Film crew hire/Manchester/Camera operator
Hire a camera operator in Manchester. Steady hands, sharp focus, and the shot you asked for.
Camera operators for interviews, conferences, events and brand films across Greater Manchester and the North, booked from our office in Ancoats. 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
- 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: 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.
Most of our Manchester operators own a Sony FX6 or FX9 kit, with lenses, a tripod, a slider and a small LED kit, so one booking can cover the camera as well.
- 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 Manchester, at cost
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 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 leadership conference in a Manchester hotel: stage talks, a Q&A, then vox pops. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Load in Camera positions agreed with the venue: one wide at the back, one on the speaker, one roaming.
- 08:00 Line-up Cameras matched for white balance, frame rate and picture profile. Timecode jammed so the edit can sync.
- 09:00 Doors Rolling on the opening session. The roaming operator picks up the room, the reactions and the details.
- 12:30 Lunch Cards swapped and backed up, batteries changed, and the afternoon’s running order checked.
- 13:30 Stage talks and Q&A Long lens on the speaker, the wide holding the stage, and a microphone in the audience followed.
- 16:00 Vox pops A quick lit corner in the foyer: twelve people, two minutes each, the same question.
- 18:00 Wrap Kit out, cards checked and copied, and the 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 stage talks and panels cut cleanly.
Best for conferences, panels, award nights and Q&As.
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 Manchester 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, factory floors, hospitals and kitchens.
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 Manchester.
Best for sport, events and brand films with movement.
What it’s for
What people book a camera operator for in Manchester
Conferences and events
Manchester Central, the Bridgewater Hall and hotel ballrooms, often on two or three cameras.
Interview and testimonial days
Customer stories and staff films in offices from Spinningfields to MediaCityUK.
Vox pops and social content
Quick set-ups in a foyer or on the street, with the same question for everyone.
Second camera for a DOP
A tight on the interview, or B-roll running alongside the main unit.
Sport and live action
Long lenses, fast focus and a camera that keeps up.
Recent work
Camera operators on our jobs, in and around Manchester
Crew hire · Manchester, Bolton, London · 2024
Three locations at short notice for Davies Group
Camera operators for Davies Group’s internal series: a leadership conference in Manchester, with stage talks, a Q&A and vox pops, three-camera sit-down interviews, and gimbal B-roll around the city centre. Then Bolton and London.
“Their ability to quickly assemble professional and talented crews was impressive.” Mopani Mkandawire, Davies Group
Crew hire · Alderley Edge, Cheshire · NYT Studios
Two camera operators for The Athletic
Two camera operators on the pilot of The Athletic’s Truth or Padel, in a back garden in Alderley Edge. Across the series the plan runs to eight angles: long lenses tracking each player across the net, and wides at the net and of the whole court.
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 Manchester kit house.
- Cards and drives: tell us if you want the rushes on your drive or ours.
- 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.
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.
- 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 a camera operator in Manchester.
Tell us the date, the place, 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 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 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 Manchester. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Manchester.
Production support
Everything around the crew
Operators often bring their own kit. If they don’t, or you need a studio, a location or a van, each gets its own line on the quote.
Questions
Hiring a camera operator in Manchester: questions
How much does a camera operator cost in Manchester?
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?
Most do: a Sony FX6 or FX9 with lenses, a tripod and often a slider and a small LED kit. It goes on the quote at a day rate, on its own line. If you need something else, we hire it from a Manchester kit house. See kit rental in Manchester.
How many cameras do I need for 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, and saves the edit on a long day. For a panel, add one more for the reactions.
Do I need a DOP or a camera operator?
For a simple interview or event, a camera operator, or a lighting camera operator, is enough. For a brand film, an advert or anything with a designed look, book a DOP and let them choose the operator.
Can I book a camera operator for half a day?
Yes, for short events and single interviews. Ask when you book and we’ll quote it.
How far ahead should I book a camera operator in Manchester?
Most Manchester bookings are confirmed within 48 hours, and we often crew next-day jobs. For a three-camera conference, give us a week.