Film crew hire/London/Camera operator
Hire a camera operator in London. Steady hands, sharp focus, and the shot you asked for.
Camera operators for interviews, panels, conferences and brand films across London, from towers at Canary Wharf to offices in Wimbledon, booked from our City Road office, by Old Street. One operator with their own kit, or a team of three for a multi-camera day. From £529 a day, paid to the operator 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
- 1,400+ of our freelance crew live in and around London
Photos: Johannes Blenke, Here Now Films, Michał Franczak and Matthew Moloney
The role
What a camera operator does on your shoot
A camera operator runs the camera: framing, moving and keeping the shot in focus, to the plan of the DOP or the director. On a small shoot they often light the interview too. On a bigger one they operate one camera of several, while the DOP watches the look.
Many London operators bring their own camera kit, so one booking can cover the camera as well: on our Canary Wharf podcast set, the operator’s kit went on the quote as its own line.
- Framed to the plan. Wides, singles and close-ups that cut together, on the tripod, the shoulder or a gimbal.
- Focus that holds. On a moving speaker, a walking interview or a long lens across a conference hall.
- Kit that turns up ready. Their own camera, cards and batteries, checked the night before.
- Multi-camera, matched. Two or three operators on the same settings, so the edit doesn’t have to fix it.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Operating one camera, to the DOP’s or director’s plan
- Framing, focus and exposure on every take
- Setting up and striking their camera position
- Matching settings across cameras on a multi-camera day
- A card and battery check at wrap
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Their camera kit, at a day rate on its own line
- A camera assistant or DIT, if the day needs one
- Travel outside Greater London at cost; parking and the Congestion Charge where the day needs them
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in London.
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 operators for your own shoot, 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 camera operator, call to wrap
A panel recording on a high floor at Canary Wharf: two sessions on three cameras. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:00 Loading bay Vans booked in by registration, kit off at the working loading bay, hi-vis on in the dock. Then the vans move off.
- 07:00 Camera positions A locked-off wide, one camera on the host, one on whoever is speaking.
- 08:00 Line-up Cameras matched for white balance, frame rate and picture profile. Timecode jammed so the edit can sync.
- 09:00 First panel Host and one guest. Each operator holds a single while the wide holds everything.
- 10:30 Changeover Cards swapped and backed up, batteries changed, a third chair on set.
- 11:00 Second panel Host and two guests: one operator stays on the host, the other follows the conversation.
- 13:00 Wrap Kit out the way it came, cards checked and copied, drives handed over.
Which kind
Which camera operator do you need?
The same job, set up five different ways. What you’re filming decides which.
Operator with kit One person, one camera kit From £529 a day + kit
Their own Sony FX6 or FX9, lenses, tripod, a slider and a small LED kit, priced on its own line.
Best for interviews, testimonials and one-camera event coverage.
Multi-camera team Two or three cameras, matched Per operator
Two or three operators on matched cameras and timecode, so panels and stage talks cut cleanly.
Best for conferences, panels and podcasts on high floors in the City and at Canary Wharf.
Lighting camera operator Lights and shoots From £529 a day
Lights the interview and operates, with no DOP on the crew. Fine for simple, well-planned talking heads.
For a designed look, book a DOP in London instead.
Handheld and documentary Shoulder rig, observational From £529 a day
Follows real people doing real work, without stopping them. A light camera on the shoulder and a zoom.
Best for branded documentaries. On a Tube train in service TfL allows only light handheld kit, with its permission: see filming on the Tube.
Gimbal and Steadicam Moving shots See their own pages
Walk-and-talks, tracking shots and moving B-roll need a stabilised rig and someone who flies it every week. See gimbal operators and Steadicam operators in London.
Best for sport, events and brand films with movement.
What it’s for
What people book a camera operator for in London
Panels and podcasts in towers
Multi-camera sets on high floors at Canary Wharf and in the City.
Interview days for overseas agencies
Agencies from Paris and New York that run the edit themselves and need two matched cameras in London.
Conferences and events
West End ballrooms and South Bank venues, on two or three cameras.
Second camera for a DOP
A tight on the interview, or B-roll on the streets round the office.
Vox pops and social content
Quick set-ups on the pavement as a crew of five or fewer, in the boroughs that allow it without a permit. Never in the Royal Parks.
