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GAFFER Rates

2025

Isaac Newman

Contact:
Email: me@isaac.uk.com
Phone: 07831845505
Website: isaacnewman.com/lighting

Thank you for your interest! Below are my 2025 Creative lighting technician Gaffer rates, including equipment packages and overtime details. This information is provided to help with budgeting and discussions with line producers.

Standard Gaffer Rates (Excluding VAT & Expenses)

  • £520/day – Gaffer only (no equipment or grips)

  • £500/day – Recce and pre-production (lighting plans, tech requirements)

  • £900/day – Gaffer with small equipment (for smaller shoots)

  • £1350/day – Gaffer with basic equipment & grips (see example Equipment List-1 below)

  • £1500-£2250/day – Gaffer with larger equipment/grips & lighting (see example Equipment List-2 below), depending on project requirements

Overtime Policy (Based on APA 10+1 Overtime Rule)

  • Standard Working Hours: 10 hours (including a 1-hour unpaid lunch break)

  • Overtime Rates:

    • 1.5x standard rate for the 11th hour

    • 2x standard rate for hours beyond the 11th

    • Billed in 15-minute increments after the 10th hour

Example Equipment Packages Equipment List1

All-in £1350 (Included with day rate)

Lighting/cutting grip

Rags, Flags, Reflectors, Cutters

  • Flags varying sizes and cutters and cookies inc 1/2 stop negative fill cutters and 1 stop flags.

  • Lightbridge equivalent CRLS silver reflectors include suction cups and safety wire lanyard carabiners in multiple sizes and reflection qualities.

  • 4 x black and white 4' square Floppies

  • 2 x 4' square trace frames

  • 2 x LCA 6' silk and bounce frames inc 1/2 stop negative fill netting, silk diff, and full diff

  • 6’x6‘ silver and white cloth and LCA frame

  • 6’x6‘ Silk and half frost LCA frame

  • 6’x6‘ Egg crate 50 degree Grid Fabric

  • 10ftx10ft white and silver Cloth and LCA FRAME

  • 12ftx12ft 1/2 Half diff Lite Diffusion Silk

  • 12ftx12ft Black Backdrop Cloth Inc. LCA FRAME

  • 9ftx10ft Black Backdrop Cloth Inc. LCA FRAME

  • 6ftx6ft 1/2-Stop Black Gauze Net Backdrop Cloth Green edge

  • 8ftx8ft 1-Stop Black Gauze Net Backdrop Cloth Red edge

  • 12ftx12ft 1/2-Stop Black Gauze Net Backdrop Cloth Green edge

  • 60 feet Black felt and 2'x12' 12x12 Black fabric

  • 30 feet of white material

  • White net Sheers for windows

  • 2 x12’ Green screen

  • 18’x18’ green screen

  • 1/2 stop negative fill netting inc Lastolights

    Stands

  • 2 x Manfrotto U087 Wind Up 45 max kilo weight capacity - height: 4 metre

  • 2 x Double high risers heavyweight stands 40-kilo max weight capacity 3.7-meter height

  • 1x Manfrotto 269BU super stand 4 section riser max height 4.6 meter

  • 5 x double riser heavyweight stands 3.4 meter

  • 5 x Arri C stands with arms and lazy legs

  • 1 x Manfrotto 142CS Steel Extension 2-Section Riser pole.

  • 3 x turtle stands

    Grip

  • 30 x magic arms and clamps inc 25 baby pins

  • 18 x Avenger/Kupro silver knuckles and Vise grips Inc. junior to baby step-down pins

  • Carabiner/Snap-hooks and grid lighting safety cable fixtures 50kg rating load

  • 3 x 15” coil ground/hurricane stakes

  • 3 x 2.8 Meter Lighting boom and 4 boom weights

  • 4 x Auto poles polecats 

  • 2 x adjustable Wall spreader for overhead rig system

General Modifiers and Distro

  • Softboxes of varying sizes inc additional scrims and honeycombs

  • 16amp and 32 amp Jumper cables splitters

  • 13 amp -16 amp splitters and cables

  • 20 meters 1.5mx0.75m of wire rubber anti-trip mats

  • 4 x 12.5 Kilo weights

  • 8 x Sandbags

  • Smoke machine

  • Haze machine

  • Fine Fullers earth 

  • Fine feathers

Lighting

Large fixtures

  • 1x 2.5K HMI including Ballast (flicker free only using 25fps), weatherproof

  • Creamsource Vortex 8 with snap-bag soft-box honeycomb grid, soft dome and further soft attachments, weatherproof

