Film crew hire/Oxford/Film equipment hire in Oxford
Film equipment hire in Oxford
This guide is our summary for planning a shoot. It isn’t the official source. Always check fees, notice periods and rules with the people named on this page before you film. On an Oxford shoot, most of the kit comes with the crew who use it, on its own line of the quote. Bigger camera and lighting packages come from kit houses in London. This guide covers wet and dry hire, the kit for the set-ups we run most, what a first hire asks of you and how kit gets to an Oxford set.
Booking fee on hired kit
10%
Insurance on hired kit
2%
Fastest train from Paddington
52 minutes
Zero Emission Zone · Euro 6 diesel van
£4 a day
On this page
01 Wet hire or dry hire
Wet hire and dry hire for an Oxford shoot
Dry hire means you rent the kit and run it yourself. Wet hire means it comes with the person who operates it. Most shoots we crew use a mix of the two.
Dry hire
From a London kit house
Who owns it
A kit house in London. Bigger camera and lighting packages for an Oxford shoot come from there
How it’s priced
A day rate for each item, plus VAT. Ask for a weekly rate when the job runs for several days. Houses often want your insurance to cover the kit at its full replacement value
Getting it there
Collected in London the day before and driven to Oxford, or delivered to the location for a fee
Who knows it best
Whoever operates it, if they’ve used that model before
Best for
A specific camera, cine primes or anamorphics, HMIs, a dolly or a tracking vehicle
Wet hire
With the crew’s kit
Who owns it
The DOP, camera operator, sound recordist or gaffer you’re booking
How it’s priced
A kit fee on its own line of the quote, apart from the day rate. Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance go on it, as on everything we book
Getting it there
It arrives with the operator at call time, prepped and charged
Who knows it best
The person who owns it, maintains it and uses it every week
Best for
Interview and conference days in college halls, at the Oxford Science Park or at Harwell Campus, with FX6s, radio mics, LED panels and a gaffer’s van
How we book it
For AlTi Tiedemann Global’s fireside chat at Many Rooms in Battersea, London, in March 2026, we booked a DOP, sound and a gaffer with their van, with the kit on its own line. For GMR Marketing’s 34 days at Team USA House in Paris, two camera operators ran their own Sony FX6s and travelled with the kit by van. On an interview day, wet hire is often the better deal. The kit is already paid for, prepped and insured by the person who owns it, and nobody spends the afternoon before collecting it. When a crew member comes from London, their kit travels with them, and the travel goes on the quote. Dry hire is the better choice when the job needs something specific, and then the crew run what we hire. Either way, kit sits on its own line of the quote.
02 By department
What the crew bring, and what comes from London
What the crew we book usually bring, what we hire in from London kit houses, and what we’d usually use on a brand or corporate shoot.
Cameras
Many of the DOPs and camera operators we book own a Sony FX6 or FX9, which goes on the quote as its own line. An ARRI Alexa, a RED or a 35mm or 16mm film camera comes from a London kit house.
Lenses
Cine primes, zooms and anamorphic lenses come from a London kit house with the camera. The camera crew check them there before the shoot.
Lighting
HMIs, big LED panels and the lights for a large set come from a London kit house. The gaffer usually comes from London with them.
Grip
Sliders, stands, flags and frames often come in the grip’s own kit. A dolly and track, a crane or a tracking vehicle comes from a London kit house.
Sound
College halls and chapels echo, so the recordist listens to the room on the recce and can bring sound blankets to deaden it. Extra radio mics for a panel or a big cast come from a London kit house.
Power, playback and data
Monitors and wireless video come with the video playback operator or from a London kit house. Most interview kit runs on batteries, which keeps a street shoot simple. In a college or a lab, any mains power is agreed with the owner before the day.
03 Kit lists
Kit for the set-ups we run most
Our crew set-ups are on the Oxford crew page. This is the kit that usually goes with them. Each piece has its own line on every quote, whether it’s the crew’s own or hired in, with our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance on it.
Two-camera interview
The kit is two Sony FX6s, cine primes or fast zooms, two or three LEDs, radio mics, a shotgun mic and tripods. It’s the kit behind our low-footprint and premium interview set-ups. For WordAppeal’s International Women’s Day interviews in Wimbledon, London, in February 2025, a DOP and a camera operator shot on a Sony FX6 and an FX3, in 4K log.
The gaffer’s van
The gaffer brings LEDs, stands, flags, cable and distro in a van that comes to set with them. For AlTi Tiedemann Global’s fireside chat at Many Rooms in Battersea, London, in March 2026, we booked a gaffer with their van and a spark to rig to the gaffer’s plan, with every line itemised on the cost sheet. On an Oxford shoot, the gaffer and the van usually come from London.
Grip · tracking
Grip package or tracking vehicle
The grip brings dolly and track, sliders, stands, flags and frames for moving shots in an office or a hall, or a tracking vehicle for a car on the road. For an Oxford shoot, the grip package or the tracking vehicle usually comes from London with the grip.
A 35mm or 16mm package
Film is prepped at a London house by the camera crew who’ll run it. We shot Cohere’s AI for Empowerment on 35mm on an Arricam LT in four countries in 2026, the Lizard in Cornwall among them, with the behind-the-scenes on Sony FX6s and an FX3. On that clifftop no generators were allowed, so the unit ran on portable power stations. We wrote up what shooting on 35mm taught us.
04 Paperwork
What a kit house asks for on your first hire
Kit houses check new customers before anything leaves the building. These are the usual checks on a first hire.
- An account application. Houses often ask for trade references and proof of ID before your first hire.
