Night Shoot Premium for UK Film and TV Crew

Updated June 2026 · Based on current BECTU HETV and Feature Film agreements

Shooting through the night? Under BECTU HETV agreements, working past 23:00 affects how your hours are paid, but it is not a simple flat uplift. The hours are split into three separate calculations: ordinary overtime, enhanced overtime, and night work payment. Under Feature Film agreements, working past midnight triggers a flat-rate night premium fee. Check your specific agreement to see which applies.

HETV: Three buckets for post-23:00 time

Under the BECTU/PACT HETV agreement, time worked after 23:00 is not paid at a single rate. It is split into three separate calculations based on whether the time falls within overtime, and if so, which type:

• Ordinary overtime (1.5T): Overtime worked before 23:00. Paid at one and a half times your base hourly rate. For most roles, this is subject to a minimum of £35 per hour and a maximum of £70 per hour.
• Enhanced overtime (2T): Overtime worked after 23:00. Paid at double your base hourly rate. Subject to a minimum of £35 per hour with no maximum cap.
• Night work payment (1T): Scheduled shooting hours after 23:00 that are not already paid as enhanced overtime. Paid at your base hourly rate. Applies to time within your standard day that falls after 23:00.

The agreement does not permit the same minute to be paid twice. If a minute is counted as enhanced overtime, it cannot also be counted as night work.

Feature Film: flat-rate night premium

Under Feature Film agreements, the approach is different. If your day includes any work past midnight, you receive a flat-rate night premium fee added on top of your standard day rate. This is not an hourly uplift. It is a single fee regardless of how many hours fall after midnight. Check your specific agreement for the amount.

Exception: 2T on 7th days and bank holidays

On a 7th consecutive day or a bank holiday, all overtime is treated as enhanced overtime at 2T regardless of whether it is before or after 23:00. The ordinary overtime rate of 1.5T does not apply on these days.

Night premium vs overtime

Night premium and overtime are separate calculations. You can hit both on the same day:

• Overtime: Triggered by exceeding your standard day length (varies by agreement and day type — SWD, SCWD or CWD)
• Night premium: Triggered by working past 23:00 (HETV) or past midnight (Feature Film)

On HETV, if you are in overtime after 23:00, that overtime is paid at the enhanced 2T rate. If you are still within your contracted hours after 23:00, that portion is night work at 1T (not 1.5T or 2T).

The turn-around tie-in

There is a second uplift tied to night shoots: turn-around. If you wrap after 23:00 and are called back with less than a set number of hours between wrap and next call, you may be owed a turn-around penalty. Under HETV this is typically 11 hours minimum.

Logging your wrap and call times makes it straightforward to check whether the minimum rest period was met.

What CineLog does

CineLog separates your post-23:00 time into the correct buckets automatically based on your logged hours and selected agreement. Under HETV, the app distinguishes between ordinary OT (1.5T), enhanced OT (2T), and night work (1T). Under Feature Film, it applies the flat-rate night premium when your day extends past midnight.

• Tracks your wrap time and OT status automatically
• Applies the correct rate bucket based on whether you are in OT and whether it is after 23:00
• Flags 2T for 7th days and bank holidays regardless of time of day
• Prevents double-counting: the same minute is never paid as both enhanced OT and night work
• Shows the breakdown so you can see exactly what you are owed