At a glance
The boat follows from the shot. A tracking shot alongside a moving boat needs speed and a low deck. A roundtable or an interview needs space, shelter and a steady platform. A drone needs a clear deck to launch from. Tell us what the camera needs to see, and we match the boat to it, to the tide and to the time of day.
A boat carrying a film crew on the Thames is working commercially, and the PLA expects it to be licensed to carry passengers. Every boat we put on the river is. Every Thames skipper holds a Boatmaster Licence with PLA local knowledge, or the equivalent. Between Putney Bridge and the Thames Barrier area that local knowledge is compulsory, and the PLA only tests skippers who have logged at least 60 days on that stretch.
Tell us your budget and we will tell you honestly what it buys.
Clients and directors can watch from the film boat. For bigger crews or busier shoots we add a second boat, or set up on a pier, as a video village with live pictures near the action.
We can pencil a date while you confirm, and a deposit secures it. Dates can usually be moved up to five days before, and if we call a shoot off because it isn’t safe to take the boats out, we agree a refund or a credit note. Paid standby and weather-hold days are available, and the details are set out in your quote terms.
We reply within the hour, 8am to 8pm, 7 days, and quote the same day for most shoots. Then we plan, apply for the permissions and turn up ready. A day on a Thames shoot covers the day itself, and the permissions guide covers the paperwork.
Planning a shoot?Tell us where on the river and when. We reply within the hour, 8am to 8pm, 7 days.
Plan a Thames shootor call 020 3039 3931
