Film crew hire/New York/Steadicam
Hire a Steadicam operator in New York. Through the lobby and into the elevator, in one take.
Steadicam operators for commercials, brand films, music videos and events across New York. They fly a full-size cinema camera through Midtown lobbies, brownstone hallways and Brooklyn warehouses, once the building, and on the street the Mayor’s Office, has said yes. From $1,500 a day, paid to the operator in full, with their rig on its own line.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
- 10 hrs a New York crew day, plus a meal break
- 500+ productions, filmed in sixteen countries
Photos: Here Now Films, Benjamin Wedemeyer and Jakob Owens
The role
What a Steadicam operator does on your shoot
A Steadicam operator flies the camera on a stabilised rig: a vest, an articulated arm and a sled that balances the camera. It lets the shot follow people through doors, up stairs and across rooms, smoothly, at walking pace or faster, with a full-size cinema camera on it.
Steadicam is a brand name that became the name of the job. Operators own their rigs, built and tuned for their own bodies, so the operator and the rig come as a pair.
Tell us which rental house is building the camera, and the operator plans the rig for its weight. In New York that’s usually one of the rental houses in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island City, and the operator often joins the 1st AC at prep to balance it there.
- One take, no cut. Through the revolving door, across the lobby and into the elevator.
- A heavy camera, flown. An ARRI Alexa Mini LF with cine lenses, which a hand-held gimbal can’t carry for long.
- Rehearsed with the cast. The move walked, timed and marked, so the actors and the camera hit the same spot.
- Focus by wireless. With a 1st AC on a monitor, the operator only has to frame.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- A 10-hour day, plus a meal break
- Operating the camera on the rig, every take
- Balancing and setting up the rig for your camera
- Rehearsing the moves with the director and cast
- Rest between long takes, planned into the day
- Their own vest, arm and sled
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee, on the whole quote
- Payroll and insurance for the job, at cost
- The rig and its accessories, quoted with the operator
- A 1st AC, for lenses wide open
- Travel outside the five boroughs, and any cars or vans, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in New York.
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 Steadicam operator for your own New York shoot, or have us take the production on, the permit and the building included.
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.
On the day
A day with a Steadicam operator, call to wrap
A brand film in an office tower in Midtown: a walk-and-talk across the floor, then one take from the sidewalk to the boardroom, on a film permit. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Security and the dock Crew names, the kit list and the COI checked by building security. The van unloads at the dock and parks where the permit allows.
- 08:00 Build and balance The camera stripped down for the sled, balanced and tuned. Wireless focus and video transmitter paired.
- 09:00 Walk the route The move rehearsed with the director: revolving door, security turnstiles, elevator, last mark.
- 09:45 Walk-and-talk Two people talking as they cross the floor, the operator walking backwards ahead of them, a grip guiding by the shoulder.
- 12:30 Meal break Out of the vest. Long takes on Steadicam are hard work, and the schedule allows for it.
- 13:30 The one take From the sidewalk, on the permit, through the revolving door and up to the boardroom. Nine takes, the last one clean.
- 17:30 Wrap Rig down, camera rebuilt for sticks, takes logged, the van loaded at the dock.
Which rig
Steadicam, gimbal or something else?
Stabilised shots come from several kinds of rig. In New York the location often decides which.
Steadicam Heavy cinema cameras, long takes From $1,500 a day + rig
A vest, arm and sled carrying a full cinema camera. Smooth and organic, and good for long, complex moves.
Best for commercials, drama, music videos and one-take sequences in studios and big buildings.
Hand-held gimbal Light and fast From $750 a day
A DJI Ronin, RS or similar, carried by one person: quicker, cheaper and smaller on a crowded sidewalk. See gimbal operators in New York.
Best for walk-and-talks, events and social content.
Ronin 4D Camera and stabiliser in one Quoted on the brief
A full-frame camera with stabilisation built in, operated by one person. Many Steadicam operators own one.
Best for documentary and run-and-gun days that still need to glide.
Dolly and track Precise, repeatable moves See grips
A dolly on track, pushed by a grip. The same move every take.
Best for slow, controlled moves on a flat floor. On a sidewalk, track is more than hand-held kit, so it needs a permit.
What it’s for
What people book Steadicam for in New York
Commercials in studios
The hero move on a cyc or a built set in Long Island City or Brooklyn, often to playback.
Brand films in big buildings
One take from the sidewalk through a Midtown lobby, or across a trading floor Downtown.
Music videos
Long takes round the artist, in warehouses and clubs in Brooklyn and Queens.
Events and launches
Moving through the guests with a heavier camera than a gimbal carries, in hotel ballrooms and gallery spaces in Chelsea.
Overseas productions
Agencies who fly in a director and need a New York operator with a rig. See filming in New York from abroad.
