Film Crew Hire in New York
Film crews and production services
for New York shoots.
DPs, camera operators, sound mixers and whole units for shoots across the five boroughs. New York crews, booked and run by our producers.
500+
Productions
24
Crew roles, each with its own page
2 hrs
For our team to read your brief
54
Five-star Google reviews
We’re Here Now Films.We crew New York shoots, and we make our own films here too.
Agencies, production companies and brands book New York crews through us. For an agency’s one-day shoot in October 2025 we crewed a producer, an assistant producer, camera, sound, a gaffer, hair and make-up and stills around the director and DP the client flew in. We shoot our own films here too: Nevis × Focus, in a library on the Upper East Side, and the multi-camera fireside chat for AlTi Tiedemann Global and Nevis in a Chelsea loft. If you need the film made as well as shot, that’s our video production in New York.
Day rates, paid in full
Every crew member is paid their full day rate. Our booking fee goes on your side of the quote, not theirs, with payroll and insurance at cost.
One operator or a full unit
A single camera operator, a two-person interview crew, or the whole unit, from a boardroom in Midtown to a loft in Chelsea.
Employed and insured
Every crew member is employed for the job, on payroll, with New York workers’ compensation and certificates of insurance for your location.
Briefs read within 2 working hours
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours, then comes back with names and the full price, line by line.
Book a crew in New York.
Tell us the date, the borough or the address, and who you need. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Quick contact form
What are you looking for?
Anything from one camera operator for a day to a campaign shot in four countries. Pick the one that fits and we’ll take you to it.
Crew only
You run the shoot; we supply the people. Camera operators, DPs, sound mixers and gaffers, each paid their full day rate.
Shooting from abroad
Flying in from the UK or Europe? Your contract is with us, the quote is in dollars, and every crew member is employed locally for the job.
Crew & production support
Crew plus the work around them: locations, the Mayor’s Office permit, certificates of insurance, kit and transport. We act as your fixer or production service company in New York.
Creative video production
You want the film made as well as shot. We’re a video production company first, working with you from the first idea and the concept through to delivery.
Global production
Several cities or several countries, run as one production. We produced Cohere’s AI for Empowerment campaign on 35mm in Canada, Norway, the UK, and Portugal.
The crew
Every role on a New York shoot. Twenty-four of them, each with its own page.
From the director and producer who run the day to the editor who cuts it. Every role has a page: what they do, a New York day with them, what the day rate covers, how it sits against union scale, and how to book them. Book one person, or the whole call sheet on one quote.
Production 06 Camera 07 Data and playback 02 Lighting and grip 03 Sound 01 Hair, make-up and costume 02 Art department 02 Post-production 01
06 roles
Production
Run the day, the schedule and the people.
- Director From $1,500
- Producer From $750
- Production manager $650
- 2nd AD $600
- Production assistant $250
- Runner $250
07 roles
Camera
Light it, frame it, focus it, fly it.
- DP From $1,200
- Camera operator $750
- 1st AC $700
- 2nd AC $550
- Steadicam operator From $1,500
- Gimbal operator $750
- Drone operator From $1,000
02 roles
Data and playback
Keep the pictures safe, and on every monitor.
- DIT $750
- Video playback $650
03 roles
Lighting and grip
Light the set, power it, move the camera.
02 roles
Hair, make-up and costume
Everyone on camera looking right, all day.
- Hair and make-up $650
- Costume $700
02 roles
Art department
Everything in the frame that isn’t a person or a light.
- Art director $750
- Set builders $550
Not sure who you need? Send the brief and we’ll build the crew, every role on its own line of the quote.
We also crew script supervisors, teleprompter operators and stills photographers. How our rates work · Photos: Here Now Films, hessam nabavi and Mark Cruz
Rates and set-ups
Crew rates in New York.Our rate, union scale, and what goes on top.
