UK film crew rates are not one national day-rate list. The applicable benchmark depends on the production format, budget band, department, grade, contracted working day and the agreement or rate card governing the engagement. This guide separates collectively agreed terms, union-recommended rates and production-planning allowances so an international producer can build a UK budget without treating unlike figures as interchangeable.
Every figure below is labelled with its source and effective date and is current to August 2026. Rates move, and the time-sensitive union and trade-body documents should be rechecked against their live versions before a budget is locked. Nothing here is a quotation.
UK Film Crew Rates at a Glance
Different documents govern different kinds of production, and they do not carry the same legal weight. Reading a rate correctly starts with knowing which source it came from and what that source actually controls.
| Source | Production type | Status | What it controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pact/BECTU Scripted TV Agreement | Scripted television drama | Collective agreement where applicable | Budget bands, working day, overtime and crew terms |
| Pact/BECTU Major Motion Picture Agreement and applicable department rate cards | Qualifying major features and specified departments | Agreed terms where applicable | Department rates and working conditions |
| BECTU branch rate cards | Film, factual, commercials and specialist departments | Often recommended going rates | Department and grade benchmarks |
| APA Recommended Crew Terms | Commercial production | Recommended commercial terms | Working day, overtime, cancellation and engagement conditions |
| Equity/Pact arrangements | Performers | Agreement-dependent | Performer minimums and conditions |
These labels are not interchangeable. A collectively agreed rate is negotiated between Pact and the union and applies where the production falls within the agreement. A recommended rate, such as a BECTU branch card or the APA terms, is a published going rate rather than a binding minimum. A statutory minimum is the legal floor set by law, such as the National Minimum Wage, and sits below all of these. The full directory of union cards is on the BECTU rate-card directory.
Why There Is No Single UK Crew Day Rate
A quote that names a single UK crew day rate is hiding the variables that actually move the number. The same role is priced differently on a feature, a high-end television drama, a documentary, a commercial and a stills shoot, because the working day, the department structure and the governing terms differ in each.
Budget band changes the figure again, because the Pact/BECTU drama agreement sets different terms by band. Department and grade matter, a senior head of department is not priced like an assistant, and a 10-hour contracted day is not the same as an 11-hour day once overtime, prep and wrap, holiday pay, night work and additional days are added. A London-based crew and a travelling regional unit also carry different cost structures. For all these reasons this guide does not publish one average UK crew member or one full-crew-per-day figure; either would mislead more than it helped.
Production, Locations and Assistant Director Rates
The table below is a representative selection, not the full rate card, and it shows the budgeting structure rather than a fixed price. Senior production roles are frequently engaged weekly or on a negotiated flat, while shooting-crew grades are day-rated. Figures are shown only where a named, dated source applies; other roles are quoted by budget band and engagement, and the current Pact/BECTU material should be confirmed because rates vary by budget band and working-day structure.
| Role | Format / agreement | Contracted day | Rate basis / published amount | Holiday pay | Source / effective date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line producer | Feature / HETV | Weekly engagement | Negotiated weekly, budget-dependent | Confirm whether included or separately itemised under the applicable agreement and engagement terms. | Pact/BECTU agreement; confirm current |
| Production manager | Feature / HETV | Weekly or daily | Quoted by budget band and engagement | Confirm whether included or separately itemised under the applicable agreement and engagement terms. | Pact/BECTU agreement; confirm current |
| Production coordinator | Feature / HETV | Weekly | Quoted by budget band and engagement | Confirm whether included or separately itemised under the applicable agreement and engagement terms. | Pact/BECTU agreement; confirm current |
| Production accountant | Feature / HETV | Weekly | Quoted by budget band and engagement | Confirm whether included or separately itemised under the applicable agreement and engagement terms. | Pact/BECTU agreement; confirm current |
| Location manager | Feature / HETV | 10–11 hour day | Quoted by budget band and engagement | Confirm whether included or separately itemised under the applicable agreement and engagement terms. | Pact/BECTU agreement; confirm current |
| First assistant director | Commercial | APA shoot day | Maximum basic day rate: £785 | 12.07% payment in lieu included under the APA terms. | APA Sept 2025 (to 31 Aug 2026) |
| Script supervisor | Feature / commercial | 10–11 hour day | Quoted by budget band and engagement | Confirm whether included or separately itemised under the applicable agreement and engagement terms. | Pact/BECTU agreement; confirm current |
| Runner | Entry grade | 10–11 hour day | Quoted by budget band and engagement | Confirm whether included or separately itemised under the applicable agreement and engagement terms. | Pact/BECTU agreement; confirm current |
Read the table with its caveats. The day-rate column is deliberately shown as budgeting structure rather than fixed prices, because scripted-drama figures depend on the budget band and are quoted per engagement. Confirm the current terms in the BECTU agreements directory. Holiday pay treatment is shown separately because it may be included in a published figure or separately itemised, depending on the applicable terms and the individual’s employment status.
