Film crew hire/Oxford/Production manager
Hire a production manager in Oxford. A production manager books and organises everything around the shoot, and keeps it to budget.
People book a production manager in Oxford for college halls, labs at the Science Park and Harwell, and shoots on the street. They book the crew, kit, vans and hotels, chase the permits, parking and building passes, and keep the budget straight. Our production manager day rate starts at £504, and the production manager gets all of it.
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The role
What a production manager does on your shoot
A production manager (PM) runs the logistics of a production, working to the producer. They book crew and kit, sort travel, vans, hotels and catering, chase permits and insurance certificates, and track the spend against the budget. On the day, they’re the person who knows where everything is.
On a one-day shoot a producer usually does all of this. A PM earns their place on shoots that run for several days or move between locations. In Oxford that means Oxfordshire County Council’s permission for filming on the street, at least 15 working days ahead for a small crew, and each college’s own permission for its buildings. We book a production manager who lives in or near Oxford first. If nobody local is free, or the shoot needs more people, we bring crew from London. We add the travel to the quote before anything is booked.
- The PM books everything. Crew, kit, vans, hotels, catering and parking are all confirmed in writing.
- The PM keeps to the budget. They track the spend every day and raise any overspend before it happens.
- The PM keeps the paperwork in order. Risk assessments, insurance certificates, the county council’s permission and location agreements are all filed.
- The PM plans every move. Call times, routes, unit bases and parking all go on the call sheet.
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.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Booking crew, kit, vans and hotels
- The movement order and travel plan
- Spend tracked against the budget
- Permits, parking, passes and certificates, chased
- The production file, handed over at wrap
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Prep days before the shoot, which most jobs need
- A wrap day for returns and paperwork
- Permit fees, parking and any Zero Emission Zone charge, at cost
- Travel from London or outside Oxford, at cost
Read how our rates work and the two ways to book in crew rates in Oxford.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production
The price depends on who is the producer of record. That’s the company responsible for the shoot. You can book a PM for your own shoot, or ask us to run the whole production.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% + 2% booking fee and insurance on everything we book for you, including 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
- You’re the producer of record, so the production is your responsibility
The 2% covers employers’ liability for every crew member we book and the kit we hire in for you. It doesn’t cover anything else on the shoot. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, which goes on the quote as its own line.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
15% + 5% production fee, plus insurance and contingency, on the whole production budget. We quote it 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
The 5% pays for our production insurance across the whole shoot, including £10m public liability, and the contingency.
If your own producer or director will run the day, book crew hire. If you want us to run the production, ask for a full production quote.
On the day
An example day with a production manager
Day two of a three-day shoot, with an office at the Oxford Science Park in the morning and a college room hired by the day after lunch. The times are an example. The call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:30 Unit base The crew van is in the building’s loading bay. The PM opens the base and has breakfast in before anyone else arrives.
- 07:30 Crew call The PM hands out passes at security and gives out the radios. They brief the day’s changes with the producer.
- 09:00 Behind the scenes The PM confirms tomorrow’s kit collection and books a hotel near the station for a focus puller coming from London. They send a missing insurance certificate to the college.
- 12:00 The move The vans move to the college. The PM has told the porters’ lodge when to expect the unit and where to unload.
- 13:00 Lunch Lunch is at the college, on time. The PM briefs the drivers and runners for the afternoon.
- 15:00 The numbers The PM logs the day’s spend against the budget and agrees any overtime with the producer before it happens. Tomorrow’s street scene is a small crew on Turl Street, one of the listed streets in the centre, so Oxfordshire County Council had 30 working days’ notice. The van will park outside the Zero Emission Zone, so there’s no daily charge.
- 19:00 Wrap The kit is secured or returned, the timesheets are signed and tomorrow’s call sheet goes out.
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.
Types
Types of production role we book
The production office has several jobs that overlap. Each type below says what the job is and which briefs it suits.
Production manager Logistics, bookings and the budget Card £504–627
A production manager books and runs everything around the shoot, and keeps the costs to the budget, working to the producer.
Good for shoots that run over several days, locations or countries.
