Film crew hire/London/Steadicam
Hire a Steadicam operator in London. From the pavement to the boardroom, in one move.
Steadicam operators for adverts, brand films, music videos, and events across London, booked from our office on City Road. They fly the camera through City lobbies, station concourses, and the stages of Park Royal, once the building, the borough, or TfL has said yes. From £950 a day, paid to the operator in full, with their rig on its own line.
- 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, Benjamin Wedemeyer and Jakob Owens
The role
What a Steadicam operator does on your shoot
A Steadicam operator flies the camera on a stabilised rig: a vest, an articulated arm, and a sled that balances the camera. It lets the shot follow people through doors, up stairs, and across rooms, smoothly, at walking pace or faster, with a full-size cinema camera on it.
Steadicam is a brand name that became the name of the job. Operators own their rigs, which are expensive and set up for their own bodies, so the operator and the rig come as a pair.
In London the camera often comes from a kit house out west: London kit houses include Panavision in Greenford, ARRI Rental in Uxbridge and VMI in Acton. Tell us which one is building yours, and the operator plans the rig to its weight.
- One shot, no cut. Through the revolving door, across the lobby, and into the lift, in a single move.
- A heavy camera, flown. An ARRI Alexa or RED with cine lenses, which a handheld gimbal can’t carry for long.
- Rehearsed with the cast. The move walked, timed, and marked, so the actors and the camera hit the same spot.
- Focus by wireless. With a focus puller on a monitor, the operator only has to frame.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Operating the camera on the rig, every take
- Balancing and setting up the rig for your camera
- Rehearsing the moves with the director and cast
- Breaks between long takes, planned into the day
- Their own vest, arm, and sled
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- The rig and its accessories, quoted with the operator
- A focus puller, for wide-open lenses
- Parking and the Congestion Charge for the operator’s vehicle, 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 Steadicam operator for your own London shoot, or have us take the production on, the borough and TfL applications included.
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 Steadicam operator, call to wrap
A brand film in an office tower in the City of London: a walk-and-talk across the floor, then a one-shot from the street to the boardroom. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Security and the loading bay Crew names and the kit list checked by building security. The van unloads in the bay and leaves.
- 08:00 Build and balance The camera stripped down for the sled, balanced and tuned. Wireless focus and video sender paired.
- 09:00 Walk the route The move rehearsed with the director: revolving door, security gates, lift, final mark.
- 09:45 Walk-and-talk Two people walking and talking across the floor, the operator walking backwards ahead of them, a grip guiding.
- 11:30 Rest Out of the vest. Long takes on Steadicam are hard work, and the day is planned round it.
- 14:00 The one-shot From the pavement, with the City’s permission, through reception and up to the boardroom. Eight takes, the last one clean.
- 18:00 Wrap Rig down, camera rebuilt for the main unit, takes logged, van back through the loading bay.
Which rig
Steadicam, gimbal or something else?
Stabilised shots come from several kinds of rig. In London the location often decides which.
Steadicam Heavy cinema cameras, long takes From £950 a day + rig
A vest, arm, and sled carrying a full cinema camera. Smooth and organic, and good for long, complex moves.
Best for adverts, drama, music videos, and one-shot sequences on the stages and in the big buildings.
Handheld gimbal Light and fast From £529 a day
A DJI Ronin, RS, or similar, carried by one person: quicker, cheaper, and smaller on a crowded pavement. See gimbal operators in London.
Best for walk-and-talks, events, and social content.
Ronin 4D Stabilised camera, built in Quoted on the brief
A full-frame camera with stabilisation built in, operated by one person. Many Steadicam operators own one. VMI in Acton lists it for hire, and we’ve hired one from FOMO Rentals in E2.
Best for documentary and run-and-gun days that still need to glide.
Dolly and track Precise, repeatable moves See grips
A dolly on tracks, pushed by a grip. Exactly the same move every take.
Best for slow, controlled moves on a flat floor. On a pavement, track needs the borough’s permission.
What it’s for
What people book Steadicam for in London
Adverts on the stages
The hero move on a stage in Park Royal or Acton, often to playback.
