SCENE 01 / CREW HIRING
Crew Hiring Services
Professional film crew recruitment across all departments in Turkey.
Turkey's crew base comes from television. Parrot Analytics ranks the country the world's third-largest exporter of scripted series, after the United States and the United Kingdom, and Turkish trade magazine Episode counted 70 series on Turkish TV in 2023, plus 55 more on digital platforms. Companies such as Ay Yapım, OGM Pictures, TİMS&B, Gold Film and MED Yapım keep stages and locations busy most of the year, mainly in Istanbul, so experienced heads of department, camera crews, gaffers, grips and art teams are concentrated there.
We build crews from that market and hire them on terms that fit Turkish law. Our team checks credits and availability against the dizi calendar, confirms who works comfortably in English, and sets daily hours and overtime against the Labour Law's limits before the first call sheet goes out. Where you bring heads of department from abroad, we fill the rest of each department locally.
Capabilities
Complete Crew Solutions
Access experienced Turkish film professionals across all production departments with proven international credentials.
01
Camera Department
- Directors of photography and operators
- Focus pullers and camera assistants
- DITs and data wranglers
- Steadicam and gimbal operators
- Kit from Istanbul rental houses such as Film Makinesi
Sony Venice 2 to RED Komodo stock in Istanbul
02
Lighting & Grip
- Gaffers and best boys
- Electricians and generator operators
- Key grips and dolly grips
- Rigging crews
- Lighting packages from houses such as STM Sinema
ARRI, Aputure, Nanlux and Briese available locally
03
Production Team
- Line producers and production managers
- Bilingual production coordinators
- Assistant directors
- Location managers
- Drivers and runners
Turkish-English production office
04
Art Department
- Production designers and art directors
- Set decorators and props masters
- Construction crews
- Scenic artists
- Costume, hair and makeup teams
Period-set experience from the dizi backlots
Professional Crew Recruitment
Comprehensive Database
Access to 1,000+ vetted Turkish film professionals across all departments with detailed profiles, credits, and availability status.
Quality Assurance
All crew members verified for experience, professional credentials, and references from previous productions ensuring reliable placement.
Complete Management
Full crew administration including contracts, rate negotiation, payroll coordination, and Turkish labor law compliance.
Recruitment Statistics
Why Us
Why Choose Fixers in Turkey for Crew
01.
We Hire Against the Dizi Calendar
Turkish series shoot most of the year, and the best crew are often mid-season. We check commitments early and get release dates confirmed, so a key grip does not disappear in week two.
02.
Real Facilities, Named Honestly
Istanbul has working stages and backlots: TİMS Hadımköy Film Studios in Arnavutköy (three studios and Old Istanbul sets on a 25,973 m² site) and Beykoz Kundura, a former shoe factory used for film and series since 2005. Post houses such as 1000 Volt and VSI Istanbul handle grading, sound and dubbing.
03.
Hours You Can Defend
Crew report dizi days of 15 to 19 hours once travel is counted. We schedule to the Labour Law's 11-hour daily ceiling instead, which protects your crew and keeps your production clear of the safety and liability risks that long days bring.
04.
Proper Registration
Crew interviewed by the Turkish press describe insurance declared at minimum wage with the rest of their pay in cash. We hire on the basis the actors' union sets out: social security declared on actual gross pay, with the paperwork your auditors will ask for.
Our Hiring Process
Crew Plan
We go through your schedule and department list, mark which roles you are bringing and which we hire locally, and flag dates that clash with public holidays or the 29 October closure of private workplaces.
Shortlist
We put forward candidates with credits, language level and availability. Many are booked on long-running series, so we confirm release dates in writing before you choose.
Terms and Registration
We set daily hours, overtime at the Labour Law's 50% premium, travel time and turnaround, then make sure the hiring entity registers each person with SGK, Turkey's social security institution, on the pay actually agreed.
On Set
We track hours against the 11-hour daily limit and the 270-hour annual overtime cap, arrange crew transport from fixed pick-up points, and replace crew if a series pulls someone back.
On Location
Turkey is the world's third-largest exporter of scripted TV series, and the dizi production line has given Istanbul a deep, experienced crew base that works long seasons.
The volume is real. Parrot Analytics reported that global demand for Turkish series grew 184% between 2020 and 2023, and in 2024 the industry exported more than 300 productions to about 200 countries for more than $500 million. Netflix has commissioned Turkish originals since The Protector in 2018 and announced an Istanbul office in December 2020. That work keeps crews employed and keeps facilities running: TİMS Hadımköy Film Studios and TİMS Akpınar in Arnavutköy, Beykoz Kundura on the Asian shore, where Diriliş: Ertuğrul built sets in a 6,000 m² covered area, rental houses such as Film Makinesi (Sony Venice 2, Burano and RED Komodo, with same-day delivery in Istanbul and invoicing in lira, dollars or euros) and STM Sinema for lighting and grip. Argo spent about two weeks in Istanbul with the city doubling for Tehran. For a visiting production, the result is that most departments can be crewed and equipped locally, and travelling heads of department can slot into an established system.
The working culture needs managing. The law sets a 45-hour week, an 11-hour daily ceiling and a 50% overtime premium, but crew interviewed in September 2026 described contracts written for 12 hours that stretch to 18 or 19 once shuttles are counted, and the Sinema Emekçileri Sendikası (cinema workers' union) reported dizi days of 15 to 16 hours. The actors' union, Oyuncular Sendikası, responded with set-working principles in force since 12 January 2026, drafted at a workshop attended by ILO representatives, which call any day beyond 11 hours unlawful. The actors' union also says performers are, in practice, not treated as employees or insured under SGK's 4/A employee scheme, and one crew member told Evrensel that insurance is declared at minimum wage while the rest is paid in cash. We hire on the legal limits rather than the habit: hours scheduled within 11, overtime paid at the statutory rate, travel time counted, and every crew member registered on the pay they actually receive. That costs more days on the schedule than a dizi would plan, and it is the version that holds up when an insurer, auditor or the rebate's sworn financial adviser looks at the records.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours a day can Turkish crew work?
Labour Law No. 4857 caps the normal week at 45 hours and the working day at 11 hours, even when hours are averaged. Overtime is paid at a 50% premium and cannot exceed 270 hours a year. The Oyuncular Sendikası principles that took effect in January 2026 go further: daily contracts of 7.5 hours, overtime beyond that, and at least 12 hours' rest between shooting days.
Does travel to location count as working time?
The actors' union principles count travel to and from location as working time, citing Article 66 of the Labour Law. On a location day, the shuttle from the Istanbul pick-up point is part of the 11 hours, so we plan base camps and unit moves with that in mind.
Will crew work on public holidays?
They can, but under Article 47 anyone who works a national or public holiday is owed an extra day's wage for that day. Private workplaces must close on 29 October, Republic Day, and the two religious holidays, Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, take out three and a half and four and a half days respectively. We build those dates into the crew budget.
Can crews work in English?
Heads of department who have worked on international shoots usually do, and some rental houses, including Film Makinesi, advertise English-speaking support. Turkish remains the working language on most sets, and Turkey sits in the 'Low' band of the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, so we staff bilingual coordinators and assistant directors to bridge departments.
Related Services
Productions in Turkey that need this often pair it with Local Fixer Services, Talent Coordination Services, and Union & Non-Union Talent Management for full coverage. Most projects also draw on Pre-Production Services and Talent Coordinator.
On Set
Ready to Build Your Crew?
Access Turkey's best film professionals with our comprehensive crew recruitment services.