We set every role against union scale: the IATSE and AICP Northeast Corridor rates from 1 October 2026, with DGA and USA 829 scale where they apply. Each role’s page sets our day rate against it, and that rate goes to the crew member in full. Our crews are non-union by default; if your job needs a union crew, we quote it at scale, fringes on top. On top of the day rates go our 10% booking fee, on everything we book for you, kit included, and payroll and insurance at cost, on their own line. Every quote is in US dollars. If we take the production on, it’s quoted as a production instead.
Two ways to book
One question sets the price: who’s the producer of record?
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% booking fee, on everything we book for you: crew, kit and travel. Payroll and insurance at cost, on their own line.
We do
- Find, book and brief the New York crew
- Every crew member employed for the job: payroll, workers’ compensation and COIs
- Book kit, vans and travel too, if you want them
- Send the full price, in dollars, before anything is booked
- One person to call all day
You do
- Run the shoot, or your producer does
- The plan, the schedule and the call sheet
- The location, its COI and any Mayor’s Office permit
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote, at cost: payroll for each crew member, the insurance they need for the job, New York workers’ compensation included, and the certificates of insurance your location asks for.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
From $20,000 for a New York production; most land between that and $75,000. One quote, in dollars, every line shown.
We do
- Our producer plans it with you and runs the job
- Locations, permits, kit, studio and travel, booked in the production’s name
- The production’s insurance, the COIs and the Mayor’s Office permit
- One quote and one contract with us, wherever you’re based
You do
- The creative calls
- Signing off the plan and the budget
The production’s insurance, the crew’s payroll and any permits are lines in the quote, so you see each one before you sign.
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. Quotes in US dollars: 50% when you book, 50% on the final rushes.
Worked example. Crew hire: a DP and a sound mixer for one 10-hour day $2,255
| DP, day rate | $1,200 |
| Sound mixer, day rate | $850 |
| Booking fee, 10% | $205 |
| Payroll and insurance | At cost, on its own line |
| Kit | Their own, or hired in, plus the same 10% |
| Total, before payroll, insurance and kit | $2,255 |
Every day rate is for a 10-hour day, plus a meal break, with overtime agreed with you before it happens. Union scale is the IATSE and AICP Northeast Corridor rates from 1 October 2026. Each role’s rate is in the crew above, and set against scale on its own page.
In New York, Here Now Films books its crews through established New York production companies, so every crew member is employed, on payroll and fully insured for the job.
Common set-ups
Four common crews, priced live for one 10-hour day. The crew total includes our booking fee; payroll and insurance go on the quote at cost. Each piece of kit is its own line, plus the same 10%. Permits, parking and travel are their own lines too.
Interview crew Interviews, testimonials and leadership films Crew from $2,255
Kit
- Cinema camera body with tripod and accessories, such as a RED Komodo from $450 a day
- Lighting package $1,000–$1,500 a day
Plus the same 10% booking fee. Sound kit, permits, parking and travel are their own lines.
Multi-camera fireside or Q&A room Two or three speakers, several cameras, one room Crew from $4,730
Crew
$4,730 with our booking fee, before payroll and insurance.
Kit
- Two or three cinema camera bodies with tripods and accessories from $450 a day each
- Lighting package $1,000–$1,500 a day
Plus the same 10% booking fee. Sound kit, permits, parking and travel are their own lines.
A local unit for a visiting director Your director flies in; we crew the rest Crew from $4,950
Crew
$4,950 with our booking fee, before payroll and insurance.
Kit
- ARRI Alexa Mini LF package about $2,000 a day
- Lighting package $1,000–$1,500 a day
Plus the same 10% booking fee. Sound kit, permits, parking and travel are their own lines.
A unit around your DP You bring the DP, or the director and DP; we crew the rest Crew from $4,345
Crew
$4,345 with our booking fee, before payroll and insurance.
Kit
- Lighting package $1,000–$1,500 a day
- Camera package, if you need one: ARRI Alexa Mini LF about $2,000 a day
Plus the same 10% booking fee. Sound kit, permits, parking and travel are their own lines.
