Plan a shoot
Full-service marine film

We make filming on water possible.

Full-service marine film, on the Thames and across the UK. Film boats, skippers, crew, drones and permits, or the whole production from first call to final footage.
Hire a film boat
Plan a full shoot
MCA Master (Code Vessels <200 GT)  ·  Boatmaster with PLA local knowledge  ·  CAA Operational Authorisation  ·  £10m public liability
Trusted by
  • Prime Video
  • Channel 4
  • BTS
  • 72 Films
  • Stellar
  • Media MICE
  • tda! (The Digital Age)
  • EGOLD MEDIA
  • Surfers Against Sewage
  • Triple B Production
  • Superfly Media
  • Chieftain Training
  • CPBS Marine Services
  • MMS Marine Services
  • DroneScope
  • Drone Motion
  • Craft Films
Got your own crew?

Hire a film boat

Camera boats, drone boats, picture and hero boats, and safety cover, each with a qualified skipper who knows the water. One boat or a whole flotilla.
  • Camera and tracking boats
  • Stable drone launch boats
  • Picture and hero boats of every type
  • Safety boats and water safety crew
See boat hire
Need all of it?

Hand us the whole shoot

Boats, skippers, camera operators, drone operators, runners, safety cover, permits and the plan. We run the water so you can run the shoot.
  • Marine coordination, recces and tide planning
  • PLA, harbour, airspace and location permissions
  • Camera, drone and FPV crews on board
  • Raw footage in 48 hours, same day on request
Plan a full shoot
One company, everything on the water

Three ways we work

Productions

The marine unit behind film, TV, entertainment and commercial shoots. Camera boats, skippers, drones, safety and permits, from a single boat to a whole flotilla.
For productions

Marine businesses

Films, stills and aerials for boatbuilders, dealers, yachts, marinas, ports and workboat fleets, shot from the water by people who work on it.
For marine businesses
Boom operator and camera crew filming a roundtable on the Thames, with the London Eye behind

Film production

If it happens on the water, or part of it does, we make the whole film: the idea, the plan, the boats, the crew and the final cut.
Film production
What we bring

Everything a shoot on the water needs

Multi-camera roundtable shoot on the Thames by Westminster, with a boom, cameras and crew on deck

Film & camera boats

Stable camera platforms and fast tracking boats, crewed by skippers who understand camera angles.

Find out more

Drone on a hatch on the aft deck of a boat in the Pool of London, the pilot standing by the wheelhouse

Drone boats

Clear decks for launch and recovery, with CAA-authorised pilots and visual observers.

Find out more

Picture & hero boats

Yachts, party boats, workboats and classic boats to put in front of the camera.

Find out more

Our RIB on the Thames with the skipper at the helm and the drone crew aboard, heading out for an evening drone shoot

Safety boats & water safety

Safety cover for cast, crew and kit, planned around the tide, the traffic and the scene.

Find out more

Film crew working inside the wheelhouse of a boat on the Thames, the river through the windows

Crew

Skippers, camera and drone operators, FPV pilots, photographers, runners and safety crew, booked as one team.

Find out more

A tug passing the silver shells of the Thames Barrier on a clear morning

Permits & coordination

The PLA, ports and harbours, restricted airspace and the shore-side location permits, handled for you.

Find out more

Drone crew on our RIB catching a cinema drone by hand after dark, with Westminster Bridge and County Hall lit up behind
Qualified people on every boat

Skippered, flown and permitted properly

Producers and safety teams ask for the paperwork. We bring it, along with people who know the river.
  • Skippers qualified to MCA Master (Code Vessels less than 200 GT) and Officer of the Watch (Yachts less than 500 GT), with crew skippers up to 500 GT
  • Every Thames skipper holds a Boatmaster Licence with PLA local knowledge, or the equivalent
  • CAA-authorised drone pilots, with a visual observer where the airspace needs one
  • Safety crew with RYA Safety Boat, first aid and swiftwater rescue certificates, copies on request
  • £10m public liability, professional indemnity, aviation and marine insurance
Our work

Film, TV, music and brands on the water

BTS ARIRANG World Tour on the ThamesProductionsBTS ARIRANG World Tour on the ThamesOur film boat as the drone platform, and our drone crew in the air, for the Thames activation of BTS’s ARIRANG World Tour.Read the job007: Road to a Million, series 2Productions007: Road to a Million, series 2Boats and skippers for 72 Films on series 2 of 007: Road to a Million for Prime Video.Read the jobKid Apollo, i let the sun back inProductionsKid Apollo, i let the sun back inA 30-metre flat-top barge under tow as a moving stage at dusk, for Kid Apollo’s i let the sun back in video.Read the jobThe Glaukos roundtable, filmed on the ThamesOur productionsThe Glaukos roundtable, filmed on the ThamesFive eye specialists around one table, filmed on board as the boat passed Westminster and the London Eye.Read the jobDutch Master – London’s Floating NightclubMarine businessesDutch Master – London’s Floating NightclubCinematic tracking of the Dutch Master party boat as it navigates the River Thames.Read the jobHandcuffed for Channel 4ProductionsHandcuffed for Channel 4Boats and skippers for 72 Films on Handcuffed, the Channel 4 series hosted by Jonathan Ross.Read the job
See our work
What clients say

In their words

“It was a real pleasure working with you and the team. Everything ran so smoothly, and we really appreciated your professionalism and how easy it was to communicate with everyone throughout. If we ever have another project in London in the future, it would be great to cross paths again.”
Dustin Ngo, Video Production Team Lead, Media MICE · The job
“Had the pleasure of using Cinecraft’s boat hire service for a drone job in London back in July and had a fantastic experience. We had a very successful morning filming on The Thames […] Would definitely use them again and highly recommend!”
Ella Goldsmith, EGOLD MEDIA (Google review) · The job
River Thames

The Thames, filmed properly.

The tide, the traffic and the permissions, from Teddington to the Estuary and up the Medway. We know the river and put everything in place, so you can concentrate on the shot. Standing drone permissions around key London sites mean we can move fast where others wait weeks.
Westminster  ·  Tower Bridge  ·  Canary Wharf  ·  Greenwich  ·  Camera boats  ·  Drone light shows
Explore the Thames
Filming on the Thames
Map of the tidal Thames from Teddington to the Estuary, and the MedwayWest LondonCentral LondonDocklands and GreenwichThe Estuary and the MedwayRichmond and KewPutneyBattersea and ChelseaWestminsterLondon EyeSt Paul'sTower BridgeSt Katharine DocksRotherhitheCanary WharfGreenwichThe O2Royal DocksThames BarrierGravesend and TilburySouthendThe MedwayTeddington LockDartford Crossing
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
How it works

From first call to final footage

01

Tell us the shoot

Where on the water, when, and what you need. Boat only, boat and crew, or everything.
02

We plan and permit

Vessels, crew, safety plan and every permission the location needs.
03

We turn up ready

Boats, skippers, crew and kit on the water, on time, briefed.
04

You get the shot

Raw footage within 48 hours, same day on request, or the finished film.
Where we work

Based on the Thames. Working across the UK.

We have worked across the Solent, Poole and Dorset, the Kent coast and the Medway, Essex, the east coast, the Humber and the Bristol Channel. Our boats travel by road, or we source the right vessel locally and bring the crew. Rivers, canals, docks, harbours, lakes, coast and open sea, and Europe on request.
Boat hire locations

Tell us about your shoot

We reply within the hour, 8am to 8pm, 7 days, and quote the same day for most shoots. Already working with us? We are on call day or night.
Plan a shoot
Or call or WhatsApp 020 3039 3931