Film crew hire/Edinburgh/Production manager
Hire a production manager in Edinburgh. Bookings, budgets, bays and the hundred things in between.
Production managers for shoots across Edinburgh and the Lothians. They book the crew, kit, vans and hotels, chase Film Edinburgh’s paperwork, the parking dispensations and the building passes, keep the budget straight, and get a unit from a New Town office to a stage in Leith on time. From £504 a day, paid to the production manager 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: Kelly Sikkema, Jakob Owens, Nathan Dumlao, Brands&People and Stuart Hay
The role
What a production manager does on your shoot
A production manager (PM) runs the logistics of a production, working to the producer. They book crew and kit, sort travel, vans, hotels and catering, chase permits and insurance certificates, and track the spend against the budget. On the day, they’re the person who knows where everything is.
On a one-day shoot a producer usually does all of this. A PM earns their place on multi-day, multi-location shoots, and Edinburgh adds its own layer: a suspended bay charged at the pay-and-display rate for every hour it’s out of use, a yellow-line dispensation at £16 a vehicle on at least 24 hours’ notice, and a Low Emission Zone with no charge to pay, only a £60 penalty for a van that doesn’t meet it (checked October 2026). Booking the crew is where it starts. We’re a crew agency with 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, so a PM can scale a unit up or down by the day, starting with people who live in or near Edinburgh and bringing others from elsewhere in Scotland, the north of England or London when the brief or the date needs them, with the travel on the quote.
- Everything booked. Crew, kit, vans, hotels, catering and parking, confirmed in writing.
- A budget that holds. Spend tracked against the budget every day, and overages raised before they happen.
- Paperwork in order. Risk assessments, insurance certificates, Film Edinburgh’s Notice of No Objection and location agreements, filed.
- Movement planned. Call times, routes, unit bases and suspended bays, all on the call sheet.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Booking crew, kit, vans and hotels
- The movement order and travel plan
- Spend tracked against the budget
- Permits, bay suspensions, passes and certificates, chased
- The production file, handed over at wrap
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Prep days before the shoot, which most jobs need
- A wrap day for returns and paperwork
- Permit fees, bay suspensions and parking dispensations, at cost
- Travel from outside Edinburgh, 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 PM for your own production, or have us take the production on.
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 manager, call to wrap
Day two of a three-day shoot: an office on St Andrew Square in the morning, a stage at FirstStage Studios in Leith after lunch. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:30 Unit base The crew van in the building’s loading bay, the base open and breakfast in before anyone else arrives.
- 07:30 Crew call Passes handed out at security, radios out, and the day’s changes briefed with the producer.
- 09:00 Behind the scenes Tomorrow’s kit collection confirmed, a hotel near Haymarket added for a focus puller coming up from London, a missing certificate sent to the studio.
- 12:00 The move Vans across to Leith, to FirstStage on Bath Road, the studio told when to expect the unit and where to unload.
- 13:00 Lunch At the studio, on time, and the drivers and runners briefed for the afternoon.
- 15:00 The numbers The day’s spend logged against the budget, tomorrow’s vans checked against the Low Emission Zone before they’re confirmed, overtime agreed with the producer before it happens.
- 19:00 Wrap Kit secured or returned, timesheets signed, tomorrow’s call sheet out.
Which kind
Which production role do you need?
The production office has several jobs that overlap. Here’s how we match one to a brief.
Production manager Logistics, bookings and the budget Card £504–627
Books and runs everything around the shoot, and keeps the costs against the budget, working to the producer.
Best on multi-day, multi-location and multi-country shoots.
Production coordinator The office, the calls and the paperwork Quoted on the brief
Works to the PM: call sheets, bookings, travel, passes, contact lists and the production file.
Best on long shoots and series, where the office never stops.
Line producer Budget and schedule, start to finish Quoted on the brief
Owns the budget and the schedule from the first day of prep to delivery, and reports against both.
Best on documentaries, series and productions that run for weeks.
Location manager Finds and runs the locations Quoted on the brief
Finds the locations, negotiates them, gets the permissions from the owner, Film Edinburgh, Historic Environment Scotland or Network Rail, and runs them on the day. See filming permits in Edinburgh.
Best when the shoot moves between several locations, or has one difficult one: a kirkyard, Waverley, Holyrood Park, a venue with its own rules.
Producer Runs the day and the client From £450 a day
If someone needs to make the decisions on the day, that’s a producer. See producers in Edinburgh.
Best on one- and two-day shoots, where a separate PM isn’t needed.
What it’s for
What people book a production manager for in Edinburgh
Multi-day shoots
Three days or more, with crew, kit, vans and hotels to keep track of, and some of the crew coming in by train.
Several locations
A New Town office in the morning, an Old Town close in the afternoon, the Shore at Leith the next day, with parking planned at every stop and each one on the Film Edinburgh application.
Studio days
Stage bookings at FirstStage Studios in Leith, or a smaller studio for the day, with set builds, deliveries and power.
Events at the EICC
Multi-camera days at the EICC in the Exchange district, a short walk from Haymarket, with the venue’s own rules agreed before the day.
The station, the Castle and the trams
Waverley, the Castle and Holyrood Park, or a drone near the tram lines, each with a permission of its own on top of Film Edinburgh’s: Network Rail, Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh Trams.
