Crew in hi-vis prepare a camera on a busy street location.

Step-up toolkit · 3 of 5

Crew up, and let people go.

You choose your crew. The production agrees the deals. Get both right and the shoot looks after itself.

Checked 13 November 2026. SourcesPart 3 of the step-up toolkit.

Watch first

They play here. Each one is also a lesson in the free step-up path.

Who

Book beyond your phone book

Your usual crew are booked elsewhere half the time. Keep a longer list, and look past the people who look like you.

Ask other HoDs and rental houses who's good
Use crew lists, guilds and talent schemes
Take a trainee from a scheme, and give them real work
Try job shares for people who can't do 60-hour weeks

Checks

Check before you book

References from someone you trust
The tickets the job needs: IPAF, PASMA, first aid, a driving licence
Availability for prep, shoot and wrap
Any access needs, so you can plan for them

Crew prepare a camera rig and lights at the back of an open kit van on a residential street. — The crew you book is the crew you work with all day.

The deal

Get it in writing

The production sends the deal memo. Make sure it says what you promised: dates, rate, hours, overtime, kit, credit. Rates come from the agreed card, not from you.

Pencil means hold, not booked. Release people when you stop needing them
Status (PAYE or self-employed) is the production's call, by HMRC's rules
Box and kit rental goes on its own line

Letting go

When it isn't working

Talk early. Most problems are a missed brief, not a bad person.

Say what's wrong, what good looks like, and by when
Write down what you agreed
If it still isn't working, go to the production manager. They handle the contract
Never sack someone on the floor or in front of the crew
Never let someone go for raising a safety or bullying concern

Sources