What does a freelance cameraman cost per day in the UK?

Some clients want a whole video made. Others already have a producer, an editor and a plan, and what they actually need is a safe pair of hands behind the camera for a day. That second conversation starts with one question: what is your day rate?

Here is the honest version, with the things nobody puts on a price list.

The range, and why it is a range

For most UK work, a freelance cameraman with their own kit sits between £450 and £900 a day. Below that you are usually paying for someone very new or someone who will arrive with borrowed equipment. Above it you are paying for specialist gear, a second operator, or the kind of job where a single mistake is expensive.

My own rate lives in the middle of that band, and it moves for exactly three reasons: the kit the job needs, how far I travel, and how long the day really is. Nothing else.

What a shoot day includes

A day is not the hours the camera is rolling. A standard ten hour day from my side covers:

• Travel and load-in. Getting to you, finding the loading bay, carrying cases up two flights of stairs.
• Set-up and lighting. Usually the longest part, and the part that decides whether the footage looks expensive.
• Shooting. The bit you booked.
• Wrap and backup. Packing down, and copying every card to two separate drives before I leave the building. That second copy is not optional.
• Handover. Transferring the footage to you or to the editor in a format they can actually open.

If someone quotes you £350 and then charges travel, parking, card transfer and overtime on top, you have not saved money. You have just found out the real number later.

The add-ons that move the price

• A second camera. Interviews look better on two angles, and the edit gets far easier. Usually the best value upgrade on the list.
• Sound. Radio mics and a recorder are standard on anything with talking. Bad audio kills a good picture faster than bad picture kills good audio.
• Lighting. A basic kit is included. A full interview set-up for a dark office is not.
• Drone. Needs a qualified pilot, insurance and often permission. Worth it for exteriors, pointless indoors.
• Overtime. Beyond ten hours, charged by the hour. I will always flag it before we cross the line rather than after.
• Distance. Inside the M25 travel is included. Further out, I charge mileage, and for anything past about three hours I would rather start the night before than arrive tired.

Half days: usually a false economy

People ask for half days often, and I do them, at around two thirds of the full rate. The reason it is not half the price is simple: the set-up, the travel and the backup do not halve. What you are really buying is less shooting time, not less work.

If your job is a single interview and three quick cutaways, a half day is genuinely the right call. If there is any chance of a second location or an extra contributor, book the full day. Running out of time at 2pm costs more than the hours you tried to save.

Day rate or project price?

A day rate covers one thing: me, my kit and my time, on site. It does not include editing, colour, graphics or music. If you need the finished film rather than the raw footage, a project price is the better shape, and usually cheaper than buying the pieces separately.

My pricing page lists the project prices for each service, and if you want the wider picture on what a finished video costs, the UK cost guide breaks it down properly.

What to ask before you book anyone

• Is the kit yours, and what exactly is coming?
• What does the day include, and when does overtime start?
• How and when do I get the footage, and in what format?
• Are you insured, and can you send the certificate?
• What happens if you are ill on the day?

Any working professional will answer all five in a couple of minutes. Hesitation on the last two is the one to watch.

If you have a date in mind, tell me what the day looks like and I will come back within 24 hours with a straight number and no small print. If you would rather hand over the whole thing, start with corporate video production instead.