Something else?
Any role, any size. Send the brief and we’ll come back with names and the full price, line by line.
Permits and logistics
Everything around the crew.Permits, buildings, kit and the rest.
Most New York bookings need more than people. We sort these with the crew, and each one gets its own line on the quote. If you’d rather sort them yourself, here’s how they work in the city.
01
The Mayor’s Office permit
No permit for a hand-held camera or a tripod, with no exclusive use of the street and no parked production vehicles. Beyond that, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment issues the permit: $500 for each 14-day period, with at least $1,000,000 of general liability naming the City of New York (checked October 2026). The Film Office processes most permits 48 to 72 business hours before the shoot, and Times Square needs seven business days.
02
Parks
A park is a bigger ask: a Parks film shoot request first, with at least five business days for the park manager, then the Mayor’s Office permit. Some of the best-known parks and plazas have their own managers and their own rules.
03
Drones
Since July 2023 the NYPD has permitted drone take-off and landing in the city. The application goes in at least 30 days ahead; the fee is $150, the pilot holds the FAA’s Part 107 certificate, and the insurance is $2,000,000 per occurrence and $4,000,000 aggregate, naming the City (checked October 2026). Take-off happens only from sites the Department of Transportation designates.
04
Buildings and COIs
Offices and lofts set their own rules. A Midtown building wants the crew names, the kit list and a certificate of insurance naming the building, often at high limits, before it books the freight elevator and the loading dock. We send the crew’s COIs with the booking.
05
Kit rental
Most New York DPs and camera operators bring their own kit, on its own line at a day rate. On our jobs here a RED Komodo body came in at $450 a day with tripods and accessories, an ARRI Alexa Mini LF package at about $2,000 a day, and lighting packages at $1,000–$1,500 a day. A rental house can ask for a credit application and a COI, so allow time for the paperwork.
06
Getting around
Most crew travel by subway; kit moves by cargo van, which parks on the street only with a permit. Travel outside the five boroughs, and any cars or vans, go on the quote at cost.
One quote covers the lot, line by line. Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
How it works
How a booking works
You send one brief. We come back with names, the full price and the notice your location needs, before anything is booked.
100%
of each crew member’s day rate goes to them. Our booking fee sits on your side of the quote, with payroll and insurance at cost.
Send the brief
Date, the borough or the address, who you need, any kit.
We send names
Who’s free, the full price in dollars, line by line, and the permits the date needs.
Confirm
Book the crew. We take 50% when you book, and the other 50% when you receive the final rushes.
Call sheet
Times, address, the nearest subway, parking, and contacts.
Shoot
One person at our end answers all day.
Who books us
From global shoots to single crew, one day.
Four kinds of client book New York crews through us. They all get a crew employed and insured for the job, one quote in dollars, and one person at our end who answers all day.
- AgenciesWhite-label. The crew turn up as your crew, under your name. For an agency’s one-day shoot in October 2025 we crewed the whole unit around the director and DP they flew in.
- UK and European teamsOne contract with us, a quote in dollars, and a New York crew employed locally. How that works.
- Brands and in-house teamsInterviews in your own office, with every crew name, the kit list and the COI sent ahead for the building. For AlTi Tiedemann Global and Nevis we’ve filmed leadership interviews, a multi-camera fireside chat and an announcement film here.
- One person, one dayA normal booking for us. There’s no minimum crew.
Whichever you are, it starts the same way: send us the brief
From abroad
Shooting in New York from abroad.One contract, with us.
Flying in from the UK or Europe? Your contract is with us: one quote, in dollars, and one invoice. Every crew member is employed and insured locally for the job, and the permits and certificates are booked before you land.
New York, and the US teams we crew for
New York
Upper East Side
Nevis × Focus · An announcement film, September 2026: three interviews, then a three-way conversation on five cameras, in one afternoon.
New York
Chelsea
AlTi × Nevis · A multi-camera fireside chat in a daylight loft, April 2026, with a camera operator added on the day.
