Film crew hire/Manchester/Production manager
Hire a production manager in Manchester. Bookings, budgets and the hundred things in between.
Production managers for shoots across Greater Manchester and the North, booked from our office in Ancoats. They book the crew, kit, vans and hotels, keep the budget and the paperwork straight, and get everyone to the right place at the right time. From £504 a day, paid to the production manager 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: Jakob Owens, Kelly Sikkema, Here Now Films, Nathan Dumlao and Brands&People
The role
What a production manager does on your shoot
A production manager (PM) runs the logistics of a production, working to the producer. They book crew and kit, sort travel, vans, hotels and catering, chase permits and insurance certificates, and track the spend against the budget. On the day, they’re the person who knows where everything is.
On a one-day shoot a producer usually does all of this. A PM earns their place on multi-day, multi-location or multi-country shoots, where the logistics are a job in themselves.
- Everything booked. Crew, kit, vans, hotels, catering and parking, confirmed in writing.
- A budget that holds. Spend tracked against the budget every day, and overages raised before they happen.
- Paperwork in order. Risk assessments, insurance certificates, permits and location agreements, filed.
- Movement planned. Call times, routes, unit bases and parking, all on the call sheet.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Booking crew, kit, transport and hotels
- The movement order and travel plan
- Spend tracked against the budget
- Permits, certificates and location paperwork, chased
- The production file, handed over at wrap
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Prep days before the shoot, which most jobs need
- A wrap day for returns and paperwork
- 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 PM for your own production, 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 production manager, call to wrap
Day two of a three-day shoot, moving from an office in Spinningfields to Castlefield after lunch. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:30 Unit base Vans parked, the base open and catering set up before anyone else arrives.
- 07:30 Crew call Signing in, radios out, and the day’s changes briefed with the producer.
- 09:00 Behind the scenes Kit returns chased, tomorrow’s hotel confirmed, a missing certificate sent to the location.
- 12:00 The move Parking bays in Castlefield checked, the van route sent, the next location told when to expect the unit.
- 13:00 Lunch Served on time, and the drivers and runners briefed for the afternoon.
- 15:00 The numbers The day’s spend logged against the budget; overtime agreed with the producer before it happens.
- 19:00 Wrap Kit secured or returned, timesheets signed, tomorrow’s call sheet out.
Which kind
Which production role do you need?
The production office has several jobs that overlap. Here’s how we match one to a brief.
Production manager Logistics, bookings and the budget Card £504–627
Books and runs everything around the shoot, and keeps the costs against the budget, working to the producer.
Best on multi-day, multi-location and multi-country shoots.
Production coordinator The office, the calls and the paperwork Quoted on the brief
Works to the PM: call sheets, bookings, travel, contact lists and the production file.
Best on long shoots and series, where the office never stops.
Line producer Budget and schedule, start to finish Quoted on the brief
Owns the budget and the schedule from the first day of prep to delivery, and reports against both.
Best on documentaries, series and productions that run for weeks.
Location manager Finds and runs the locations Quoted on the brief
Finds the locations, negotiates them, gets the permissions and runs them on the day. See locations and permits in Manchester.
Best when the shoot moves between several locations, or one difficult one.
Producer Runs the day and the client From £450 a day
If someone needs to make the decisions on the day, that’s a producer. See producers in Manchester.
Best on one- and two-day shoots, where a separate PM isn’t needed.
What it’s for
What people book a production manager for in Manchester
Multi-day shoots
Three days or more, with crew, kit and hotels to keep track of.
Several locations
MediaCityUK in the morning, Ancoats in the afternoon, the Peak District the next day.
Teams flying in
Productions from the US and Europe who need the ground run in the UK.
Studio days
Stage bookings at Space Studios or a cove, with set builds, deliveries and power.
Several countries
One production run across the UK and Europe, on one budget.
Recent work
Production management on our jobs, across Manchester and four countries
Crew hire · Manchester, Bolton, London · 2024
Three locations at short notice for Davies Group
Crews in three places for Davies Group’s internal series: a leadership conference in Manchester, then Bolton and London, booked and confirmed at short notice, with the kit and the timings for each.
“Despite the tight deadlines and logistical challenges, they exceeded our expectations in every way.” Mopani Mkandawire, Davies Group
Full production · Cornwall, Oslo, Canada, Portugal
One production, four countries, on 35mm
AI for Empowerment: a Panavision film package, a tracking vehicle and a local crew in each country, run on one budget. In Cornwall that meant kit up cliff paths and days of 12 hours on APA overtime.
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 and wrap days are quoted separately.
Who’s responsible
- On a crew hire, the PM works for you: the production, its risk assessment and its insurance stay yours.
- If you want us to carry it, that’s a full production quote.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the production manager.
- 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 production manager 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 £504 a day
APA/Bectu card benchmark: £504–627 a day.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £504 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £50.40 |
| Insurance, 2% | £10.08 |
| One day, before travel | £564.48 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the production manager we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the production manager.
- 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 production manager in Manchester.
Tell us the dates, the locations and what needs booking. 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 This page £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
A PM sorts everything around the crew. Here are the guides they use, each one its own line on the quote if you want us to book it.
Questions
Hiring a production manager in Manchester: questions
How much does a production manager cost in Manchester?
The APA/Bectu card puts a production manager at £504–627 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, and the PM is paid that in full. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £564.48 + VAT. Most shoots need prep days too, quoted separately.
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 production manager do?
The logistics: booking crew, kit, travel, hotels and catering, chasing permits and certificates, planning the movement order and tracking the spend against the budget. They work to the producer, who makes the creative and client calls.
Do I need a production manager or a producer?
For a one- or two-day shoot, a producer can do both jobs. Book a PM as well when the shoot runs for several days, moves between locations or crosses borders.
What’s the difference between a production manager and a line producer?
A line producer owns the budget and the schedule for the whole production. A production manager runs the logistics that make them happen. On smaller jobs, one person does both.
Can a production manager sort permits in Manchester?
Yes. Council land in the city goes through Screen Manchester, which wants 5–7 days’ notice for a shoot with lights; Salford, MediaCityUK and TfGM each give their own permission. Our guide to locations and permits in Manchester has the detail.
How far ahead should I book a PM in Manchester?
Most Manchester bookings are confirmed within 48 hours. The earlier a PM starts, the more they save: a week’s prep for a multi-day shoot is normal.