Camera, Lighting, Grip, Sound and Art Department Rates
Department rates are best read from a single dated source rather than blended into one range. The figures below are drawn from the APA Recommended Crew Terms, September 2025, which apply to commercial production and run to 31 August 2026. Every figure is a labour rate only; equipment and kit are hired separately and must never be folded into a crew day rate.
| Department / role | Grade | Basic day rate | Includes kit? | Source / effective date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director of photography | Senior | £908–£1,516 | Labour only | APA Sept 2025 (to 31 Aug 2026) |
| Camera operator | Mid | £514–£637 | Labour only | APA Sept 2025 (to 31 Aug 2026) |
| Gaffer | Senior | Maximum basic day rate: £568 | Labour only | APA Sept 2025 (to 31 Aug 2026) |
| Lighting technician (spark) | Mid | Maximum basic day rate: £444 | Labour only | APA Sept 2025 (to 31 Aug 2026) |
| First assistant director | Senior | Maximum basic day rate: £785 | Labour only | APA Sept 2025 (to 31 Aug 2026) |
Camera and digital imaging
The camera department spans the director of photography, camera operators, focus pullers, loaders and a digital imaging technician on larger shoots. Feature and drama grades under the Pact/BECTU agreements differ from the commercial APA figures above, so the format must be identified before a rate is applied. Camera package and lenses are a separate rental line and are not part of these figures.
Lighting and electrical
Lighting is led by the gaffer, with a best boy and electricians or sparks below. The APA card sets commercial going rates such as a gaffer up to £568 and a spark up to £444 on its shoot day, while drama and feature rates follow their own agreements. Generators, lamps and distribution are equipment lines quoted by the rental house, not part of the labour rate.
Grip and specialist movement
Grip covers dollies, cranes, track and specialist movement. Rates vary with the rig and the day, and specialist equipment such as a technocrane or a stabilised head carries an operator and a kit charge that are quoted together by the supplier only where the source does so explicitly.
Sound
Production sound is usually a recordist with a boom operator, and on smaller factual jobs a single sound recordist supplying their own kit. Where a recordist supplies equipment, the quote may combine labour and kit, and that combination should be stated rather than assumed.
Art, costume, hair and makeup
The art department, costume, hair and makeup scale with the design ambition of the production rather than with a single day rate. Designers and supervisors sit above assistants and trainees, and materials, construction, hires and consumables are budget lines separate from the department labour.
Commercial Crew Terms Under APA Guidance
Commercials run on their own framework and their rates should never be lifted into a drama or feature budget. The APA Recommended Crew Terms provide the published engagement framework and recommended rates for commercial productions covered by those terms, and cover the shoot day, prep, overtime, night work, travel, cancellation, postponement and box or equipment rental where applicable.
As of August 2026 the September 2025 APA terms are the current effective document, running until 31 August 2026, with a 4% uplift applied from 1 September 2025. The September 2026 card takes effect on 1 September 2026 and should not be applied before that date; the 2026 first assistant director figure of £809, for example, belongs to the later card. Agency and client attendance can change the crew requirement and the schedule, which feeds the budget even where the published rate is unchanged. The current document is the APA crew terms.
Documentary, Factual and Small-Crew Production
Drama and commercial rate cards cannot simply be copied into a documentary budget. Factual work runs a smaller department structure, often with self-shooting roles, a director who operates, and a sound recordist supplying a combined kit. Research and access days, travel days, interview setups, data management and regional accommodation all sit in the budget alongside the crew.
A smaller crew does not automatically mean a cheaper production. Long-lead access, remote locations, extended travel and specialist equipment can make a lean factual shoot cost as much per delivered minute as a larger unit, and overtime and turnaround still apply. The right approach is to build the documentary budget from its own department structure and working pattern rather than discounting a drama card.
