2nd AC for hire in the UK
The 2nd AC runs the slate, loads and manages media, marks actors and keeps the camera department organised and moving.
Are you a 2nd ac? Get listed and take work near you
Post the role, your postcode and your rate. The nearest 2nd ac is asked first — within 19 miles, or further for anyone who has said they travel — and if they pass it moves to the next nearest. Nothing is charged unless someone accepts.
Be the first 2nd ac here
No 2nd ac has published a profile yet — the crew side is new. Post your request anyway: it pings everyone online nearby, and if you work as a 2nd ac, set up your profile to be the first listed.
What a 2nd ac does on a shoot
- Runs the slate on every take and keeps the camera reports straight.
- Offloads and labels media and cycles cards and batteries so the camera never waits.
- Sets actor marks, helps with lens changes, and keeps the cases and the truck in order.
Gear a 2nd ac usually needs
Crew and kit are hired separately on Picturental. If the production is supplying the package, these are the categories this role tends to work from.
How hiring a 2nd ac works
- 1
Post the role
Say you need a 2nd ac, where the shoot is, the dates and the rate you're offering.
- 2
The nearest is asked first
The closest 2nd ac gets it alone, and it widens to the next nearest every 60 seconds until someone accepts.
- 3
First to accept takes it
The job locks to them, you swap details, and you rate each other afterwards.
Hiring a 2nd ac
- Do I need a 2nd AC on a small shoot?
- If you are covering several setups a day, a 2nd AC pays for itself in time — media, marks and lenses stop being someone else's problem. On a single-camera interview day, probably not.
- Is a 2nd AC the same as a DIT?
- No. A 2nd AC offloads and labels cards as part of running the camera department. A DIT owns the footage: verified backups, checksums, colour and dailies. Bigger jobs want both.