Film crew hire/Videographer
Hire a videographer, anywhere in the UK. One person, their own kit, and the whole day filmed.
Videographers for events, interviews, testimonials and social content across the UK, booked by marketing teams, agencies and event organisers who need the day filmed without a full crew. We book a self-shooting camera operator with their own kit, from near the venue where we can. £529–656 a day, paid to the videographer in full.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
- £10m employers’ liability on every crew member we book
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books, across the UK
Photos: Here Now Films, Matthew Moloney and Michał Franczak
The role
What people mean by a videographer
In the UK, “videographer” usually means one person who films the whole thing: a self-shooting camera operator with their own camera, lenses, lights and mics, who sets up the interviews, films the event and picks up the B-roll. It’s the word people use for events, social and corporate work more than for adverts or drama. In crew terms it’s a camera operator who self-shoots, and that’s who we book.
When the day needs more, it grows into a crew: a camera operator and a sound recordist, or a DOP and a sound recordist when it has to look and sound like a brand film. We price each person on their own line, so you can see what the second one adds. The APA/Bectu card has no videographer grade, and HMRC’s list of behind-camera roles doesn’t name one either (checked October 2026), so we price the role as a camera operator.
- Their own kit. Camera, lenses, a tripod, a gimbal, radio mics and a small light, on its own line of the quote.
- Interviews, the event and the B-roll. One person covering the day, from the set-up to the last guest.
- Framed for where it’s going. 16:9 for the website, 4:5 and 9:16 for social, agreed before the day.
- Rushes the same week. On a drive or a transfer link, ready for your editor or ours.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Filming the interviews, the event and the B-roll
- A simple light for each interview
- Sound on radio mics or a camera-mounted mic
- Framing for the formats you need
- The rushes on a drive or a transfer link
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Their camera, lenses, lights and mics, at a day rate on its own line
- A sound recordist or an editor, if you want one
- Travel, mileage and hotels when the shoot is away from the crew member’s home city, at cost
How our rates work, overtime and the APA/Bectu card: film crew rates in the UK.
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 videographer for your own event, or have us take the production on.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% + 2% booking fee and insurance, on everything we book for you: 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
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
What the 2% insures: employers’ liability for every crew member we book, and the kit we hire in for you. Nothing else on the shoot. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
15% + 5% production fee, plus insurance and contingency, on the whole production budget. Quoted 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
What the 5% pays for: our production insurance across the whole shoot, £10m public liability included, and the contingency.
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 videographer, call to wrap
A product launch in Edinburgh: interviews before the doors open, the event, then vox pops outside. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 08:00 Kit in One camera, two lenses, a tripod, a gimbal, two radio mics and a small light: one person’s kit. Anything missing comes from a click-and-collect counter such as Wex on Haddington Place.
- 08:45 Interviews Two short interviews before the doors open, lit with one light and a reflector.
- 10:30 The event The talks from the side of the room on the tripod, then the room on the gimbal.
- 12:30 Lunch An hour, around the event’s own break.
- 13:30 Vox pops outside On the pavement, out of everyone’s way: Film Edinburgh says street filming needs no permit if it causes no obstruction, nuisance or offence. A park such as Princes Street Gardens would need permission (checked October 2026).
- 15:00 Social clips A few moments framed for 9:16 as well as 16:9, so the brand’s team can post on the day.
- 17:00 Wrap Cards copied to two drives; one leaves with the client.
Which crew
Which videographer do you need?
One person can film a lot of things. Here’s when one is enough, and when to add a second.
Self-shooting videographer One person, one kit £529–656 a day + kit
Films the interviews, the event and the B-roll, with radio mics into the camera and a small light.
Best for events, testimonials and social content.
Videographer and sound recordist Two people Per person
The operator films; a sound recordist looks after the mics and the room. See sound recordists across the UK.
Best when the words matter: interviews, panels, noisy venues.