Brand films in big buildings
One shot from the street through a City lobby, or across a floor in a Canary Wharf tower.
Music videos
Long takes round the artist, in east London studios and warehouses.
Overseas productions
US and European teams who fly in with their own director and DP.
Events and launches
Moving among the guests with a heavier camera than a gimbal can carry, from the South Bank to Mayfair.
Recent work
Stabilised shots on our jobs, and how we crew them in London
Crew hire · Oxford · December 2025
A Steadicam operator, on the right rig for the day
A run-and-gun day outside London, for a US agency and a global tech company. We booked a Steadicam operator, who flew a Ronin 4D for it: lighter, quicker between set-ups, and right for the brief.
How we crew it · London
Steadicam underground, or through a City lobby
Underground, the rig needs TfL’s permission, asked for at least three weeks ahead, and trains in service take lightweight handheld kit only, so for a bigger rig TfL’s exclusive areas, Aldwych among them, are the place to start. A Network Rail terminus wants five working days for 10 or fewer. In a City tower the landlord says yes first, and security wants every name and the kit list. On a full production we apply; on a crew hire we tell you who to ask, and when.
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.
The rig and the building
- The operator brings their own vest, arm, and sled, priced on its own line.
- Tell us the camera, lenses, and kit house, so the rig is built for the weight.
- City buildings want crew names and the kit list in advance. We send them.
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).
From £950 a day
There’s no APA/Bectu card rate for Steadicam: operators set their own, rig included or on top.
| Operator, 11 hours | £950 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £95 |
| Insurance, 2% | £19 |
| Rig | Quoted with the operator |
| One day, before the rig | £1,064 + 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 Steadicam operator in London.
Tell us the date, the camera, the lenses, the move you have in mind, and where in London it happens. 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 £529–656
- Focus puller £461–575
- Clapper loader £355–448
- Steadicam operator This page 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
A Steadicam day in London needs a building that says yes, somewhere to unload and, underground, TfL’s permission. Each gets its own line on the quote, or use the guides.
02
Locations and permits
Borough film services, the Royal Parks, TfL, the private estates and the drone zones.
Questions
Hiring Steadicam in London: questions
How much does a Steadicam operator cost in London?
Our Steadicam operators start at £950 for an 11-hour day, paid to the operator in full. Their rig goes on its own line. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so the operator’s day comes to £1,064 + VAT before the rig. There’s no APA/Bectu card rate for Steadicam.
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.
Can you use Steadicam on the London Underground?
With TfL’s permission, applied for at least three weeks ahead, and £10m public liability. A crew of 1–10 pays £900 an hour plus VAT and staff costs, and weekday filming runs 10:00–15:30 and 20:00–23:30 (checked October 2026). Trains in service take lightweight handheld kit only, so for a rig, ask about TfL’s exclusive areas, such as Aldwych or Charing Cross with a Jubilee line train, from £2,000 an hour plus VAT. Our guide to filming on TfL has the rest.
Do we need a permit for Steadicam on a London street?
Usually. The boroughs’ small-crew rules are for five people or fewer with light kit: handheld or a tripod with 1.5m of pavement clear in the FilmFixer boroughs, such as Camden and Southwark, and handheld only with 2m clear in Westminster. An operator with a focus puller and a grip behind them is a bigger footprint, so ask the borough film service. The City of London expects an application, and a private estate gives its own permission on top.
Steadicam or gimbal: which do I need?
A gimbal is lighter, cheaper, and quicker: fine for a mirrorless or compact cinema camera on a busy pavement. Steadicam carries a full-size cinema camera, holds long takes better, and moves more naturally. For an advert or a one-shot sequence, book Steadicam.
How far ahead should I book Steadicam in London?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. The location usually sets the date: three weeks for TfL, five working days for a Network Rail station or a Royal Park with 10 or fewer, one to three weeks in the City depending on crew size, and 10–12 working days at Canary Wharf. There are fewer Steadicam operators than camera operators, so tell us the date early.