New York
Union Square
AlTi Tiedemann Global · Leadership and advisor interviews for The Purpose of Wealth, October 2025.
New York
The UK
NYT Studios · A pilot for The Athletic: a producer, two camera operators and a sound recordist.
The US
The UK
A US production company · The UK crew for a sportswear brand’s studio day, January 2025, the day after its New York shoot.
Oregon
The UK
Swanson Studios · Three shoot days in the UK for Intuitive, with crew, kit, vans and hotels.
Two ways to work with us
Crew hire
Your producer runs the shoot.
We find, book and brief the New York crew, and send the full price in dollars before anything is booked. Day rates plus our 10% booking fee, with payroll and insurance at cost.
Best if your own producer will be on set.
Full production
Our producer runs the shoot.
We organise the crew, the Mayor’s Office permit, locations, kit and transport. Your director keeps the creative decisions. Quoted as a production, in dollars: New York productions start at $20,000.
Best if you’re flying in without a US producer.
Insurance
What the crew carry, and what New York asks for.
100%
of the crew employed and insured for the job: payroll, New York workers’ compensation, and certificates of insurance on request.
$1M
General liability naming the City of New York, the minimum for a Mayor’s Office permit (checked October 2026). On a crew hire, that certificate is yours; on a full production, the production carries it.
Arriving
NYC
Three airports
JFK: the AirTrain, then the subway or the LIRR.
Newark: the AirTrain, then NJ Transit or Amtrak to Penn Station.
LaGuardia: the free Q70 bus to the subway.
Before you fly
Visas
Working on a shoot can need a visa, even for a short trip, and the rules turn on what each person does. Check with your immigration adviser before you book flights.
Buildings and COIs
Locations want crew names, the kit list and a certificate of insurance naming them before the day. We send the crew’s with the booking.
Your kit
Bring it in on an ATA Carnet for temporary import into the US, or we hire it here, on its own line: a cinema camera body with tripod runs from $450 a day.
Time zones
New York is five hours behind the UK and six behind most of Europe for most of the year. We set calls, check-ins and rushes deliveries around your day.
Watching from home
Video playback can stream the monitors to wherever you are, so your team can watch the takes live from the other side of the Atlantic.
Fixer, service company or crew hire?
They overlap. Here’s what each means, and what we do in New York.
You run the shoot; we supply the people at their full day rate, plus our booking fee, with payroll and insurance at cost.
A local who makes the shoot possible: the Mayor’s Office permit, the building’s COI, locations, crew and the problems on the day. We’ll put a New York producer on it, from $750 a day.
Delivers a whole shoot for a production based elsewhere: crew, kit, permits, insurance, payroll and transport. In New York we quote it as a production, in dollars, with the crew employed locally. Shooting in New York from abroad
Runs the schedule, the budget and the bookings. Production managers in New York
Finds the places, recces them and gets the agreements signed, from a building’s managing agent to a Parks film shoot request. Filming permits in New York
What clients say
Creative video production
Need more than a crew?
We’re a video production company first. We work with our clients from the first idea and the concept through the shoot and the edit to delivery: 500+ films since 2016.
Video production in New York
Brand films, corporate films and fireside chats. Six productions for AlTi Tiedemann Global, two of them in New York.
Post-production
Edit, grade and sound by our own team. All in-house, baby.
Corporate video production in New York
Leadership films, fireside chats and Q&As for finance and technology firms.
Global production
Several countries, one production team.
When a shoot crosses cities or borders, one booking covers the whole schedule. We crew and produce in New York and across the UK, and work with local service companies elsewhere, as we did in Norway and Portugal for Cohere.
AlTi Tiedemann Global · New York and London
Two cities, one brand film
The Purpose of Wealth: senior leadership and advisors filmed in New York and London, cut into one flagship film by our own post team.
Cohere · Canada, Norway, the UK, Portugal
Four countries on 35mm
AI for Empowerment: one principal photography day in each country, local service companies in Norway and Portugal, and one grade across every asset.