Two cameras Matched operators Per operator
Two operators on matched cameras: one holds the stage, one finds the room. See camera operators across the UK.
Best for conferences and panels, where one camera can’t be in two places.
DOP and sound recordist When it has to look like a brand film From £850 a day
A DOP lights and shoots on a cinema camera, with a sound recordist alongside.
Best for brand films and anything that will run as an advert.
What it’s for
What people book a videographer for across the UK
Events and conferences
Talks, panels and the room, from a hotel ballroom in Leeds to a conference hall in Glasgow.
Testimonials and case studies
A customer on their own site, a factory or a shop, with a few minutes of B-roll.
Social content
Short pieces framed vertical and square, for a brand’s own channels.
Internal films
Updates, launches and town halls, at head office or out on a regional site.
Launches and openings
A new shop, a new building or a new product, filmed on the day.
Recent work
Self-shooting crews on our jobs, and how we crew them
Crew hire · Manchester, London and Bolton · October and November 2024
Self-shooting crews in three cities for Davies Group
DTV, Davies Group’s internal talk show, needed four days in Manchester, London and Bolton at short notice: interviews, vox pops at the leadership conference on one camera with a handheld mic, pieces to camera and B-roll. The same two-person team covered Manchester and Bolton, working to the post house’s spec, and handed over rushes only: Manchester on SSDs with a Frame.io backup, Bolton straight into Davies’ SharePoint. Davies’ post-production house cut the show.
“Their ability to quickly assemble professional and talented crews was impressive.” Mopani Mkandawire, Davies Group
How we crew it · UK
A videographer for an event, anywhere in the UK
Tell us the venue, the running order and where the film is going. We book a self-shooting camera operator who lives near the venue where we can, with a camera, lenses, a tripod, a gimbal, radio mics and a small light, each on its own line. Where nobody local fits, they travel, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. The rushes come back on a drive or a transfer link, for your editor or ours.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 11 hours, including an hour for lunch: ten working hours.
- Overtime by the hour at the APA card’s rate for the role, agreed with you before it happens.
- At least 11 hours between wrap and the next day’s call.
Kit
- Their own kit on its own line: camera, lenses, a tripod, a gimbal, radio mics and a light.
- Bectu’s camera branch advises crew to keep labour and kit separate on the invoice (checked October 2026), and that’s how our quotes show it: the day rate on one line, the kit on its own.
- Anything extra comes from a kit house near the venue. Kit houses outside London include Films at 59 in Bristol and Cardiff, the rental houses at Space Studios in Manchester, No Drama in Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool and Newcastle, and Lights Camera Scotland in Edinburgh (checked October 2026). More in film equipment hire in the UK.
Getting there
- A videographer from near the venue where we can; anyone else travels, on the quote.
- Trains have luggage limits: GWR allows three pieces, no more than two of them large, each 23kg or less, and TfL only what you can carry yourself, stairs and escalators included (checked October 2026).
- Vans that don’t meet the standard pay a daily charge in London’s ULEZ and the clean air zones of Bristol, Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Sheffield and Tyneside; Scotland’s low emission zones fine them instead (checked October 2026).
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the videographer.
- 50% by card when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, kit, travel.
- Moving the date? Tell us as soon as you know.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
What our insurance covers
- Employers’ liability for the videographer we book: £10m.
- Kit we hire in for you is insured. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
- Nothing else on a crew hire. Public liability, the location and your own kit stay with you, and your venue will want your certificate. When we’re the producer of record, our policy covers the shoot.
- Film offices want public liability before they issue a permit: at least £5m in Bristol and Manchester, £10m in Edinburgh and on Network Rail (checked October 2026). On a crew hire that certificate is yours.
From £529 a day
The APA/Bectu card has no videographer grade. A camera operator is £529–656 a day.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £529 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £52.90 |
| Insurance, 2% | £10.58 |
| One day, before kit and travel | £592.48 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the videographer we book, and cover on kit we hire in. Insurance for a UK shoot
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the videographer.