Production coordinator The office, the calls and the paperwork Quoted on the brief
A production coordinator works to the PM on the call sheets, bookings, travel, passes, contact lists and the production file.
Good for long shoots and series, where the office never stops.
Line producer Budget and schedule, start to finish Quoted on the brief
A line producer owns the budget and the schedule for the whole production, including prep and delivery, and reports against both.
Good for documentaries, series and productions that run for weeks.
Location manager Finds and runs the locations Quoted on the brief
A location manager finds the locations, negotiates them, gets permission from the owner, the college or Oxfordshire County Council, and runs them on the day. See filming permits in Oxford.
Good when the shoot moves between several locations, or has one difficult one, such as a college, a listed street in the centre or a venue with its own rules.
Producer Runs the day and the client From £450 a day
If someone needs to make the decisions on the day, book a producer. See producers in Oxford.
Good for one- and two-day shoots, where you don’t need a separate PM.
What it’s for
What people book a production manager for in Oxford
Founder films for spin-outs and biotech
Spin-outs and biotech companies work at the Oxford Science Park, Begbroke and Harwell Campus. When their films run over several days, a PM keeps the crew, kit, vans and hotels on track.
Brand films and adverts on the street
Adverts and brand films use Broad Street, the High and the Covered Market. Oxfordshire County Council handles filming on streets and pavements, so the PM puts its permission on the plan.
University and research films
Films with researchers and students can move between labs, lecture theatres and libraries in a day, and the PM plans each move. The University’s filming coordinator or the college comes first.
Conferences and events at college venues
Crews film the talks and record interviews between the sessions. Keble is one of the colleges that takes location filming. It’s a working college with residents all year, so the PM agrees the college’s own rules before the day.
Heritage locations out of town
Brand films go out to Blenheim Palace at Woodstock and the edge of the Cotswolds, with the owner’s permission.
Recent work
Production managers on our jobs, and how we crew Oxford
Crew hire and service production · City of London and Uxbridge · September 2025
Four days at two locations for a US production company
Four shoot days for a US production company filming a chip maker’s customer stories. Two were at a law firm on Cannon Street and two at offices in Uxbridge. The logistics were most of the job. The City location was reached through an underground car park off Dowgate Hill, with the kit unloaded straight into the lift. Uxbridge was recced at the end of August. Playback was booked late and ran all four days. When a Tube strike shut the Underground, the crew drove out to Uxbridge. A three-day kit deal and one van for the crew and the kit kept the job £498 under budget.
How we crew it · Oxford
Production managers who live locally, or come from London
We start with production managers who live in or near Oxford. If nobody local is free, or the shoot needs a PM who has worked with your producer before, we book one from London. The PM then books the crew round the shoot, starting with people who live locally. We add the travel to the quote before anything is booked.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- The day is 11 hours, including an hour for lunch.
- Overtime is paid at card rates, and we agree it with you before it happens.
- Prep and wrap days are quoted separately.
Parking and the charges
- Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone covers the city centre from 7am to 7pm, every day. A Euro 6 diesel van pays £4 a day, an older diesel £10 and an electric van nothing. A vehicle parked in the zone that doesn’t move isn’t charged. The penalty is £60, or £30 if it’s paid within 14 days.
- For crew vans, Redbridge Park and Ride has a high-sided area. Oxford Parkway and Thornhill have a 2.1 m height limit, and Oxford Parkway also has a high-sided section open 24 hours.
- Each charge goes on the quote at cost, as its own line. 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, on the Zero Emission Zone and Park and Ride.
Paying and changes
- You pay nothing until you confirm the production manager.
- We take 50% by card when you book and 50% when you receive the final rushes.
- The quote shows every line, including the day rate, booking fee, kit and travel.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
What our insurance covers
- Our insurance covers employers’ liability for the production manager we book, up to £10m.
- Kit we hire in for you is insured. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
- On a crew hire, it doesn’t cover anything else. Public liability, the location and your own kit stay with you, and your venue will want to see your certificate. When we’re the producer of record, our policy covers the shoot.
