In short: A studio day costs the space hire plus the crew you book on top. A location day costs the same crew plus travel, location hire, parking, power and the days lost to weather and set-up. A full day in Granary's White Space is £395 +VAT before crew, and a four-person crew is from £1,745 +VAT a day. Price each location line from a quote before you compare totals.
A studio day and a location day look different on a quote, but the crew is usually the same on both. The decision rests on the room, the travel and the days you could lose. Put each cost on the same line, and the comparison is simple.
The studio side
The White Space costs £295 +VAT for a half day of four hours, or £395 +VAT for a full day of ten hours. The room includes the house lighting on the 8-bar grid, grip, a dressing room, a client viewing area, fibre internet, fifteen parking spaces and coffee. Crew is not included, and it is booked on top at these indicative day rates, all +VAT:
- Spark from £350 a day
- Camera operator from £450 a day
- Gaffer from £450 a day
- Sound recordist from £495 a day
- Director of photography from £575 a day
- Director from £750 a day
- Editor from £395 a day
The location side
Price each of these from a quote, not from memory:
- Crew travel, and the time they spend travelling, which is paid time.
- Kit transport and any van hire.
- Location hire and any fee the owner charges.
- Parking, permits and access.
- Power on site, and any generator.
- Catering and welfare for the crew.
- Set-up and strike days, which are often more than one.
- A weather allowance, for any day that is lost to rain or wind.
A worked example
A brand film needs one set, one presenter and a single day on camera, with a camera operator, a gaffer, a sound recordist and a spark.
The crew for the day is £350 + £450 + £450 + £495, which is £1,745 +VAT. That line is the same on both sides.
Studio. The White Space full day is £395 +VAT, plus the £1,745 crew. The total is £2,140 +VAT for the day, with the room, the lighting and the grip included.
Location. The crew line is still £1,745. Add the location lines from your quotes: transport, location hire, parking, power, catering, the set-up day and a weather allowance. Compare the total with £2,140.
If the location total is far above the studio total, the studio is the cheaper day. If the location lines are small and the shot needs the setting, the location may be the right choice. Either way, the decision now rests on the lines that differ.
Common mistakes
- Comparing a studio's space hire with a location's total cost. Put the crew on both sides.
- Forgetting the set-up and strike days on the location side, which often need the same crew.
- Leaving out the weather allowance. A studio cannot lose a day to rain, so the location needs a line for it.
- Forgetting that crew is booked on top of studio hire, and that crew travelling to a studio is paid time too.
- Quoting a location day without parking and travel time for the people who have to get there.
If the shot does not need the outdoors, the studio route is usually the simpler one. If your crew is travelling from London, the barn is about two hours by road off-peak, so put that travel on the studio side as well. Crew who work the barn regularly take most of that line away. For a studio day, studio hire sets out the spaces, and how much a corporate video costs breaks down the wider budget.
Sources
- Granary Digital, Studio hire rate card, read 5 November 2026
Related guides
The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.
Questions we get asked
Is a studio day cheaper than a location day?
It depends on the location costs. The crew cost is the same in both, so the difference comes from the room, the travel, the location fee and any days lost to weather or set-up.
What does a full studio day cost at Granary?
The White Space is £395 +VAT for a full day of 10 hours, and £295 +VAT for a half day of 4 hours. Crew is booked on top at the day rates, and rain rig builds are quoted per production.
What costs do people forget on a location day?
Set-up and strike days, travel time, parking and permits, catering, power on site and a weather allowance. Price each one from a quote, not an estimate.
granary.digital · 01243 884993 · studio@granary.digital · The Old Grainstore, Adsdean, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 9DN · Prices exclude VAT unless marked inc VAT