Working Days, Overtime, Prep and Wrap
A day rate only means something once the working day behind it is defined. UK crews commonly work a contracted shooting day of 10 or 11 hours, and a rate quoted against one cannot be compared with a rate quoted against the other without adjustment. Meal breaks, prep and wrap around the shooting day, overtime triggers, sixth and seventh days, bank holidays, night work, travel days and minimum rest and turnaround all change the real cost.
| Element | 10-hour basis | 11-hour basis |
|---|---|---|
| Contracted shooting day | 10 working hours plus one unpaid lunch hour (APA basic day) | 11 working hours per the governing terms |
| Overtime | Applies beyond the contracted hours per the governing terms | Applies beyond the contracted hours per the governing terms |
| Comparability | Not directly comparable with an 11-hour rate | Not directly comparable with a 10-hour rate |
| Prep and wrap | Treatment depends on the applicable agreement or rate card; standard prep and wrap may be included, while additional time can be separately payable. | Treatment depends on the applicable agreement or rate card; standard prep and wrap may be included, while additional time can be separately payable. |
The APA basic day, for example, is ten working hours plus one unpaid lunch hour, which is not the same as ten paid hours. There is no single universal overtime multiplier in the UK; the applicable trigger and rate come from the named agreement or card, so only the term that governs the specific engagement should be quoted. Turnaround and rest requirements can also force a later call or an additional cost if a day runs long, which is why the working-day basis is agreed before the rate is fixed.
Holiday Pay, Payroll and Employer Costs
The rate a producer is quoted and the cost the production carries are rarely the same number. Holiday-pay treatment depends on employment status and the governing terms. Under the September 2025 APA terms, crew payments include a payment in lieu of the stated 12.07% holiday entitlement. Outside that framework, rolled-up holiday pay is only available for qualifying irregular-hours or part-year workers and should be separately identified. The production should confirm each engagement through its payroll and employment-status process. Payroll processing, employer National Insurance where the engagement is employment for tax, and pension or automatic-enrolment treatment where it applies, all sit above the headline rate.
There is no single universal percentage to add for employer costs, because the treatment depends on the individual’s employment status, the contract and the payroll structure used. Production insurance is a separate cost again. The reliable method is to run the specific engagements through a payroll company and an employment-status review rather than applying a blanket uplift to a crew total.
Equipment, Studios and Post-Production Costs
Equipment and facilities are a supporting cost layer rather than a rate catalogue, and they are quoted by suppliers against a specific package and dates. The camera package, lenses, lighting, grip, sound, data, expendables, stage hire, production offices, and the post-production chain of edit, grading, sound post and visual effects each carry their own quote, alongside insurance and damage waivers and the delivery and collection of kit.
Planning ranges are only useful where the quote date and the inclusions are clear, so a supplier figure should be recorded with what it does and does not cover. It is not accurate to say equipment is universally cheaper or more expensive in London than in another territory; the honest comparison is package for package, on the same dates, with the same inclusions.
London Location and Unit Costs
London location and unit costs belong in the budget as financial lines. London production costs for locations and unit operations belong in the budget as separate financial lines. This section covers the costs created by location access and public-space filming. Authority responsibilities and application mechanics should be confirmed separately for the selected borough and site. What matters for a budget is how each line is charged and what moves it.
| Cost line | How it is charged | What changes it |
|---|---|---|
| Borough administration | Borough or application dependent | Crew size, activity and notice |
| Parking suspensions | Bay, vehicle or duration based | Borough and location |
| Private-location fee | Negotiated | Location, access, exclusivity and time |
| Road closure | Traffic-authority fee plus implementation | Order or notice, duration and complexity |
| Traffic management | Supplier quote | Road layout and closure plan |
| Police assistance | Requirement and deployment dependent | Scene content and public-safety need |
| Unit base | Site and duration dependent | Vehicle count, power and welfare |
| Security and stewarding | Headcount and hours | Public interface and location conditions |
Film London notes that borough fees, restrictions and parking arrangements vary by location. Road-closure orders are often in the region of £1,000 to £2,000 before traffic management, parking, security and related implementation costs are added, but every figure of this kind must be treated as indicative and current to its source date. The reference points are the Film London borough guidance and Film London road-closure costs.
London Versus Regional UK Production Costs
The useful question is not which region is cheaper but how the cost composition changes. London carries the deepest local crew and supplier base, so a London shoot rarely pays to travel and house its core departments. A regional shoot can access lower location and facility costs and regional film-office support, but the saving is offset when specialist crew and equipment travel from London with accommodation, per diems and repeat travel.
Local crew availability, travelling London crew, accommodation, per diems, equipment freight, unit transport, regional stages, local suppliers, weather and access contingency all shift the balance by project. A production that models the whole composition, rather than comparing a single headline day rate, avoids the common error of choosing a region on a facility saving that a travel and accommodation bill then erases.
