Film crew hire/Manchester/Spark
Hire a spark in Manchester. Lamps rigged, cable run, power safe, next set-up ready.
Sparks (lighting technicians) for brand films, adverts, studio days and night shoots across Greater Manchester and the North, booked from our office in Ancoats. They rig and run the lights and the power to the gaffer’s plan, and have the next set-up ready before it’s called. £457 a day, the APA/Bectu card rate, paid to the spark 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: H&CO, Marcos Paulo Prado, Tri Vo, Aditya Wardhana and Natalie Parham
The role
What a spark does on your shoot
A spark, or lighting technician, is part of the lighting crew. They work to the gaffer: unloading the lamps, rigging them on stands, booms and rigs, running the cable and the distribution, focusing and adjusting lights between takes, and striking it all at wrap.
On a two-person lighting team, the spark pre-rigs the next set-up while the gaffer and the DOP are still shooting the current one. That’s where the time is saved.
- Rigged to the plan. Lamps, stands, flags and diffusion where the gaffer wants them.
- Cable run safely. Out of doorways, taped down, and on distribution that won’t trip.
- The next set-up ready. Pre-rigged while the current one shoots.
- Kit looked after. Every lamp and cable counted out and counted back.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Rigging and focusing lamps to the gaffer’s plan
- Running cable and power distribution
- Pre-rigging the next set-up
- Flags, diffusion and gels, set and adjusted
- Striking and loading out
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Lighting kit, from the gaffer or a kit house
- A desk operator, for programmable lighting
- 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 sparks for your own lighting crew, 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 spark, call to wrap
A studio day on a cove in Salford: product in the morning, two presenters in the afternoon. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Load in The lighting kit off the van and into the studio, sorted by set-up.
- 07:30 Power Distribution off the studio supply, cables run round the edge of the cove.
- 08:00 Rig A big soft source over the product table, flags to control the spill, the background lit evenly.
- 10:30 Pre-rig While the product shoots, the presenter set-up rigged on the other side of the studio.
- 13:00 Lunch Lamps cooled, gels changed for the afternoon.
- 14:00 Presenters Small adjustments between takes: a flag in, a lamp down a stop.
- 18:30 Wrap Everything struck, counted and loaded; the cove floor clean.
Which kind
Which lighting technician do you need?
The lighting crew from the top down.
Gaffer Runs the lighting department £550 a day
Plans the lighting with the DOP and leads the crew. See gaffers in Manchester.
Book one first: the gaffer decides how many sparks they need.
Best boy The gaffer’s second Quoted on the brief
Runs the sparks and the kit: what’s on the truck, what’s on set, what goes back.
Best on big lighting crews and multi-day shoots.
Spark Rigs and runs the lights Card Up to £457
Rigs, cables, focuses and strikes, to the gaffer’s plan.
Best on any shoot with more than a few lamps or a fast schedule.
Desk operator Programmable lights and cues Quoted on the brief
Runs a lighting desk for colour-changing LEDs and effects.
Best for music videos, events and stage shoots.
Rigger Lights up high Quoted on the brief
Rigs lamps on trusses, ceilings and scaffolds, working at height to the rules.
Best for studio rigs and big location builds.
What it’s for
What people book a spark for in Manchester
Studio days
Coves and stages where the lights change between set-ups.
Brand films and adverts
A gaffer and a spark, so the next set-up is always ready.
Night shoots
Big lamps, long cable runs and a generator.
Music videos
Coloured LEDs and effects, run from a desk.
Events
Stage and audience lit for the cameras.
Recent work
Sparks on our jobs
Full production · Oslo · 2026
Lighting a riverbank at night
Big lamps on a cherry picker lighting the whole riverbank, and the lighting crew on the bank below.
How we crew it · Manchester
A gaffer and a spark, not two gaffers
On most two-person lighting crews we book a gaffer and a spark. The spark is £457 a day at the card rate, and the gaffer keeps control of the plan.
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.
Safety
- Sparks work to the gaffer and the location’s rules on power and working at height.
- Cable is run and taped so nobody trips, especially on public locations.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the spark.
- 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 spark 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.
£457 a day
APA/Bectu card: Up to £457 a day for a lighting technician. We pay the full rate.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £457 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £45.70 |
| Insurance, 2% | £9.14 |
| One day, before travel | £511.84 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the spark we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the spark.
- 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 spark in Manchester.
Tell us the date, the location and who’s gaffing. 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
Sparks need power and kit. Each gets its own line on the quote, or use the guides to sort them yourself.
Questions
Hiring a spark in Manchester: questions
How much does a spark cost in Manchester?
The APA/Bectu card puts a lighting technician at Up to £457 for an 11-hour day, and we pay our sparks the full £457. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance: £511.84 + VAT for the day.
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 gaffer and a spark?
The gaffer runs the lighting department and plans the lighting with the DOP. A spark rigs and runs the lights to the gaffer’s plan.
How many sparks do I need?
The gaffer decides, from the plan. An interview day often needs none; a brand film one; a night exterior or a studio day two or more.
Why are they called sparks?
Film lighting crews are electricians by trade, so the old slang stuck. On the APA card the job is called lighting technician.
How far ahead should I book a spark in Manchester?
Most Manchester bookings are confirmed within 48 hours, and we book sparks with the gaffer they usually work with where we can.