An office for the length of a shoot
A production office is a company that exists for months, not years. It needs to be working the week the crew starts, often in a building that was empty the week before, and it needs to disappear cleanly when the production wraps, with nothing sensitive left behind on a laptop. We set up and run IT for production offices, temporary studios and events across London.
What we set up
Macs ready to work. We specify the machines, the production orders them through its Apple Business Manager account or hires them, and we enrol them in device management with Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Avid or the office apps each role needs. A coordinator and an assistant editor get different set-ups from the same order.
Accounts for the crew. Email, shared drives and logins for everyone joining, created in batches as the crew grows, with access matched to their department. When someone's contract ends, their access ends with it.
Network and Wi-Fi. A temporary network for the office or studio, with crew and guest Wi-Fi kept apart. If the building's line is not ready, a temporary 4G or 5G connection keeps the office running. See rapid office deployment for how we set up a space quickly.
Shared storage. Fast storage for rushes and edit projects where the production needs it, with backups and a copy off site. Our network attached storage page has the detail.
Security that suits the content. Unreleased material is valuable. Macs are encrypted, sharing is limited to the people who need it, and studio or distributor security requirements are built in from the start.
Printing and the small things. Printers, scanners and meeting room screens set up so the office works like an office from the first day.
How it works
Before prep. We agree headcount, departments, locations and dates, and write the specification and shopping or hire list.
Prep week. Network, storage and the first wave of Macs set up, with accounts ready for the people starting first.
During the shoot. Support through the helpdesk and on site in London Zones 1 to 3, with new crew added as they join. Standard support runs Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00; cover beyond that for a shoot or delivery week is scoped and quoted separately.
Wrap. Every device recovered, data moved to its final home or handed to post-production, and machines wiped before they are returned, reissued or sold. Accounts are closed and the network taken down.
Why Stabilise
We specialise in Apple, and production runs on Macs. We look after film and TV production companies and post houses, so the set-up follows how productions work, from greenlight to delivery. Our Mac MDM guide for film production goes into more depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you set up a production office? Once the Macs and kit have arrived, the office itself can be ready in a couple of days. Ordering is usually the longest part, so talk to us as early in prep as you can.
Do you supply the Macs? No. We specify them, the production buys or hires them, and we set them up.
Can you handle crew on hired or personal Macs? Yes. Hired Macs are enrolled like owned ones. Personal Macs get access to what they need through the company login, without full device management.
What happens to the footage at wrap? It goes where the production agreement says: to post, to the distributor's storage or to archive. We copy it, check the copy, and then wipe the machines.