£504 a day
APA/Bectu card benchmark: £504–627 a day.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £504 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £50.40 |
| Insurance, 2% | £10.08 |
| One day, before travel | £564.48 + VAT |
The 2% covers employers’ liability for the production manager we book and the kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the production manager.
- 50% by card at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
- Every line on the quote before anything is booked
Or call us on 07412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
These reviews come from our Google Business Profile.
Book a production manager in Oxford.
Tell us the dates, the locations and what needs booking. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every crew role we book in Oxford
Send one brief and we send one quote, with every role on its own line. These are our day rates in Oxford, and each crew member gets their full rate:
Production 06
- Director From £500
- Producer From £450
- Production manager This page £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
See how our rates work in crew rates in Oxford, or start from one of our crew set-ups in Oxford.
Production support
Everything around the crew
A PM sorts everything around the crew, including the parking, the permits and the studio. If you want us to book them, each goes on its own line of the quote.
01
Kit rental
Where to hire camera, lighting and sound kit for an Oxford shoot, and when the crew bring their own.
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.
Questions
Questions about hiring a production manager in Oxford
How much does a production manager cost in Oxford?
The APA/Bectu card puts a production manager at £504–627 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, and the PM gets all of it. We add our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £564.48 + VAT. Most shoots need prep days too, which are quoted separately. Permit fees, parking and any Zero Emission Zone charge go on at cost.
What does the insurance on a crew booking cover?
It covers two things. The first is employers’ liability for every crew member we book, up to £10m. The second is the kit we hire in for you. That’s what the 2% pays for. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, which goes on the quote as its own line. On a crew hire, you’re the producer of record, so public liability, the location, your own kit and anything you book yourself stay with you. If you want us to be the producer of record, we quote it as a full production, and our insurance covers the whole shoot.
What does a production manager do?
A PM runs the logistics. They book the crew, kit, travel, hotels and catering, chase permits and certificates, plan the movement order and track the spend against the budget. They work to the producer, who makes the creative and client calls.
Do I need a production manager or a producer?
For a one- or two-day shoot, a producer can do both jobs. Book a PM as well when the shoot runs for several days, moves between locations, or has a building, the county council and a college all wanting paperwork.
Can a production manager sort permits and parking in Oxford?
Yes. Oxfordshire County Council handles filming on streets and pavements in Oxford and the county. A small crew needs at least 15 working days’ notice, or 30 on listed streets in the centre. The daily fee is £150 plus VAT for one to four crew and £200 plus VAT for five to ten, or £300 and £400 plus VAT on premium streets such as Broad Street. The full cost is due if you cancel after the licence is granted. For crew vans, Redbridge Park and Ride has a high-sided area. See shoot logistics in Oxford. Check with Oxfordshire County Council for the latest.
Does a crew van pay Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone charge?
It can. 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 vehicle parked in the zone that doesn’t move isn’t charged. The penalty is £60, or £30 if it’s paid within 14 days. The PM plans the route, or adds the charge to the quote. Check with Oxfordshire County Council for the latest.
Can a production manager book a studio near Oxford?
Yes. Rebellion Film Studios at Didcot has a 22,000 sq ft main stage and two location shooting areas of over 19,000 sq ft. Shadowbox Studios Shinfield, south of Reading, has 18 stages. For interviews, some colleges hire halls and rooms by the day, and Keble takes location filming. The PM books the studio or the room, the deliveries and the power, each on its own line. See film studios near Oxford. Check with the studio or the college for the latest.
Are your production managers from Oxford?
We book production managers who live in or near Oxford first. If the brief or the date needs someone else, they come from London, and the fastest trains from Paddington take 52 minutes. We add the travel to the quote before anything is booked. Our base is London, at 124 City Road, and we have bases in Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall. Check with GWR for the latest train times.
How far ahead should I book a PM in Oxford?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours, and the earlier a PM starts, the more they save. The notice periods often set the date. Oxfordshire County Council needs at least 15 working days’ notice for a small crew on the street, or 30 on listed streets in the centre. A medium crew of 11 to 40 needs two months, a major one three months, and a road closure at least 12 weeks. Term time is the hardest time to get college rooms and quads. A week’s prep for a shoot over several days is normal. Check with Oxfordshire County Council for the latest.