How to Structure Two UK Production Budgets
The two illustrations show how a UK production budget is assembled rather than providing quotations. Each states its assumed crew size and working pattern and separates labour, equipment, location, travel and other cost lines. Final figures require current crew and supplier quotes.
Example A: one-day London commercial
Assumptions: a compact commercial unit of roughly 15 to 20 crew on a single APA-basis shoot day in London, kit hired separately, agency and client attending.
| Budget line | Indicative planning basis |
|---|---|
| Prep and production management | Producer, production manager and coordinator prep plus shoot day |
| Location department | Location manager and assistant, recce and shoot day |
| Camera | DoP and camera operator on the APA shoot day, labour only |
| Lighting | Gaffer and sparks, labour only |
| Grip | Grip and specialist movement as required |
| Sound | Recordist and boom where dialogue is recorded |
| Art, wardrobe and makeup | Scaled to the brief |
| Equipment | Camera, lenses, lighting, grip and expendables, quoted separately |
| Location and borough | Private-location fee, borough administration and parking |
| Unit base and transport | Unit base, vehicles and crew travel |
| Catering | Per head, crew and attendees |
| Overtime allowance | Provision against a long day, per APA terms |
| Insurance and payroll | Production insurance and payroll processing |
| Contingency | A budgeted percentage against overrun |
Excluded from the above: post-production, talent and usage, and any AVEC position. This is a budgeting structure only.
Example B: five-day regional documentary
Assumptions: a small factual unit of roughly four to six people shooting across five days in a UK region, travelling from a London base, kit combined with the sound and camera roles where the supplier quotes it that way.
| Budget line | Indicative planning basis |
|---|---|
| Research and access | Research and access days ahead of the shoot |
| Producer / director | Engaged across prep and shoot, often self-shooting |
| Camera | Operator or self-shooting director, with kit where combined |
| Sound | Recordist with combined kit on applicable days |
| Local support | Local fixer or runner support where needed |
| Equipment | Camera, sound and data package for five days |
| Travel days | Travel to and from the region, costed separately from shoot days |
| Accommodation | Crew accommodation for the regional nights |
| Vehicle | Self-drive or unit vehicle |
| Location costs | Access and location fees as incurred |
| Data | On-location data management and backup |
| Catering | Per head across the shoot |
| Contingency | A budgeted percentage against overrun |
These cost lines are deliberately shown as a budgeting structure rather than a single total, because adding US-dollar conversions would obscure the UK rate base and become outdated as exchange rates move. Budgeting structure only.
Building a Quote for an International Production
A usable UK quote starts from a defined brief: the format, the budget band, the shoot dates, the crew size and the department list, the locations, the working-day assumption, the equipment package, the travel, the studio and post requirements, the insurance and the incentive eligibility. With those set, the rate cards and the cost lines above resolve into a budget rather than a guess.
The execution plan is coordinated through the line producer UK team. Productions modelling which UK costs may qualify should separately review the UK film incentives guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average UK film crew day rate?
There is no single average that is useful, because the rate depends on format, department, grade and the contracted working day. A commercial DoP under the APA September 2025 card sits in a band of about £908 to £1,516 for the shoot day, labour only, while drama and feature grades follow their own Pact/BECTU agreements. Always price the specific role against its governing source.
Are BECTU rates legally mandatory?
Not universally. Where a production falls within a collective agreement such as the Pact/BECTU Scripted TV Agreement, the agreed terms apply. BECTU branch rate cards are recommended going rates rather than statutory minimums. Statutory minimum-wage and paid-holiday rights apply where the individual qualifies as a worker. Genuine self-employed contractors fall under a different legal and tax framework, while any applicable collective agreement or contract can set higher terms.
Does a quoted day rate include overtime and holiday pay?
Not necessarily. Overtime is triggered separately under the applicable agreement or card, and holiday pay may be included in the quoted rate or added on top. Both must be confirmed for each engagement rather than assumed, because they change the real cost materially.
Are London crew rates higher than regional UK rates?
Not in a simple way. London has the deepest crew and supplier base, so it rarely pays to travel core departments in, while a regional shoot can save on location and facility costs but add travel, accommodation and per diems for imported specialists. The honest comparison is the whole cost composition, not a single day rate.
Can UK crew costs qualify for AVEC?
UK crew costs can form part of qualifying UK core expenditure where the production is eligible, but the credit is a separate matter with its own rules. This page does not calculate the credit; the eligibility, certification and claim are set out in the UK film incentives guide linked above.
