NEW: FILMBASE INFLATION CALCULATOR

Is your rate keeping up with inflation? Productions often tell crew that rates can't rise because "rates are unrealistic" and "we'll price the UK out of the industry". But inflation has climbed faster than usual these past few years, so is it productions who are out of step rather than crew asking for too much?

£1,500 in 2020  =  £1,981 today UK prices have risen roughly 32% since 2020 (ONS CPI data). If your rate hasn't moved, then it has effectively been cut. The average yearly increase in that time was 4.29%, but with compounding, that becomes 32% over 6 years.

We wanted to know where we really stand with rates, so we've created a brand new Inflation Calculator to show what a rate from any year is actually worth today.

Enter what you were paid a few years ago, and see the real, inflation-adjusted figure for today. Use it the next time you're negotiating!

Here are a couple of examples:

Year paid	Rate then	Equivalent today
2016	£1,250 / day	£1,795 / day
2020	£2,000 / day	£2,641 / day

The inflation calculator uses Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation data from the Office for National Statistics. The CPI tracks price changes of around 700 everyday goods and services.

Try the NEW inflation calculator →

INDUSTRY NEWS

Industry snapshot

The latest Netflix news comes via an interview in Screen Daily with the Director of UK Film at Netflix, Ollie Madden. He commented that "access to finance and access to distribution is arguably harder than it's ever been" but that Netflix plan to do four British films a year going forward. This will be in addition to any TV productions they have planned.

Channel 4 has announced plans to cut 340 roles by the end of this year, around 28% of its workforce, as part of a wider restructuring aimed at reducing non-programming spend and putting more of its budget on screen.

On the ground, a few really experienced crew members have told us recently that this year has been the toughest they've ever experienced. We hope that you're doing okay, but if you've also been out of work for a while, a reminder that the Film and TV Charity can provide a Stop Gap Grant. If you're able to use the time to train, ScreenSkills can provide a bursary. If you need help with travel costs, to get to a course or job interview, the 15 Mile Fund may be able to help.

On a more positive note, the UK and Canada have signed an updated co-production treaty, though it still needs to be ratified before it comes into force. Under this scheme, filmmakers can access both countries' tax reliefs and credits at once, with a minimum spend split required in each territory. For UK crew, that's likely to mean more joint productions with Canada being greenlit over time, with a meaningful share of production spend required to stay UK-based.

Looking at smaller budget productions, there are still a reasonable number of productions being made, often in the regions. This BBC article announces a push to make Bristol a larger filming hub, with recent figures showing production spend at Bottle Yard Studios has more than tripled following its expansion in 2022.

We're told by crew that these smaller budget productions are often outside their normal circles of contacts, which is why we encourage all HoDs to advertise for crew using our Crew Request service. We can help extend your trusted network, and find people with the perfect skills for your team.

Request Crew →

FILM SCREENINGS

London Film Festival tickets and Digger world premiere

• Tickets for the BFI London Film Festival are on sale now here, with the festival running from 7-18 October.
• In support of the Film and TV Charity, the film Digger, starring Tom Cruise, will have its world premiere and Royal Film Performance this coming Tuesday 22 September. Tickets can be booked here.

NEXT FILMBASE MEET-UPS

Crew Catch-Up

A regular, informal catch-up for Filmbase members — some over Zoom, some in person. Drop in for a coffee, meet other crew, no agenda required.

ZOOM Thurs 8 Oct — 6.45–7.15pm UK time — Crew Catch-Up: Virtual Drop-In

IN PERSON November, date TBC — Crew Catch-Up: Manchester

Register for the October session →

TRAINING

Crew training courses

Upcoming training courses that caught our eye…

• Stepping up to Art Directing, 3 Nov, with Talking Point
• The Colour Sessions, 4 Nov, with Set Dec Superstars
• Mid-Level Development Programme, Dec-March, with CrewHQ

A huge thanks to all our corporate partners for 2026/27 — Compuhire, Data Reprographics and Palmbrokers — whose support helps us keep Filmbase membership fees as affordable as possible.