Film crew hire/Manchester/Runner
Hire a runner in Manchester. First in, last out, and wherever they’re needed in between.
Runners for shoots across Greater Manchester and the North, booked from our office in Ancoats. They run the errands, carry the kit, hold the parking and keep the unit base going, so everyone else can do their job. £245 a day, the full APA/Bectu card rate, paid to the runner 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: Omotayo Kofoworola, Jakob Owens, patsanannnn and sippakorn yamkasikorn
The role
What a runner does on your shoot
A runner does whatever the shoot needs next: fetching, carrying, holding doors, minding parking bays, making tea, collecting a forgotten cable from a kit house in West Gorton. It’s the first job on a crew, and a good runner makes the whole day calmer.
Production runners work to the producer or production manager; floor runners work to the ADs on set. On a small shoot one runner does both.
- Errands done fast. The shop, the kit house, the courier, and back before anyone notices.
- Kit carried and minded. Up the stairs, along the cliff path, and never left alone in a public place.
- The base running. Tea, water, snacks and the bins, all day.
- Paid properly. The full APA/Bectu card rate for a runner, £245 a day, every time.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Runs to shops, kit houses and couriers
- Loading in and out
- The unit base: water, tea and snacks
- Holding parking bays and doors
- Keeping the public out of shot, with the AD or producer
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Mileage, if they use their own car
- Parking and congestion charges, at cost
- 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 runner 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 runner, call to wrap
A brand film at a mill in Ancoats, with the unit base in a car park round the corner. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:45 Before call Parking bays held with cones, the urn on, water and snacks out at the base.
- 07:30 Load in Kit carried in from the vans, cases stacked where the crew want them.
- 09:00 On set Doors held, the public politely kept out of shot, the next set-up’s kit staged.
- 11:00 A run Gaffer tape and batteries from a kit house, and a coffee order on the way back.
- 13:00 Lunch Collected, laid out and cleared.
- 15:00 The move Kit moved to the second room; the first put back as it was found.
- 19:00 Wrap Last out: the base cleared, the rubbish gone, the bays released.
Which kind
Which runner do you need?
Runners do different jobs on different crews.
Production runner Errands and the unit base £245 a day
Works to the producer or PM: runs, deliveries, catering and the base.
Best on any shoot with a unit base or lots of kit.
Floor runner On set with the ADs £245 a day
Moves people and messages for the AD team. See 2nd ADs in Manchester.
Best on shoots with a cast or background artists.
Runner with a car Collections and deliveries £245 a day + mileage
Collects kit, props and people, with their own car and business insurance.
Best when the kit houses and the location are miles apart.
Production assistant Contributors and releases £400 a day
More responsibility: contributors, releases and the call sheet. See production assistants in Manchester.
Best when the producer needs someone to share the load.
What it’s for
What people book a runner for in Manchester
Brand films and adverts
A unit base, lots of kit and a set that needs minding.
Busy public locations
The Northern Quarter, Castlefield and Piccadilly, where someone has to manage passers-by.
Studio days
Deliveries, catering and runs between the stage and the kit houses.
Shoots with a cast
Floor runners for the ADs.
Collections
A runner with a car for props, kit and people.
Recent work
Runners on our jobs
Full production · Cornwall · June 2026
Kit up the cliff paths
On our 35mm shoot in Cornwall, the runner was part of a crew carrying a film camera package along cliff paths, on days of more than 12 hours.
How we pay
The card rate, in full
The APA/Bectu card sets a runner’s day at up to £245, and that’s what we pay. It’s the first job most crew do, and the one that decides whether they stay in the industry.
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.
Cars and parking
- Tell us if the runner needs a car: mileage and parking go on the quote.
- Runners drive only on business insurance.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the runner.
- 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 runner 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.
£245 a day
APA/Bectu card: Up to £245 a day for a runner. We pay the full rate.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £245 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £24.50 |
| Insurance, 2% | £4.90 |
| One day, before mileage | £274.40 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the runner we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the runner.
- 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 runner in Manchester.
Tell us the date, the place, and whether the runner needs a car. 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 This page £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
Runners keep everything around the crew moving. Here are the guides, each item its own line on the quote if you want us to book it.
Questions
Hiring a runner in Manchester: questions
How much does a runner cost in Manchester?
Our runners are £245 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch: the full APA/Bectu card rate, paid to the runner. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance: £274.40 + VAT for the day, plus mileage if they drive.
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’s the difference between a runner and a PA?
A runner fetches, carries and keeps the base going. A production assistant works closer to the producer, on contributors and paperwork.
Can your runners drive?
Some can, with their own car and business insurance. Tell us when you book, and the mileage goes on the quote.
Why pay a runner the full card rate?
Because it’s the rate. Runners work the same 11-hour day as everyone else, and the people who start as runners are the crew of the next ten years.
How far ahead should I book a runner in Manchester?
Most Manchester bookings are confirmed within 48 hours, and runners are often available at a day’s notice.