Film crew hire/New York/Video playback
Hire a video playback operator in New York. Every take on every monitor, and back again in seconds.
Video playback operators for adverts, brand films and customer stories across New York, from Tribeca studios to Midtown boardrooms. They put the picture on every monitor that needs it, record and replay the takes, and stream the shoot to a client across town or across the Atlantic. From $650 a day, paid to the video playback operator in full.
- 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, Gordon Cowie, Christian Harb and Kyle Loftus
The role
What a video playback operator does on your shoot
A video playback operator, also called video assist or VTR, runs the pictures off the camera: wireless video to the director, the agency, the client and the 1st AC, a recording of every take, and instant replay so anyone can see what was just shot. On bigger jobs they run QTake, which logs, replays and streams every take with the look applied.
It keeps people away from the camera. The client watches from video village, the director compares takes side by side, and the camera team gets on with the next set-up without six people crowding the camera.
On a New York advert the people watching can include the agency, the brand’s own team down the hall, and a head office five hours ahead in Europe. Playback gives them all the same take at the same moment, and gives the producer a log of who chose what.
- Instant replay. Any take back on the monitor in seconds, logged by scene and take.
- One picture, many monitors. Director, agency, client and 1st AC, each on their own screen.
- Watch from anywhere. A secure stream, a few seconds behind the set, for people who can’t be in the room.
- Comps on set. Overlays, split screens and green-screen checks before the crew move on.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- A 10-hour day, plus a meal break
- Wireless video from every camera to every monitor that needs it
- Recording and logging every take
- Instant replay on request
- Setting up and running video village
- A remote stream, if the kit and the connection allow
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee, on the whole quote
- Payroll and insurance for the job, at cost
- The playback kit: QTake, monitors and transmitters, at a day rate
- Extra client monitors and stands, by the day
- A second operator, on big multi-camera days
- 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 playback for your own New York shoot, or have us take the production on, video village and all.
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 playback operator, call to wrap
An advert in a Tribeca studio, with the agency and the client at video village and the brand’s team in Europe watching the morning live from their afternoon. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Rig video village Monitors, chairs and a table for the agency and the client, off the floor but close enough to talk to the director.
- 07:45 Cameras in Transmitters on both cameras, receivers paired, the look applied to the feed.
- 08:30 Stream check The link tested with the team in Europe, picture and sound, before they join at 13:30 their time.
- 09:00 Rolling Every take recorded and logged by scene and take; the director’s circled takes marked.
- 11:00 Replay The client asks to see take 4 against take 7, side by side. Thirty seconds later, they can.
- 12:30 Meal break The team in Europe signs off for the day; the selects they’ll miss are logged for their morning.
- 17:30 Wrap The playback log and the selected takes handed to the producer and the editor, video village struck.
Which kind
Which playback do you need?
From a transmitter and one monitor to QTake with viewers on another continent.
Wireless monitoring A transmitter and a monitor or two Quoted on the brief
Wireless video from the camera to the director’s monitor, set up by the camera team.
Best for small crews where only the director needs to watch.
Video playback operator Monitors, recording and replay From $650 a day
A dedicated operator with monitors, recording and instant replay for everyone at video village.
Best for adverts and brand films with an agency or a client on set.
QTake Logging, replay, comps and streaming Quoted with the kit
The playback software most commercials run: every take logged and replayable, looks applied, rough comps and a secure stream for remote viewers.
Best for commercials, green screen and anything with VFX.
Remote viewing Watch from somewhere else Quoted on the brief
A secure stream of the camera feed to people who can’t be on set, a few seconds behind it.
Best for brand teams in Europe, on the West Coast, or in an office uptown.
What it’s for
What people book video playback for in New York
Adverts with the agency on set
Video village on a stage in Long Island City or a studio in Chelsea, with the client in the next chair.
Clients watching from abroad
A stream to Europe timed for their afternoon, or to the West Coast for their morning.
Green screen and VFX
A rough comp on set, so everyone knows the shot works before the crew strike it.
Customer stories in Midtown offices
The client’s comms team watching from a meeting room while the interview runs next door.
Fireside chats and panels
Several angles on one monitor wall, so the director can see the whole conversation.
Recent work
Playback on our crews, and who’s watching
How we crew it · New York
Video village in a Midtown tower
In a Midtown office, playback starts with building security: the crew names and the kit list sent ahead, a freight elevator booked for the monitors and stands, and a certificate of insurance naming the building. Video village goes in a meeting room next to the set, so the client can talk without ending up on the mic. For anyone watching remotely we ask the building for a wired line before the day, and test it.
How we crew it · Remote viewing
Watching New York from five hours ahead
For a brand team in Europe that can’t fly in, a secure stream lets them watch, comment and approve takes from their own office. New York is five hours behind the UK for most of the year, so the set-ups they need to see live go first: a 09:00 first take in Manhattan is 14:00 for them. We test the stream with them before they join, and log the selects for anything they miss.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 10 hours, plus a meal break.
- Any overtime is agreed with you before it happens.
- Video village is rigged before crew call, so it’s ready when the cameras are.
Kit and the stream
- The playback kit is on its own line: QTake, monitors and transmitters.
- On our New York jobs, client monitors ran about $300 a day (checked October 2026).
- For remote viewers the location needs a solid connection: in an office tower we ask for a wired line in advance, and test it.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the playback 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 playback 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.
$650 a day
Union rates quoted on request.
| Day rate, 10 hours | $650 |
| Booking fee, 10% | $65 |
| One day, before payroll, kit and travel | $715 |
Every playback 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 playback 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 video playback in New York.
Tell us how many cameras and monitors, who needs to watch, and from which city. 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 From $1,500
- Gimbal operator $750
- Drone operator From $1,000
Data and playback 02
- DIT $750
- Video playback This page $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
Video playback in New York: questions
How much does a video playback operator cost in New York?
Our video playback operators in New York start at $650 for a 10-hour day, and the operator is paid all of it. There’s no published union scale for the role. On top go our 10% booking fee, so one day comes to $715, before payroll and insurance (at cost, on the quote), the playback kit and travel. QTake, monitors and transmitters sit on their own line, so you can see what the kit costs against the person.
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.
Can our team in Europe watch the New York shoot live?
Yes, with a secure stream from the playback system, a few seconds behind the set. New York is five hours behind the UK for most of the year, four for a few weeks in March and around the end of October, so a 09:00 first take in Manhattan is 14:00 for a team in the UK. We agree which set-ups they need live, schedule those first, test the link with them before they join, and log the selects for anything they miss.
Can playback run in a Midtown office?
Yes, with notice to the building. Video village needs power, a room or a corner off set, and a way in for the kit: send building security the crew names and the kit list, book the freight elevator, and expect a certificate of insurance naming the building. If anyone is watching remotely, ask early for a wired connection, because office wifi rarely survives a stream and a dozen guests.
What is QTake, and do I need it?
QTake is the playback software most commercials run. It records and logs every take, replays them instantly, applies the look, makes rough comps over green screen and streams to remote viewers. If only the director is watching, a transmitter and a monitor from the camera team will do. If an agency or a client is on set, or watching from another office or another country, book an operator, and QTake when there’s VFX or a lot of takes to compare.
How far ahead should I book playback in New York?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. The playback operator is rarely what sets the date: the studio, the location and the agency’s diary usually do. For QTake and remote viewing, leave time before the shoot to test the kit and the stream with the people who’ll be watching.