/Bectu card: £526–575 a day, grip to key grip.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £526 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £52.60 |
| Insurance, 2% | £10.52 |
| One day, before kit and travel | £589.12 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the grip we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the grip.
- 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 grip in Edinburgh.
Tell us the moves, the camera weight and the location. 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 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
Grip work often needs a road plan, a permit or a stage floor. Here’s how each works in Edinburgh, each item its own line on the quote.
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 grip in Edinburgh: questions
How much does a grip cost in Edinburgh?
The APA/Bectu card puts a grip at £526–575 for an 11-hour day, from grip to key grip, and we pay that in full. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £589.12 + VAT. The grip package is priced on its own line.
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 grip and a gaffer?
In the UK, the gaffer runs the lighting and the grip runs the camera support. In the US, grips also handle lighting stands and flags.
Can you rig a camera to a car in Edinburgh?
Yes. On private land, with the owner’s permission. On public roads, the council has to be told through Film Edinburgh about any filming from a moving vehicle, low loaders, tracking vehicles and A-frames included, and Film Edinburgh brings in Police Scotland. Traffic is held by a traffic management company under a temporary traffic notice or order, not by the crew. A closure of under five days is £675 plus VAT with at least two weeks’ notice, and switching traffic signals off and on is £185 a switch, Monday to Friday between 07:00 and 17:30 (checked October 2026).
Can I use a dolly or a jib on an Edinburgh street?
With permission. Camera track or any equipment on the road or the pavement is discussed with the council’s Roads team through Film Edinburgh at least two weeks ahead, with a safe, accessible route at least 1.2 metres wide kept for people on foot. A jib or crane on the road is positioned with the council’s agreement, and a crane permit is £126 a day. Near the trams it goes further: within ten metres of the line Edinburgh Trams may need to issue an Authority to Work, and a crane within five metres of a rail or the overhead wires, which carry 750 volts, always needs one (checked October 2026).
Where does grip kit come from in Edinburgh?
Lights Camera Scotland, between the city centre and the airport, hires grip kit, stands and tripods alongside its cameras and lights, with 24-hour collection, and Live Systems on North Leith Sands hires rigging. Dollies, cranes, remote heads and tracking vehicles usually come in with their own crew, with the travel on the quote.
Are your grips local to Edinburgh?
We’re a crew agency with 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, so we can scale from one grip with a slider for a morning to a full grip department for a week. We book grips 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, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. Our base is in London, at 124 City Road, with bases in Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall.
How far ahead should I book a grip in Edinburgh?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours, and the grip is rarely what sets the date. The road usually does: track on the street needs two weeks, a crane permit four, a road closure of under five days two weeks and a longer one ten, and work near the tram line 21 days for Edinburgh Trams (checked October 2026).