Film crew hire/London/Runner
Hire a runner in London. First in, last out, and wherever they’re needed in between.
Runners for shoots across London, booked out of our office on City Road. They run the errands, carry the kit, hold the suspended bays and know when the Tube is quicker than the van, so everyone else can do their job. £245 a day, the full APA/Bectu card rate, paid to the runner 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: Here Now Films, patsanannnn, Jakob Owens and sippakorn yamkasikorn
The role
What a runner does on your shoot
A runner does whatever the shoot needs next: fetching, carrying, holding doors, minding the parking bays, making tea, collecting a forgotten cable from a kit house in Park Royal. It’s the first job on a crew, and a good runner makes the whole day calmer.
Production runners work to the producer or production manager; floor runners work to the ADs on set. On a small shoot one runner does both.
- Errands done fast. The shop, the kit house, the courier, and back before anyone notices.
- Kit carried and minded. Up the front steps, through the station, and never left alone on a London pavement.
- The base running. Tea, water, snacks and the bins, all day.
- Paid properly. The full APA/Bectu card rate for a runner, £245 a day, every time.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Runs to shops, kit houses and couriers
- Loading in and out
- The unit base: water, tea and snacks
- Holding the suspended bays and meeting the vans
- Keeping the pavement clear, with the AD or producer
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Mileage, if they use their own car
- Parking, the Congestion Charge and ULEZ, at cost
- Travel outside Greater London, at cost
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 a runner 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 runner, call to wrap
A brand film in a townhouse in Camden, with suspended bays on the street outside for the vans. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:30 Before call The suspended bays checked and kept clear, the vans met and parked in them, the urn on, water and snacks out.
- 07:30 Load in Kit carried up the front steps, cases stacked where the crew want them, nothing left on the pavement.
- 09:00 On set Doors held, the neighbours kept in the loop, the public politely kept out of shot, the next set-up’s kit staged.
- 11:00 A run Gaffer tape and batteries from a kit house: by Tube if it fits in a bag, by car if it doesn’t.
- 13:00 Lunch Collected, laid out and cleared.
- 15:00 The move Kit carried up to the top floor; the first room put back as it was found.
- 19:00 Wrap Last out: the base cleared, the rubbish gone, the bays handed back.
Which kind
Which runner do you need?
Runners do different jobs on different crews.
Production runner Errands and the unit base £245 a day
Works to the producer or PM: runs, deliveries, catering, the base and the bays.
Best on any shoot with a unit base or lots of kit.
Floor runner On set with the ADs £245 a day
Moves people and messages for the AD team. See 2nd ADs in London.
Best on shoots with a cast or background artists.
Runner with a car Collections and deliveries £245 a day + mileage
Collects kit, props and people, with their own car, business insurance and a car that meets ULEZ.
Best when the kit house is in Park Royal or Greenford and the location is in Shoreditch.
Production assistant Contributors and releases £400 a day
More responsibility: contributors, releases and the call sheet. See production assistants in London.
Best when the producer needs someone to share the load.
What it’s for
What people book a runner for in London
Brand films and adverts
A unit base, lots of kit, suspended bays and a set that needs minding.
Busy public locations
Soho, the South Bank and Covent Garden, where someone has to manage passers-by.
Studio days
Deliveries, catering and runs between a stage in Park Royal and the kit houses in Acton.
Shoots with a cast
Floor runners for the ADs.
Collections
A runner with a car for props from Park Royal or Hayes, and kit from Greenford.
Recent work
How runners fit our London crews
How we crew it · London
Bays, cones and the Congestion Charge
On a London street the vans need somewhere to stop. The borough suspends the bays, with notice: Westminster from £51 a bay on day one with 10 working days’ notice, Camden £100.35 a bay on day one with five working days for pay-and-display (checked October 2026). The runner is there before the vans to keep the bays clear, and meets each one in. Every vehicle in the central zone pays the £18 Congestion Charge, 07:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 12:00 to 18:00 at weekends, and a van that misses the ULEZ standard pays £12.50 on top. All three go on the quote at cost, each on its own line.
How we crew it · London
A runner with a car, or the Tube?
For a lot of central London runs the Tube is quicker. TfL’s conditions of carriage let you take what you can carry yourself, on stairs and escalators too, but nothing over 2m long and nothing that blocks a door or an aisle. Using a tripod or filming on the network needs TfL’s permission, three weeks ahead (checked October 2026). A box of batteries goes by Tube. A stand bag, a frame or a case of grip kit from Park Royal goes by car, with mileage, parking and the charges on the quote.
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.
Cars, vans and charges
- Tell us if the runner needs a car: mileage, parking, the Congestion Charge and ULEZ go on the quote at cost.
- Runners drive only on business insurance.
- ULEZ covers every London borough, 24 hours a day: diesel must be Euro 6, petrol Euro 4 (checked October 2026).
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the runner.
- 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 runner 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.
£245 a day
We pay the full APA/Bectu card rate for a runner: £245 a day.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £245 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £24.50 |
| Insurance, 2% | £4.90 |
| One day, before mileage | £274.40 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the runner we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the runner.
- 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 runner in London.
Tell us the date, the place, and whether the runner needs a car. 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 This page £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 London. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in London.
Production support
Everything around the crew
Runners keep everything around the crew moving, from the bays to the kit house. Here are the guides, each item its own line on the quote if you want us to book it.
02
Locations and permits
Borough film services, the Royal Parks, TfL, the private estates and the drone zones.
Questions
Hiring a runner in London: questions
How much does a runner cost in London?
Our runners are £245 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch: the full APA/Bectu card rate, paid to the runner. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance: £274.40 + VAT for the day, plus mileage, parking and the Congestion Charge if they drive.
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 runner and a PA?
A runner fetches, carries and keeps the base going. A production assistant works closer to the producer, on contributors and paperwork.
Can your runners drive in London?
Some can, with their own car and business insurance; tell us when you book. Mileage, parking and the Congestion Charge go on the quote at cost, and ULEZ too if the car misses the standard: Euro 4 for petrol, Euro 6 for diesel (checked October 2026).
Can a runner take kit on the Tube?
Small kit, yes: TfL lets you take what you can carry yourself, but nothing over 2m long and nothing that blocks a door or a stairway. Filming on the network, or putting up a tripod, is another matter: that needs TfL’s permission, three weeks ahead (checked October 2026).
Why pay a runner the full card rate?
Because it’s the rate. Runners work the same 11-hour day as everyone else, and the people who start as runners are the crew of the next ten years.
How far ahead should I book a runner in London?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. If the runner is holding suspended bays, it’s the bays that need the notice: 10 working days in Westminster, five for pay-and-display bays in Camden (checked October 2026).