GMR Marketing · Paris
Five weeks in Paris
Crew and kit at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Flying in to shoot in New York? Here’s how that works. Shooting in the UK or Europe as well? Film crew hire across the UK, or send the cities and dates.
Hiring a film crew in New York: questions
How much does it cost to hire a film crew in New York?
You pay each crew member’s day rate, which goes to them in full, plus our 10% booking fee on everything we book, kit included. Payroll and insurance go on the quote at cost, on their own line. A DP and a sound mixer for a 10-hour day come to $2,255 with our fee, before payroll, insurance and kit. Quotes are in US dollars: 50% when you book, 50% on the final rushes. If we’re the producer of record, it’s quoted as a production instead, and New York productions start at $20,000.
What’s the difference between crew hire and a full production?
Who’s the producer of record. With crew hire, you or your producer run the shoot and carry the production: we find, book and brief the New York crew, and book kit or travel if you want it, for our 10% booking fee, with payroll and insurance at cost. With a full production, we take it on: our producer plans and runs it, and we book the crew, kit, locations, the Mayor’s Office permit and travel in the production’s name, on one contract. That’s quoted as a production, in dollars.
Who employs the crew, and are they insured?
Every crew member we book in New York is employed for the job and fully insured: payroll, New York workers’ compensation, and certificates of insurance for your location or permit. Payroll and insurance show as their own line on the quote, at cost. On a crew hire, the location, its COI and the permit stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production.
Are your New York crews union or non-union?
Non-union by default, on corporate, branded and documentary work. If your production is signatory to a union agreement, or you need union crew for a commercial, we quote at scale: the IATSE/AICP commercial agreement for camera and make-up, Local 52 for grip, electric and sound, USA 829 for the art department, and the DGA for directors and ADs. Scale is wages only: fringes and payroll go on top.
Do we need a film permit in New York?
Not if the crew is hand-held or on a tripod, takes no exclusive use of a street or park, and parks no production vehicles. Equipment beyond that, parked production vehicles or exclusive use need a permit from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment: $500 for each 14-day period, with at least $1,000,000 of general liability naming the City of New York (checked October 2026). The Film Office processes most permits 48 to 72 business hours before the shoot. More in filming permits in New York.
How far ahead should I book a crew in New York?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours and comes back with names and the full price. Our latest New York shoot, Nevis × Focus, was filmed twelve days after the first email. What usually sets the date is the City: the Film Office processes most permits 48 to 72 business hours before the shoot, Times Square needs seven business days, a park at least five, and an NYPD drone permit 30 days (checked October 2026).
Can you fly a drone in New York?
Yes, under an NYPD permit, which has allowed drone take-off and landing in the city since July 2023. The application goes in at least 30 days ahead, or 14 if the operator held a permit in the previous 180 days. The fee is $150, the pilot holds the FAA’s Part 107 certificate, and the insurance is $2,000,000 per occurrence and $4,000,000 aggregate, naming the City (checked October 2026). Take-off and landing happen only from sites the Department of Transportation designates. More on drone operators in New York.
We’re a UK or European team. Can you crew our New York shoot?
Yes. Your contract is with us: one quote, in dollars, and one invoice, with every crew member employed and insured locally for the job. Bring your kit in on an ATA Carnet, or we hire it here. If you’d rather one company carried the whole job, we become the producer of record and quote it as a production. Working on a shoot can need a visa, so check with your immigration adviser before you travel. More in shooting in New York from abroad.
Do New York crews bring their own kit?
Most DPs and camera operators can: a Sony FX6 or FX9 or a RED Komodo, with lenses, a tripod and often a small LED kit, on its own line at a day rate. On our New York jobs a crew’s own RED Komodo came in at $450 a day with tripods and accessories, an ARRI Alexa Mini LF package at about $2,000 a day, and lighting packages at $1,000–$1,500 a day. Kit we hire in for you takes the same 10% booking fee.