What to ask before booking a studio
Ten questions that prevent nasty surprises — power, ceiling height, sound isolation, parking, what's actually included.
Studios are not all equal. A space that photographs well on a booking platform may be inaccessible for a lighting van, have a ceiling too low for overhead rigs, or deliver 13-amp domestic power when your gaffer needs 63-amp three-phase. The questions below prevent the mistakes that waste a day of shooting.
Power
The most fundamental question: what power is available, and where are the outlets?
A domestic or small creative studio typically delivers 13-amp single-phase power — the same as a household socket. This runs a laptop and a few LED panels. It will not run a 575w HMI, a 10K fixture, or any significant lighting rig without tripping the building’s circuit breakers.
Production-scale lighting needs 32-amp (single-phase) at minimum, and ideally 63-amp three-phase for any shoot involving multiple large fixtures. Ask the studio to confirm the available supply specifically. “We have plenty of power” is not a technical answer.
Professional studios like Ealing Studios and Shepperton Studios have generator and three-phase supply as standard. Independent hire studios, even good ones like Aquifer Film Studio Bow or Clerkenwell Studios London, vary considerably.
Ceiling height
The minimum ceiling height for practical lighting is approximately 3.5 metres — anything lower and your lighting stands will be in shot on wide lenses. For overhead lighting rigs, a rigged grid, or any crane/jib work, you need 4.5 metres or more.
Ask for the height at the lowest point of the ceiling, not the average or the peak. Studios with structural beams, ductwork or lighting rigs already in place may have effective working heights lower than their headline figure.
Load-in access
How do your equipment cases get from the vehicle to the studio floor? A small studio with a narrow doorway and a flight of stairs is incompatible with large lighting fixtures and sound equipment. Confirm:
- Door dimensions (minimum 2.1m wide, 2.5m high for most professional equipment cases)
- Whether there is vehicle access to the load-in point
- Whether there is a loading dock, ramp, or level access
- Parking: where do production vehicles sit during the shoot, not just during load-in?
Rebel Loop Studios Glasgow, Aire Street Studio Leeds and Factory Studios Bristol all have usable production vehicle access — verify specifics before committing.
Sound isolation
Most hire studios in the UK are not acoustically isolated. They are not recording studios — they’re spaces where sound is not a primary concern. For drama or anything requiring clean production sound, this matters.
Ask: what can be heard from outside the studio? Is there HVAC noise? Is the building on a flight path, near a road, or above a bar? If you need clean audio, visit the space during business hours and listen.
Meow Studios Edinburgh (meow-studios-southside-edinburgh) and Deansgate Studios Manchester are examples where the studio has addressed acoustic isolation specifically — but this is the exception rather than the rule for small-scale hire facilities.
What’s included
Studios quote a day rate. That rate usually covers: the space, the basic furniture (chairs, tables), and sometimes a basic lighting kit. It rarely includes:
- Expendables (gels, gaffer tape, diffusion)
- Grip equipment (flags, stands, sand bags)
- Sound equipment
- Any specialist technical provision
Some studios include a basic LED panel kit and a few stands in the day rate — this is genuinely useful for small photography or video shoots, but won’t cover a drama production. Confirm the full inventory of included items before comparing rates across studios.
Timing and overtime
Most studios charge for a full day (typically 8–10 hours) whether or not you use all of it. Half-day rates, where available, usually apply to bookings of 4–5 hours or less.
Overtime rates — what you pay when the shoot runs over the contracted end time — vary significantly. Some studios charge 25–50% of the hourly rate; some charge the full day rate again for any overage. Confirm the overtime rate before booking, and build contingency into your schedule.
The cast and crew question
Is there a changing area? A kitchen or catering area? Clean toilets? Adequate heating? These sound basic but genuinely affect production quality and crew morale. A cold warehouse with no facilities for cast to change or warm up between takes adds friction to every hour of the shoot.