Recent work
Stabilised shots, and how we crew them in New York
How we crew it · New York
Steadicam through a Midtown lobby
The building says yes first: crew names and the kit list to security, a dock slot, a freight elevator, and a COI naming the building at whatever limit it asks for. If the shot starts on the sidewalk with a full camera team behind the operator, plan on a film permit from the Mayor’s Office, processed 48 to 72 business hours ahead. On a full production we apply; on a crew hire we tell you who to ask, and when.
How we crew it · New York
Steadicam in a New York park
Standing in a City park with a hand-held camera isn’t a permit activity. A Steadicam with a camera team 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. Central Park, Prospect Park, Bryant Park, the High Line and Brooklyn Bridge Park run their own processes through their conservancies, so that’s where we start.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 10 hours, plus a meal break.
- Any overtime is agreed with you before it happens.
- Rest between long takes is planned into the schedule.
The rig and the building
- The operator brings their own vest, arm and sled, priced on its own line.
- Tell us the camera, lenses and rental house, so the rig is built for the weight.
- Midtown buildings want crew names, the kit list and a COI before the day. We send them.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the operator.
- 50% when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, payroll and insurance, kit, travel.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
Employment and insurance
- Every Steadicam operator we book is employed for the job, on payroll, with New York workers’ compensation.
- Certificates of insurance (COIs) for your location or permit, naming whoever needs naming, on request.
- On a crew hire the location, its COI, the permit and your own general liability stay with you. When we’re the producer of record, the production carries them.
- 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.
From $1,500 a day
No published union scale for Steadicam in New York: operators set their own rate, with the rig on top.
| Operator, 10 hours | $1,500 |
| Booking fee, 10% | $150 |
| Rig | Quoted with the operator |
| One day, before payroll, the rig and travel | $1,650 |
Every Steadicam operator we book in New York is employed and insured for the job. Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote. What that covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the operator.
- Every crew member employed and insured for the job
- 50% at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a Steadicam operator in New York.
Tell us the date, the camera and lenses, the move you have in mind, and where in New York it happens. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in New York, booked the same way
One brief, one quote in dollars, every role on its own line. Our day rates in New York, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From $1,500
- Producer From $750
- Production manager $650
- 2nd AD $600
- Production assistant $250
- Runner $250
Camera 07
- DP From $1,200
- Camera operator $750
- 1st AC $700
- 2nd AC $550
- Steadicam operator This page From $1,500
- Gimbal operator $750
- Drone operator From $1,000
Data and playback 02
- DIT $750
- Video playback $650
Sound 01
- Sound mixer $850
Hair, make-up and costume 02
- Hair and make-up $650
- Costume $700
Art department 02
- Art director $750
- Set builders $550
Post-production 01
- Editor From $600
How our rates work: crew rates in New York. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in New York.
Questions
Hiring Steadicam in New York: questions
How much does a Steadicam operator cost in New York?
Our Steadicam operators in New York start at $1,500 for a 10-hour day, and the operator is paid all of it, with their rig on its own line. There’s no published union scale for Steadicam in New York. On top goes our 10% booking fee, so the operator’s day comes to $1,650, before payroll and insurance (at cost, on the quote), the rig and travel.
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.
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.
Can we use Steadicam in a New York park?
Yes, with the park’s agreement first. Start with a Parks film shoot request, allowing at least five business days for the park manager, then the permit from the Mayor’s Office. Central Park, Prospect Park, Bryant Park, the High Line, Hudson River Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Madison Square Park run their own processes through their conservancies, so the conversation starts there. A hand-held camera in a City park isn’t a permit activity; a Steadicam with a camera team is a bigger ask.
Steadicam or gimbal: which do I need?
Steadicam is the choice when the camera is heavy or the take is long; a gimbal is lighter, cheaper and quicker. A gimbal is fine for a mirrorless or compact cinema camera on a busy sidewalk. Steadicam carries a full-size cinema camera, holds long takes better and moves more naturally. For a commercial or a one-take sequence through a building, book Steadicam.
Can Steadicam work in a Midtown office building?
Yes, once the building agrees, and the building usually sets the terms. Send crew names and the kit list to security, book the loading dock and a freight elevator, and supply a certificate of insurance naming the building, often at high limits. Ask for the requirement before you lock the date: on one of our New York jobs, an umbrella policy for a higher limit cost about $2,000 per million (checked October 2026). Revolving doors and turnstiles are rehearsed with security before the first take.
How far ahead should I book Steadicam in New York?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. There are fewer Steadicam operators than camera operators, so tell us the date early. The location usually sets it: a film permit is processed 48 to 72 business hours before the shoot, Times Square takes seven business days, a park needs at least five business days for its own request, and a Midtown building wants its COI and kit list before it books the elevator.