Film crew hire/Manchester/Grip
Hire a grip in Manchester. The camera moves, smoothly, safely, and the same way every take.
Key grips and grips for adverts, brand films and drama across Greater Manchester and the North, booked from our office in Ancoats. They build and push the dolly, lay the track, rig the camera to cars and cranes, and keep every rig safe. From £526 a day, paid to the grip 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, Chris Murray, David Glessner and Daniel
The role
What a grip does on your shoot
Grips move and hold the camera. They lay track and push the dolly, build sliders and jibs, rig the camera to a car, a crane or a wall, and make sure every rig is safe. A good dolly grip hits the same mark at the same speed, take after take.
In the UK, grips handle the camera support. Lighting stands and flags belong to the sparks, which is different from the US, where grips do those too.
- Moves that repeat. The same push-in at the same speed, so the director can choose any take.
- Track laid level. On cobbles, grass or a sloping floor, levelled with wedges until it’s silent.
- Rigs that hold. Cameras on cars, cranes and walls, rigged and checked by someone who does it every week.
- Safety first. Weights, straps and a plan for every rig, before the camera goes on.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Building and operating the dolly, slider or jib
- Laying and levelling track
- Rigging cameras to cars, cranes and structures
- Risk-checking every rig
- Striking and loading out the grip kit
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- The grip package: dolly, track, jib or car mounts, at a day rate
- A tracking vehicle or crane, with its own crew
- 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 a grip for your own camera team, 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 grip, call to wrap
A car advert in the Peak District: track at a viewpoint in the morning, a car rig in the afternoon. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:30 Track down Twenty feet of track laid along the lay-by, levelled with wedges, the dolly on and pushed until it’s silent.
- 08:00 First move A slow push past the car as the sun comes over the ridge. Marks for start and stop.
- 10:00 Jib A jib built for a rising shot over the dry-stone wall.
- 13:00 Lunch The car rig prepped: suction mounts, straps and a safety line.
- 14:00 Car rig The camera on the car’s side, checked, then driven slowly round a closed loop with a tracking vehicle behind.
- 17:00 Last light One more pass on the track for the evening light.
- 18:30 Wrap Track lifted, rigs struck, the lay-by left as it was.
Which kind
Which grip set-up do you need?
The camera support decides the grip. Here’s what each involves.
Key grip Runs the grip department Card Up to £575
Plans and runs the camera support with the DOP, and leads the grips.
Best on any shoot with dolly, crane or rigging work.
Dolly grip Track, dolly and repeatable moves From £526 a day + kit
Lays track, builds and pushes the dolly, and hits the marks every take.
Best for adverts, drama and slow, precise moves.
Slider and jib Small moves, small crews From £526 a day + kit
A slider, a Dana Dolly or a jib arm, set up and operated by one grip.
Best for interviews and brand films that need a bit of movement.
Car rigs and tracking vehicles Cameras on moving cars Quoted on the brief
Suction and hard mounts, a tracking vehicle with a crane, and a closed road or a private loop. See locations and permits in Manchester.
Best for car adverts and driving scenes.
Cranes and remote heads Big rising and sweeping moves Quoted on the brief
A telescopic crane with a remote head, operated by a crane crew and a camera operator at a wheels or a joystick.
Best for big adverts, events and music videos.
What it’s for
What people book a grip for in Manchester
Adverts and brand films
Dolly moves and jib shots that make a product or a place feel considered.
Car shoots
Car rigs and tracking vehicles on private loops and closed roads around the North West.
Interviews with movement
A slow slider move on the interview, rigged so it doesn’t creak.
Studio days
Dollies on the smooth floors at Space Studios and The Sharp Project.
Drama
Track, dolly and the same move twenty times.
Recent work
Grips on our jobs, on cliffs and on cars
Full production · Cornwall · June 2026
A tracking vehicle on the Cornish coast
For AI for Empowerment we booked a tracking vehicle with its own two-person crew, to follow the action along woodland roads with a crane-mounted camera.
Full production · Portugal · 2026
A camera strapped to a car
Driving shots on a dusty track, with the camera rigged to the side of the car and checked before every run.
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.
Kit
- The grip package is on its own line: dolly, track, jib, mounts.
- Grip kit in Manchester: Media Dog, Direct Digital and Panavision at Space Studios.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the grip.
- 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.
- Car rigs on public roads need permission and a plan: Screen Manchester wants 4–6 weeks’ notice for road closures.
What our insurance covers
- Employers’ liability for the grip 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 £526 a day
APA/Bectu card: £526–575 a day, grip to key grip.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £526 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £52.60 |
| Insurance, 2% | £10.52 |
| One day, before kit and travel | £589.12 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the grip we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the grip.
- 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 grip in Manchester.
Tell us the moves, the camera weight and the location. 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 £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
Grip work often needs a location, a road plan or a studio floor. Each gets its own line on the quote, or use the guides.
Questions
Hiring a grip in Manchester: questions
How much does a grip cost in Manchester?
The APA/Bectu card puts a grip at £526–575 for an 11-hour day, from grip to key grip, and we pay that in full. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £589.12 + VAT. The grip package is priced on its own line.
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 a grip do on a film set?
Moves and holds the camera: track and dolly, sliders, jibs, cranes, car rigs and any rig that attaches the camera to something.
What’s the difference between a grip and a gaffer?
In the UK, the gaffer runs the lighting and the grip runs the camera support. In the US, grips also handle lighting stands and flags.
Can you rig a camera to a car in Manchester?
Yes. On private land, with the owner’s permission. On public roads, with a plan and usually a closed road: Screen Manchester wants 4–6 weeks’ notice.
Do I need a grip for a slider shot?
For a small slider on an interview, the camera operator can manage. For a dolly, a jib or anything rigged to a vehicle or a structure, book a grip.