Film crew hire/Manchester/Art director
Hire an art director in Manchester. The set, the props and everything else in the frame.
Art directors and art departments for adverts, brand films, music videos and drama across Greater Manchester and the North, booked from our office in Ancoats. They design the look of the set, dress the location, and run the props, graphics and builds that fill the frame. From £675 a day, paid to the art director in full.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 48 hrs from enquiry to confirmed crew, on most Manchester bookings
- £10m employers’ liability on every crew member we book
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books
Photos: Here Now Films, Kumpan Electric, Hal Gatewood, Paolo Chiabrando and Tomasz Anusiewicz
The role
What an art director does on your shoot
An art director is responsible for everything in the frame that isn’t a person or a light: the set, the dressing, the props and the graphics. They take the look agreed with the director and the DOP, design it, budget it, and run the props buyers, dressers and builders who make it real.
On a brand film, that might be dressing an office so it looks like the company at its best. On an advert, it can be a set built from scratch.
- A look designed. Mood boards, references and drawings, agreed before anything is bought or built.
- Every prop chosen. Sourced, hired, bought or made, with nothing in shot you can’t clear.
- Locations dressed. A real place changed just enough to look right on camera, and put back at wrap.
- A budget that holds. Spend tracked, hires returned, nothing lost.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Designing the set and the dressing to the brief
- Running the props, dressing and build team
- Sourcing props, furniture and graphics
- Dressing on the day, and changes between set-ups
- The art budget, tracked and accounted for
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- The art budget: props, hires, materials and graphics, at cost
- Prep and wrap days, which most jobs need
- Props buyers, dressers and set builders, as the brief needs
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in Manchester.
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 an art director for your own production, or have us take the whole film 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 an art director, call to wrap
Dressing a terraced house in Levenshulme as a family home for a brand film. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- Prep The week before Reference agreed, furniture and props pulled from a prop house in Trafford Park, graphics printed, the van booked.
- 06:30 Dress The owner’s things photographed and packed away; the house dressed to the design, room by room.
- 08:30 Camera check The DOP lines up the first shot; a lamp moved, a picture changed, a brand on a cereal box turned round.
- 09:00 Standby A props person on set for continuity, and the next room dressed ahead of the crew.
- 13:00 Lunch Food on set replaced, the kitchen reset for the afternoon.
- 15:00 Turnaround Living room to bedroom: furniture swapped while the crew shoot the hall.
- 18:30 Strike Everything out, the owner’s things back exactly where they were, using the morning’s photos.
Which kind
Which art department do you need?
From one person with a van of props to a full department.
Art director Designs and runs the look Card £675–878
Designs the set and the dressing, budgets it, and runs the team.
Best for adverts, brand films, music videos and drama.
Props buyer Finds and buys everything on screen Card £493–585
Sources, buys and hires props and dressing to the art director’s list.
Best on any shoot with a dressed set.
Standby props and dressers On set, every take Quoted on the brief
Look after the props on set, reset between takes and keep continuity.
Best on drama and any shoot with props that get used.
Set builders Carpentry, paint and construction From £341 a day
Build, paint and strike sets and pieces to the art director’s drawings. See set builders in Manchester.
Best when the location can’t do it alone.
Graphics Signs, screens and paperwork in shot Quoted on the brief
Signage, packaging, screens and documents designed and printed for the shot. DESIGN 108 at Space Studios prints for art departments; see props and wardrobe in Manchester.
Best when a brand, a shop or a fictional company needs to look real.
What it’s for
What people book an art director for in Manchester
Adverts and brand films
A home, a shop or an office dressed to look like the brand’s world.
Music videos
A look built in a warehouse in Ancoats or on a stage in West Gorton.
Drama and reconstructions
Period dressing for documentaries and heritage films.
Product films
Tabletop and cove sets styled to the product.
Events and launches
Sets and backdrops built for camera as well as the room.
Recent work
Art departments on our jobs
Full production · Canada · 2026
A cabin dressed for the camera
For AI for Empowerment, one art director ran the look across four countries, with local props buyers and assistants in each. In Canada that meant a cabin: temporary wood panelling, moss on the roof, a fire pit, and the inside propped.
How we crew it · Manchester
Props from Trafford Park, graphics from West Gorton
Manchester has one of the biggest prop houses outside London at Stockyard North in Trafford Park, greenery from Wainwright near Knutsford, and art department printing at Space Studios. Our props and wardrobe guide has them all.
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, dressing and strike days are quoted separately.
The art budget
- Props, hires and materials at cost, each on its own line.
- Prop hire is often charged by the week: at some houses, one to seven days counts as a week.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the art director.
- 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 art director 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.
From £675 a day
APA/Bectu card: £675–878 a day for an art director.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £675 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £67.50 |
| Insurance, 2% | £13.50 |
| One day, before the art budget | £756 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the art director we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the art director.
- Most Manchester bookings confirmed within 48 hours
- 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 an art director in Manchester.
Tell us the location or set, the look, and what needs dressing, building or propping. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in Manchester, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Manchester, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 05
- 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 This page £675–878
- Set builders £341–512
Post-production 01
- Editor From £350
How our rates work: crew rates in Manchester. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Manchester.
Production support
Everything around the crew
The art department works across props, studios and logistics. Each gets its own line on the quote, or use the guides to sort them yourself.
Questions
Hiring an art director in Manchester: questions
How much does an art director cost in Manchester?
The APA/Bectu card puts an art director at £675–878 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, and we pay that in full. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £756 + VAT. The art budget, for props, hires and materials, is 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 an art director do on a film?
Designs and runs everything in the frame that isn’t a person or a light: the set, the dressing, the props and the graphics.
Art director or production designer?
On a big production, the production designer sets the look and the art director runs the department that delivers it. On most adverts and brand films, one person does both.
Where do you hire props in Manchester?
Stockyard North in Trafford Park is one of the biggest prop houses outside London. Propaganda in Ardwick has period and contemporary props, and Wainwright near Knutsford supplies greenery. Our props and wardrobe guide has the rest.
Can you dress someone’s home or office for a shoot?
Yes. We photograph everything first, pack it away, dress for the camera, and put it all back exactly as it was.
How far ahead should I book an art director in Manchester?
Most Manchester bookings are confirmed within 48 hours, but the art department needs prep: a week for most dressing, more for a build.