Recent work
Production management on our jobs, from Manchester to Uxbridge
Crew hire and service production · City of London and Uxbridge · September 2025
Two locations, four days, one van
Four shoot days for a US production company filming a chip maker’s customer stories: two at a law firm on Cannon Street, two at offices in Uxbridge. The logistics were most of the job. The City location was reached through an underground car park off Dowgate Hill, with the kit unloaded straight into the lift. Uxbridge was recced at the end of August. Playback ran all four days, booked late. When a Tube strike shut the Underground, the crew drove out to Uxbridge. A three-day kit deal and one van for the crew and the kit kept the job £498 under budget.
Crew hire · Manchester, Bolton and London · November 2024
Three cities at short notice for Davies Group
Crews in three places for Davies Group’s internal series: a leadership conference in Manchester, then Bolton, then the company’s office on Gracechurch Street in London, booked and confirmed at short notice, with the kit and the timings for each. In London, office security wanted every crew name for a pass and the exact kit list in advance. The crew changed the Friday before, when the crew member first booked fell ill, and the cameras still matched the other legs’, so the series would cut together.
“Despite the tight deadlines and logistical challenges, they exceeded our expectations in every way.” Mopani Mkandawire, Davies Group
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 and wrap days are quoted separately.
Parking and the charges
- Film Edinburgh’s Notice of No Objection is £56 plus VAT for a crew under ten and £166 for 11 to 24. A parking dispensation is £16 a vehicle, and a suspended bay costs the pay-and-display rate for every operating hour it’s suspended, from £4.20 to £9.00 an hour depending on the zone (checked October 2026).
- Edinburgh’s Low Emission Zone covers the city centre around the clock, with no daily charge. A petrol car or van below Euro 4, or a diesel below Euro 6, is sent a £60 penalty, then £120, £240 and £480 for repeats within 90 days (checked October 2026). We only book vehicles that meet it.
- All at cost, each on its own line of the quote.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the production manager.
- 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 production manager 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.
£504 a day
APA/Bectu card benchmark: £504–627 a day.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £504 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £50.40 |
| Insurance, 2% | £10.08 |
| One day, before travel | £564.48 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the production manager we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the production manager.
- 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 manager in Edinburgh.
Tell us the dates, the locations and what needs booking. 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 This page £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 PM sorts everything around the crew, from parking dispensations to Low Emission Zone checks, and each item can go on its own line of 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 production manager in Edinburgh: questions
How much does a production manager cost in Edinburgh?
The APA/Bectu card puts a production manager at £504–627 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, and the PM is paid that in full. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £564.48 + VAT. Most shoots need prep days too, quoted separately, and permit fees, bay suspensions and parking dispensations go on at cost.
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 does a production manager do?
The logistics: booking crew, kit, travel, hotels and catering, chasing permits and certificates, planning the movement order and tracking the spend against the budget. They work to the producer, who makes the creative and client calls.
Do I need a production manager or a producer?
For a one- or two-day shoot, a producer can do both jobs. Book a PM as well when the shoot runs for several days, moves between locations, or has a building, Historic Environment Scotland and Film Edinburgh all wanting paperwork.
Can a production manager sort permits and parking in Edinburgh?
Yes. Film Edinburgh’s Notice of No Objection is £56 plus VAT for a crew under ten and £166 for 11 to 24. A parking dispensation, which lets a working vehicle stop on a yellow line, is £16 a vehicle with at least 24 hours’ notice through the council’s parking contractor, NSL; pay bays can be suspended with three working days’ notice, at the pay-and-display rate for every hour, and Film Edinburgh can co-ordinate both (checked October 2026). Every application needs at least £10m public liability. On a crew hire that certificate is yours; on a full production our policy covers it. See parking and the Low Emission Zone in Edinburgh.
What does the Low Emission Zone mean for a shoot?
Edinburgh’s Low Emission Zone covers the city centre 24 hours a day, every day of the year, enforced by cameras since 1 June 2024. There’s no way to pay to drive in with a vehicle that doesn’t meet it: petrol cars and vans must meet Euro 4 and diesels Euro 6, and one that doesn’t is sent a £60 penalty, then £120, £240 and £480 for repeats within 90 days (checked October 2026). So your PM checks every van and crew car before it’s booked, and we only book the ones that meet it.
Can a production manager book a studio in Edinburgh?
Yes. FirstStage Studios, on Bath Road in Leith, has hosted The Rig, Anansi Boys and Department Q: over 100,000 sq ft of shooting space across five stages up to 25 metres high, a 60-tonne gantry crane across Stage B and a 25-metre pit that works as a tank (Film Edinburgh, checked October 2026). For interviews and product days, smaller studios are hired by the day. The PM books the stage, the deliveries and the power, each on its own line. See film studios in Edinburgh.
Are your production managers from Edinburgh?
We book production managers who live in or near Edinburgh first. 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, and when the brief or the date needs someone else, they come from elsewhere in Scotland (Glasgow is about 45 minutes away by train), the north of England or London, with the travel on the quote before anything is booked. Our base is London, at 124 City Road, with bases in Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall. Waverley is about four hours ten from King’s Cross on LNER’s fastest trains and about three hours ten from Manchester Piccadilly (checked October 2026).
How far ahead should I book a PM in Edinburgh?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours, and the earlier a PM starts, the more they save. Edinburgh’s notice periods set the real date: two weeks and £675 plus VAT for a road closure of under five days, and at least ten weeks for one of five days or more, at £1,980 plus advertising, usually £1,500 to £3,000. A removal truck to clear a street wants a week’s notice (checked October 2026). In August the festivals fill the Old Town, so allow more. A week’s prep for a multi-day shoot is normal.