Recent work
Camera operators on our jobs, from Wimbledon to Canary Wharf
Crew hire · Wimbledon, London · February 2025
Two cameras for a Paris agency in Wimbledon
International Women’s Day interviews at a European gaming group’s office in Wimbledon (SW19), for a Paris agency that ran the edit itself. A DOP and a camera operator on a Sony FX6 and an FX3, plus a producer to ask the questions: 4K log framed for 16:9 and 4:5, the speaker on a high chair, the background well out of focus.
“Beautiful image, perfect interview. … It was a pleasure collaborating with you on this shoot.” William Rouzé, Project Manager, WordAppeal
Crew hire · Canary Wharf, London · October 2024
A podcast set on Level 48 of One Canada Square
Two recorded panels for a New York creative agency, on a locked-off wide and two operated cameras. We crewed a DOP and a camera operator, a gaffer, sound, hair and make-up and an art director to dress the set. Canary Wharf Group had its filming application, the client’s insurance certificate, our risk assessment and every van’s registration before the 6am call, and the gaffer’s 2.02m van was too tall for the underground car park.
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.
- Half days on request, for short events.
Kit
- Their own camera kit on its own line, or hired in from a kit house.
- London kit houses include VMI and Shoot Blue in Acton, and The Kit Room and FOMO Rentals in east London. We’ve hired from FOMO Rentals.
- Timecode and matched settings on every multi-camera day.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the operator.
- 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 operator 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.
- In London, councils and the Royal Parks ask for £5m public liability, TfL and Canary Wharf £10m, and Network Rail up to £10m (checked October 2026). On a crew hire that certificate is yours.
From £529 a day
APA/Bectu card benchmark: £529–656 a day.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £529 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £52.90 |
| Insurance, 2% | £10.58 |
| One day, before kit and travel | £592.48 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the operator we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the operator.
- 1,400+ crew living in and around London
- 50% by card at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
Or call us on 07412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a camera operator in London.
Tell us the date, the venue, how many cameras and what you’re filming. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in London, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in London, 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 This page £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 London. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in London.
Production support
Everything around the crew
Operators often bring their own kit. If they don’t, or you need a studio, a borough permit or a van that meets ULEZ, each gets its own line on the quote, or use the guides to sort them yourself.
02
Locations and permits
Borough film services, the Royal Parks, TfL, the private estates and the drone zones.
Questions
Hiring a camera operator in London: questions
How much does a camera operator cost in London?
Our camera operators are £529–656 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, paid to the operator in full; the APA/Bectu card sets £529–656. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £592.48 + VAT. Their own camera kit goes on the same quote at a day rate.
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 your camera operators bring their own kit?
Many do: a Sony FX6 or FX9 with lenses, a tripod and often a small LED kit, on its own line at a day rate. A two-camera interview kit runs from £765 a day. Anything else we hire from a London kit house such as VMI in Acton or FOMO Rentals in east London: see kit rental in London.
How many cameras do I need for a panel or a conference?
Two at least: a wide holding the stage and a tight on the speaker. A third, roaming, picks up the audience and the details. For a panel, lock off the wide and put one operator on the host and one on whoever is speaking, as we did on Level 48 of One Canada Square.
Can we film vox pops on the street in London?
In the FilmFixer boroughs (Camden, Islington, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Kensington and Chelsea, and Greenwich), five or fewer people with a handheld camera or a tripod generally need no permit on an ordinary pavement, if 1.5m stays clear. Westminster allows five or fewer, handheld only, with 2m clear, and the City of London wants an application. The Royal Parks don’t allow vox pops at all.
Can you film in a Canary Wharf tower?
Yes, with Canary Wharf Group’s filming permit: 10 working days’ notice, or 12 with a risk assessment, £10m public liability, and no drones at all (checked October 2026). On our One Canada Square job every van was registered in advance, unloaded and moved off. More on filming on London’s private estates.
How far ahead should I book a camera operator in London?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours and comes back with operators and a price. In a tower the building usually sets the date: Canary Wharf asks for 10 to 12 working days, and office security wants every crew name and the kit list first. On the street, FilmFixer asks for three working days for a small shoot that needs a permit.