- Payment in advance. A first hire is often paid in full before the kit goes out. A credit account usually comes later.
- Insurance. Most houses want proof that your policy covers hired-in kit at its full replacement value. Some add a damage waiver if you can’t show it.
- ID when you collect. Some houses ask for a driving licence or photo ID when you collect the kit.
Book kit through us and the house deals with us. We sort the paperwork and pay the hire. On a crew hire, the 2% insurance on the quote covers the kit we hire in for you, along with employers’ liability for the crew we book. A large rental may need extra insurance, which goes on the quote as its own line. There’s more in our guide to film equipment hire in the UK.
05 Delivery
Getting kit to your location
There are five ways kit gets to an Oxford set.
01
Collected
A crew member collects the kit from the London house the day before, inside its opening hours, and brings it to Oxford in the van or on the train.
02
Driven in
A kit van driven in Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone between 7am and 7pm pays a daily charge. The zone runs every day of the year. A Euro 6 diesel van pays £4 a day, an older diesel £10 and an electric van nothing. A van parked in the zone that doesn’t move isn’t charged. There’s more in our Oxford logistics guide.
03
Delivered
A London kit house can deliver to the location for a fee, which goes on the quote as its own line. We book the parking for the delivery with the rest of the shoot.
04
On the street
Kit on the street or the pavement goes on the filming application to Oxfordshire County Council. A small crew, usually up to 10 people, needs at least 15 working days’ notice, or 30 on Broad Street, Turl Street and the other listed streets in the centre. A road closure needs a Special Event Order, with at least 12 weeks’ notice. Colleges and University buildings need the owner’s permission. There’s more in filming locations and permits in Oxford.
05
By train from London
A camera and sound kit can travel with its crew on the train. The fastest trains take 52 minutes from Paddington, or about 1 hour 12 from Marylebone. A lighting package needs the van. Kit flying in from abroad comes on an ATA Carnet, and our guide explains how bringing film equipment into the UK works.
At the Bodleian Libraries
The Bodleian Libraries handle filming through their own filming and photography page. Crews normally film there before 8.30am or after closing, so plan the load-in and the kit for an early start or a late finish. Filming items from the collections needs at least 28 days’ notice, and large-scale filming at least 3 months.
Sources
We checked this in November 2026. Fees and rules change, and this page isn’t the official source. For the latest, check with Oxfordshire County Council (filming and the Zero Emission Zone), GWR, Chiltern Railways and the Bodleian Libraries.
Send us your kit list.
Paste it into the form with your dates and the location. We’ll price it both ways, as dry hire from a London kit house and with the crew’s own kit. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Quick contact form
06 Questions
Questions about film equipment hire in Oxford
How much does it cost to hire a camera in Oxford?
It depends on the kit list. The crew’s own kit goes on the quote at a day rate, as its own line. Kit we hire in from a London kit house goes on at the house’s rate. We add our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance to both, as we do on everything we book, and VAT on top. Send us the kit list and we’ll price it both ways.
What’s the difference between wet hire and dry hire?
Dry hire means you rent the kit and run it yourself, or your crew does. Wet hire means the kit comes with the person who owns and operates it, such as a DOP with their own camera or a gaffer with their van. Most shoots we crew use a mix of the two, and each piece of kit goes on the quote as its own line.
Where does the kit for an Oxford shoot come from?
Most of it comes with the crew. Many of the DOPs, camera operators, sound recordists and gaffers we book own their kit. Bigger camera and lighting packages, such as an ARRI Alexa, HMIs or a dolly and track, come from kit houses in London. The fastest trains take 52 minutes from Paddington. Check with GWR for the latest.
Do I need insurance to hire kit for an Oxford shoot?
Yes. A kit house will want proof that your policy covers hired-in kit at its full replacement value. If we hire the kit for you on a crew hire, our 2% insurance covers the kit we hire in, along with employers’ liability for the crew we book. A large rental may need extra insurance, which goes on the quote as its own line. Filming on the street needs its own cover too. Oxfordshire County Council asks for at least £10m public liability for filming on streets and pavements. Check with Oxfordshire County Council for the latest.
Does a kit van pay Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone charge?
It depends on the van. The zone covers the city centre from 7am to 7pm, every day of the year. A Euro 6 diesel van pays £4 a day, an older diesel £10 and an electric van nothing. A van parked in the zone that doesn’t move isn’t charged. Check with Oxfordshire County Council for the latest.
When can a crew film at the Bodleian?
Crews normally film at the Bodleian Libraries before 8.30am or after closing, so the kit goes in early or late. Small crews, up to 10 people, start from £500 an hour plus VAT, and large crews from £1,000 an hour plus VAT, depending on the crew, the kit and the times. Filming items from the collections needs at least 28 days’ notice, and large-scale filming at least 3 months. Check with the Bodleian Libraries for the latest.
Can I hire an ARRI Alexa for an Oxford shoot?
Yes. We hire it from a London kit house, and the camera crew check it there before they bring it to Oxford. It goes on the quote as its own line, with our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance.
Can kit come to Oxford on the train?
A camera and sound kit can travel with its crew. The fastest trains take 52 minutes from Paddington, or about 1 hour 12 from Marylebone. A lighting package needs a van. Check with GWR and Chiltern Railways for the latest.
Around the crew
More for Oxford shoots
02
Locations and permits
The county council for streets, the colleges and the University, the Bodleian and the drone rules.
03
Studios and set builds
Studios at Didcot and south of Reading for set builds, and college rooms hired by the day for interviews.
04
Props and wardrobe
Where props and costume come from, and the stylists and hair and make-up artists we book.