  • Creamsource Micro Full RGB Pro kit, weatherproof

  • Nanlite 500D with 5-meter header cable

  • Aputure 600 with F10 Fresnel and barn doors

  • Aputure C300D and fresnel and Laofas D120B Deep Parabolic Softbox

Compacts and lightweight fixtures

  • 4* 1.5-metre Nanlite Pavotube II30X with barn doors and egg-crate honeycombs (RGB)

  • 4* 1.5-metre Creative strip lights (Daylight balanced)

  • 1* Amaran F22c is a 2’x2’ lightweight flexible LED mat with a grid and softs (RGB)

  • 2* 1.5' LED light panels with honeycombs

  • 2* Nanlite ForzaB 60 Kit inc V-mount Battery fitting

  • 2* Nanlite ForzaC (RGB) 60 Kit inc V-mount Battery fitting

  • 2* Nanlite FL11 Fresnel Lens for Forza 60

  • 2* Nanlite Projection Attachment Mount for Forza 60 36°Lens complete with Gobo kits

  • A mixture of creative handheld and stick-on LED lights, Aputure Mc’s kits

Tungsten

  • 2*2K tungsten fresnel, weatherproof

  • 4* 500 watt tungsten fresnel,

  • 2* 2.5' Ball lantern lock 500wats-1K 

  • 7* rheostat Dedo lights include 1*glass focus spot, iris shutter, and Gobo holder.

  • A huge mix of lighting gels and softs

  • PRO-DIM 2.5KW Dimmer

Gaffer gear

• 30" boxed Field monitor on a stand, HDMI, and BNC
• 3 *7" portable monitors
• 1 * Directors monitor cage with V-lock plate and wireless transmitter plate.

• 2 kits of Hollyland Mars 4K Wireless Video Transmission ,Hollyland Mars 400 Dual HDMI wireless video transmitter and receiver
• 6* V-loc batteries
• Box of blocks/apple boxes

Example Equipment List 2

All-In £1500-£3000 (Included with day rate)

Includes all kit from above breakdown (In addition to list-2 above)

Lighting/cutting grip/crane/jib

  • 13 x double riser heavyweight stands 3.4 meter

  • 1 x Manfrotto 387XU 3.7 meter height Windup 80 Kilo max weight capacity

  • 3 x 15" coil ground/hurricane stakes including ropes and fixings

  • 3 metre-10 meter Extendable carbon fiber box section lighting Boom/Jib/crane with steel counter-balance-back section, can reach coupled with the Manfrotto 387XU-stand, up to 13-meters height (40 feet ) or 8 meters outreach with 7-meters height) THIS CAN SUPPORT 25 KILO DOWNFORCE FOR 12 BY 12 WHITE OR TRACE FRAME OR A LIGHT

  • 4.4KVA generator

  • 4 x 20 Kilo weights

  • 3m x 3m Aluminium 40 HEX Series Gazebo zip and walled TENT

  • Lightbridge CRLS Lightstream cinematic reflector system

  • Lightbridge CRLS 100-100 - 1 meter square reflector 1 and 2, 3 and 4 the full monty Lighting

Lighting

  • 2x Nanlux Evoke 1200 - equivalent to HMI 1.8 Par or 2.5kw Fresnel - daylight only, weatherproof

  • Nanlux Evoke 900C - RGBACL weather sealed 940w

  • 3 Nanlux Dyno 650 full-colour light banks

  • 1x 2.5K HMI including Ballast

  • 5K tungsten fresnel

  • 2*2K tungsten fresnel

  • 3*1K tungsten fresnel

Further info

Custom Packages: If you have specific lighting/grip needs or are working on a unique project, I can tailor equipment packages to suit your production.

  • Travel & Accommodation: Any travel outside the local area or overnight stays will require covering travel days, accommodations, and a per diem.

  • Equipment Rentals: Additional or specialised equipment not listed here can be hired at cost on a job-by-job basis.

  • Payment Terms: Payment is due within 14 days after project completion.

  • Cancellation Policy: Cancellations made within 48 hours will be charged at 50%, and

    within 24 hours at 100%.

  • Insurance: I carry a 5 million public liability.

    If you have any questions about the rates, equipment, or package that would best suit your production, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to collaborate and tailor solutions to your specific needs.

    Thank you again for your interest!

    Isaac