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How much does studio hire cost? Outside central London, a professional studio runs roughly 30 to a hundred pounds an hour. Central London coves run 2 to 4 times that. Ours: the White Space cove is 295 pounds plus VAT for a half day, or 395 for a full ten-hour day. The Green Space runs from 40 pounds an hour, and the Grain Hopper from 25. Look at the cove again. The full day buys six more hours for a hundred pounds more. If the shot list runs past lunch, book the full day. The costs people forget? Crew, overtime, and VAT. A gaffer starts at 450 pounds a day plus VAT. And the room is often the smallest line on the budget. Granary Digital. A working studio since 2005.
The honest range
In the UK outside central London, a professional photography or film studio runs roughly £30 to £100 per hour depending on size, kit and location. Central London cove studios run two to four times that. Our rates sit in the middle of the regional range: the White Space cove is £295+VAT for a half day or £395+VAT for a full ten-hour day, the Green Space runs from £40/hour+VAT and the Grain Hopper from £25/hour+VAT.
| Space | Rate (indicative, +VAT) |
|---|---|
| The White Space (infinity cove) | £295 half day (4h) · £395 full day (10h) |
| The Green Space (green screen) | from £40/hr · half day £140 · day £260 |
| The Podcast Studio (with engineer) | See podcast.granary.digital |
| The Grain Hopper (events room) | from £25/hr · half day £90 · day £160 |
Indicative, +VAT. The full breakdown, crew day rates and add-ons are on the rate card.
Half day or full day?
Serious studios book in blocks, not hours, because nobody good ever finished a real shoot in two hours. Lighting takes time, resets take time, people take time. Our White Space is a half day (4 hours) at £295+VAT or a full day (10 hours) at £395+VAT. Look at those numbers again: the full day buys you six more hours for £100+VAT. If the shot list runs past lunch, the full day is the only rational booking, and most are.
What is included, what is extra
At a properly equipped studio the hire charge includes the house lighting rig, grip, and the facilities: here that means the 42-channel grid, C-stands, flags, bounce, a dressing room, a client area, fibre internet and parking. Extras are usually specialist kit (flash heads, fog, specific fixtures), consumables (gels, gaffer tape, backgrounds you cut), crew, and anything involving water, vehicles or sets. A studio that quotes a low rate then itemises the C-stands is not cheaper, it just invoices in more lines.
The costs people forget
- Crew. The room is often the smallest line. A gaffer from £450/day+VAT, a DoP from £575/day+VAT, sound from £495/day+VAT. See crew rates.
- Overtime. Studios charge for overruns, ours included. The fix is the planning guide, not a bigger budget: how to plan a studio shoot.
- VAT. Every rate on every studio site is plus VAT. Budget accordingly.
- Travel time. A cheaper studio two hours further away costs you a crew day. Count the drive from where your crew actually lives: for a south-coast team we are fifteen minutes from Chichester and twenty-five from Portsmouth.
How to keep it on budget
Write the shot list first. Book the right room, not the cheapest one. Batch your content so one lighting setup serves many deliverables. And ask the studio what the day will really cost, all in; any studio worth booking will tell you straight.
Car and vehicle shoot pricing
Driving a car onto the stage uses the White Space cove, so a car photoshoot starts at the same £295+VAT half day or £395+VAT full day, plus crew and any specialist lighting. Full cinematic films and fine-art prints are quoted to the car. There is drive-in access through the studio doors; see will my car fit? and the vehicle shoots page.
granary.digital · 01243 884993 · studio@granary.digital · The Old Grainstore, Adsdean, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 9DN · Prices exclude VAT unless marked inc VAT