London · Guide for photographers and filmmakers
“Most shoots go wrong before anyone picks up a camera.”
You can shoot a small commercial on London's streets without a permit, if your crew is five or fewer and you don't block the pavement. Parks, the Tube and private venues all need permission. This guide covers the whole plan for a brand shoot in London: getting a usable brief, where you can film, three lighting setups, a half-day schedule and the files your client will ask for.
A three-hour hotel shoot · Code8 Beauty, London
01 · The brief
Get a brief you can actually shoot
Clients often send a mood, not a brief. Before you quote, get these five answers. Send this block to your client and ask them to fill it in.
Product: what we're shooting, and how many items need their own hero shot.
Where it runs: Instagram, TikTok, website, paid ads, in store, billboard.
One sentence: what should someone feel or do after seeing it?
References: three images or videos they love, and one they don't.
Usage: organic only, or paid media too, and for how long.
Usage is the line photographers skip and regret. Models and music are priced by usage, and so is your own licence: "paid ads for a year" is worth far more than "Instagram only". Agree it in writing before the shoot.
02 · Permits
Where you can shoot in London, and what each place needs
| Location | What you need |
|---|---|
| Public streets | No permit for a small crew (five or fewer, including talent), handheld, not obstructing anyone. Tell the borough's film service anyway. Westminster is stricter. |
| Royal Parks | A paid licence for any commercial shoot, including social media content. Central parks start at around £1,100 + VAT for a small crew (2024 rate card). |
| The Tube and stations | Prior permission from the TfL film office, booked weeks ahead with a brief and insurance. Off-peak only. |
| Hotels, shops, restaurants | The owner's written OK and a location release. Ask for a quiet weekday morning: usually cheaper, and the light is softer. |
Sources: Film London, advice for small crews · The Royal Parks, filming and photography · TfL, filming on the network. Rules change, so check before you book.
A hotel is often the easiest "big" location in London. The Code8 Beauty campaign with Kelly Rutherford was filmed in a London hotel bar in three hours: warm practical lamps, wood and brass already in frame, and no permit to chase.
03 · Size
Match the shoot to the job
The most common waste is booking a full day for a small job, or squeezing a campaign into a morning. Three sizes cover almost every brief:
| Shoot | On set | Good for | Worked example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social ads | Half day | Several short vertical ads from one setup | IBV Gold: ten ads, shot on an iPhone 17 Pro kit because they live on phones |
| Product film | One day | A hero film plus details and cut-downs | Aspinal of London: leather and hardware details, then the bags out in the city |
| Beauty | Three hours to one day | Talent, styling, one strong location | 111SKIN: texture and skin, where the finish matters more than any camera move |
Rule of thumb: one location and one look per half day. Every extra outfit or room costs roughly an hour of resetting light and hair.
04 · Light
Lighting setups you can copy
One light, big and soft
A single LED (the Code8 shoot used one Aputure 300D) through a large diffuser, slightly above eye level and to one side. Let the room's own lamps fill the background. Fewer stands means faster resets and more takes.
Double diffusion for skin
For beauty close-ups, add a second layer of diffusion between the softbox and the face. You lose some brightness and gain skin that needs far less retouching.
London daylight, used properly
Shoot streets in open shade or overcast light, and keep the sun behind your talent. The Staccato footwear campaign was shot this way in natural light.
Move slowly, not often
A gimbal like the DJI RS4 Pro gives slow, controlled moves that read as expensive. Three good moves per scene beat ten nervous ones.
05 · The day
A half-day schedule that works
08:30 Crew in. Light the first setup while hair and makeup start.
09:30 Talent on set. Hero shots first, while everyone is fresh.
11:00 Details and product shots (talent can rest or change).
11:45 Vertical versions and anything for social.
12:30 Wrap. Check the footage is backed up twice before anyone leaves.
Put the shots you can't live without first. If the day runs late, the nice-to-haves drop, not the hero.
06 · Delivery
Deliver the right shapes
| Where it runs | Shape |
|---|---|
| Reels, TikTok, Stories | 9:16 vertical |
| Instagram and Facebook feed | 4:5 |
| Website and YouTube | 16:9 |
Find out every shape before the shoot. To get vertical and horizontal from one take, keep the product in the centre third of the frame. Cropping a horizontal film to vertical afterwards often cuts the product in half.
07 · Avoid
Four mistakes that cost money
Usage agreed after the shoot
Model, music and licence fees jump when an organic film becomes a paid ad. Settle it in the brief.
No location release
Without written permission from the venue, the footage can be hard to use in advertising.
A park shoot with no licence
Commercial shoots in the Royal Parks need a licence, including content for social media. Book it, or pick a street.
Too many products for the time
Ten products in a half day means ten rushed shots. Pick three heroes and shoot the rest as a group.
Watch
London shoots on film
Aspinal of London
Kelly Rutherford x Code8, behind the scenes
Code8 Beauty campaign, behind the scenes
A simple corporate shoot set-up
More guides
Keep reading
FAQ
Common questions
Do I need a permit to shoot a commercial in London?
Not on public streets if you are a small crew of five or fewer, handheld, and not obstructing anyone, though you should tell the borough film service. Royal Parks, the Tube and private venues all need permission.
Can I shoot in Hyde Park or Regent's Park for a brand?
Only with a paid Royal Parks licence. It covers commercial work including social media content, and the fee depends on crew size and hours.
How long does a commercial shoot in London take?
Half a day for a set of social ads, one day for a product film, and three hours to a day for a beauty shoot in one location. The Code8 shoot took three hours and was edited in one day.
Which video formats should I deliver?
9:16 for Reels, TikTok and Stories, 4:5 for the Instagram feed, and 16:9 for websites and YouTube. Agree them before the shoot so the framing works for all of them.
Written by Joshua Swain, who shoots beauty and commercial work in London and Dubai. See the portfolio.