Video production in London
Vetted London crews, from one videographer to a full production.
Spexster gives brands what a London production company provides: vetted local crew, a dedicated project manager, contracts and secure payment, with the transparency of seeing exactly who you are hiring. Browse London talent by craft below, or send a brief and our White Glove team staffs the shoot.
Hire by craft
Crews in London
Browse profilesVideographers in LondonEvents, brand films, social and corporate video.
Browse profilesCinematographers in LondonDirectors of photography for commercial and narrative work.
Browse profilesPhotographers in LondonCommercial, product, event and corporate photography.
Browse profilesVideo Editors in LondonPost-production for brand, social and corporate video.
White Glove sourcingDrone Operators in LondonLicensed aerial video and photography.
Full crew
Need more than one role?
Director, DP, sound, lighting and post, assembled and managed through White Glove.
Send a brief
The London production scene
What a brand should know before shooting in London
There is no single London film permit. Each of the city's 33 local authorities runs its own film service, Transport for London and the Royal Parks are separate applications with their own clocks, and the UK's screen tax credits exclude advertising. The city supports more than 13,000 filming days a year, and most of the famous studios sit just outside Greater London.
Who gives you permission to film in London
Film London is the city's screen agency. It does not issue permits; it runs a free locations advice service, publishes the Code of Practice for Location Filming in London and convenes the London Filming Partnership, which it says supports more than 13,000 filming days a year. Permission itself comes borough by borough: London is divided into 33 local authorities and each has its own Borough Film Service for the locations it manages. Sixteen of them, including Camden, Southwark, Islington and Kensington & Chelsea, run their permits through FilmFixer and the FilmApp system, where filming on the public highway carries no location fee (admin fees still apply) and public liability insurance of at least £5 million is required.
Lead times are set by each borough. Westminster, which publishes the clearest tiers, is a useful guide and only a guide:
- Cast and crew of seven or fewer, no parking: three working days.
- Over ten people: 15 working days. Over 50 with traffic management: 20 to 30 working days.
- Any filming between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.: 30 to 40 working days. More than 70 people with road closures: 12 to 16 weeks.
- Westminster's clock starts when it receives the application fee, not when you submit.
Two networks sit outside the boroughs entirely. Transport for London handles the Underground, Overground, DLR and piers: generally a minimum of three weeks' notice, a £600 plus VAT late fee inside that window, £10 million of insurance, off-peak windows on the live network, and no tripods on platforms. Its exclusive-access stations are Aldwych, Charing Cross and, at weekends, Bank. The Royal Parks handles Hyde Park, St James's Park, Greenwich Park, Richmond Park and the rest: at least five working days for a cast and crew of ten or fewer, ten working days above that and always for The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, with £5 million of public liability cover and a separate drone policy.
The UK tax credits, and why a brand shoot will not get one
The Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit replaced the UK's film and TV reliefs from 1 January 2024, paying 34% on most films and programmes. A film qualifies only if it is intended for theatrical release; a programme only if it is a drama, comedy, documentary, animation or children's programme with core costs of at least £1 million per hour. The legislation excludes "any advertisement or other promotional programme" outright. A commercial, a brand film or a corporate video does not qualify. The reliefs matter to you because they are part of why the crew base and the studios exist.
What the crew depth means when you hire here
London supports more than 13,000 filming days a year by the London Filming Partnership's count; Ealing has worked continuously since 1902 and Pinewood since 1936. The result is camera, lighting, sound, art and post professionals who work at a broadcast and feature standard and know the borough system. You can hire a vetted London videographer for a one-day shoot, or a DP and crew for a brand film.
The trade-off is the calendar. With lead times measured in working days and a separate clock for every network, the brief needs to land early. Through White Glove, a project manager coordinates the borough, TfL and Royal Parks paperwork with you.
Planning a London shoot: the short checklist
- Identify the borough for every location, and whether any of it is TfL or Royal Parks land; each is its own application.
- Count the crew. Seven or fewer with no parking is the fast lane in Westminster; over ten is three weeks.
- Write the brief first. Deliverables, run times, platforms, dates, locations and who approves the cut.
- Settle usage rights, delivery formats and revision rounds in writing, and agree the currency.
- Hold a 30-minute technical briefing between your team and the crew lead before the shoot day.
Prefer not to run any of this yourself? Through White Glove, a dedicated project manager handles crew sourcing, technical briefings, contracts, scheduling, logistics and secure escrow payment for your London project, included at no additional fee.
How hiring works
Two ways to crew a London shoot
Step 1
Post a job or send a brief
Share the dates, location, deliverables and budget range. Vetted London creatives apply, or White Glove shortlists for you.
Step 2
Review vetted talent
Every professional on Spexster is vetted before appearing: a real, working professional whose portfolio, credits and professional presence have been reviewed. No paid placement.
Step 3
Hire, with the admin handled
Contracts run through the platform and payment runs through secure escrow, released when the work is delivered. With White Glove, a dedicated project manager runs the production end to end at no extra fee.
Frequently asked questions
Does Spexster work like a video production company in London?
Spexster gives you what a production company provides — vetted crew, project management, contracts, and delivery — with the transparency of a marketplace. You see who you're hiring, rates are clear and upfront, and a dedicated project manager runs the production end to end.
Can Spexster source a full film crew in London?
Yes. Tell us the roles you need — or just describe the project and we'll scope the crew for you. Spexster sources, vets, contracts, and coordinates the full team, with escrow payment protecting every engagement.
Who issues a film permit in London?
The borough. London has 33 local authorities and each runs its own Borough Film Service for the locations it manages; 16 of them use FilmFixer's FilmApp system. Film London, the screen agency, gives free locations advice but does not issue permits. Lead times vary by borough and crew size: Westminster quotes three working days for a crew of seven or fewer and 15 working days for more than ten.
Can I film on the Tube or in a Royal Park with a borough permit?
No. Transport for London and The Royal Parks each run their own application. TfL generally needs three weeks' notice and £10 million of insurance; the Royal Parks need five working days for a crew of ten or fewer and ten working days above that, with £5 million of public liability cover. A White Glove project manager coordinates this paperwork with you alongside the borough application.
Can Spexster handle a shoot in London if I'm not based there?
Yes — that's our specialty. Spexster coordinates remote productions worldwide, including live remote video villages so you can direct and give real-time feedback from anywhere. US and international brands regularly run London shoots through Spexster without traveling.
Related pages
Crews here
Hire by craft in London
Other cities