- 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
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a videographer, anywhere in the UK.
Tell us the date, the venue, the running order and where the film is going. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role across the UK, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our UK day rates, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From £500
- Producer From £450
- Production manager £504–627
- 2nd AD £355–448
- Production assistant £400
- Runner £245
Camera 09
- DOP From £850
- Camera operator £529–656
- Lighting camera operator £529–656
- Videographer This page £529–656
- Focus puller (1st AC) £461–575
- Clapper loader (2nd AC) £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
How our rates work: crew rates across the UK. In one city? London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cornwall have their own role pages.
Production support
Everything around the crew
A videographer usually brings the kit. The permit, the travel and the edit each get their own line on the quote, or use our UK guides to sort them yourself.
01
Crew rates in the UK
Day rates for every role, the APA/Bectu card, overtime and what a day covers.
02
Kit and equipment hire
Rental houses across the UK, wet hire and dry hire, and the crew’s own kit.
03
Insurance for a UK shoot
Employers’ liability, public liability, kit cover, and what can leave you uninsured.
Questions
Hiring a videographer in the UK: questions
How much does a videographer cost in the UK?
We price a videographer as a camera operator: from £529 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, and they’re paid all of it. The APA/Bectu card has no videographer grade; a camera operator is £529–656 on it. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so one day comes to £592.48 + VAT, before their kit and any travel. Film crew rates in the UK
What does the insurance on a crew booking cover?
Two things. Employers’ liability for every crew member we book, up to £10m, and insurance on the kit we hire in for you. That’s what the 2% pays for. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote. The 2% doesn’t insure the rest of the shoot: public liability, the location, your own kit and anything you book yourself stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production, and our insurance covers the whole shoot, public liability included.
Is a videographer the same as a camera operator?
Near enough. “Videographer” is the everyday word for one person who films an event or an interview with their own kit; on a film crew that’s a camera operator who self-shoots. The difference is mostly what’s expected: a videographer usually lights, records the sound and frames for social as well. Camera operator hire across the UK
When do I need more than one person?
When the sound matters, add a sound recordist. When two things happen at once, a stage and a room, add a second camera. When it has to look like a brand film, book a DOP. Each person is on their own line of the quote, so you can see what each one adds.
Can the videographer edit it too?
Some do, but we usually keep them apart: the videographer films, and an editor cuts. We can hand the rushes to your editor on a drive or a transfer link, as we did for Davies Group, or book an editor to cut it for you.
How long is the day, and what about overtime?
A day is 11 hours, ten of them working and one for lunch. After that, overtime is paid by the hour at the APA card’s rate for the role: 1.5×, 1.25× or single time on an hourly rate of a tenth of the day rate, graded by day rate, and we agree it with you before it happens. Between wrap and the next call there are at least 11 hours. Film crew rates in the UK
Can a videographer travel by train with the kit?
For a light kit, yes, within the rules: GWR allows three pieces of luggage, no more than two of them large, each 23kg or less, and TfL only what you can carry yourself, stairs and escalators included. Using a tripod on TfL’s network, or filming there for a client at all, needs TfL’s permission (checked October 2026). Anything bigger goes by car or van, and the mileage is on the quote. Travel, hotels and vans for a UK shoot
Can you find a videographer outside London?
Yes. We crew shoots across the UK from London, with bases in Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall, and book a videographer who lives near the venue where we can. For one city: camera operators in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cornwall.
More on crew across the UK
- Film crew hire UK
- Film crew rates in the UK
- Camera operator hire in London
- Camera operator hire in Manchester
- Camera operator hire in Birmingham
- Camera operator hire in Bristol
- Camera operator hire in Cornwall
- Camera operator hire in New York
- Camera operator hire UK
- Sound recordist hire UK
- Editor hire UK
- How we select our crew
- Our crew hire case studies