Why production internet is different
Most businesses download far more than they upload. A production flips that around. Every shooting day creates media that has to leave the building: rushes or proxies for the editors, stills for publicity, documents and call sheets for a crew that changes daily. The upload figure, not the download, decides whether the office keeps up or whether drives end up in a courier bag.
Productions also move. The production office may stay put for months while the unit shoots somewhere different each week, with a unit base, a temporary office in a hired building, or a studio stage. The internet plan has to cover the fixed office properly, follow the unit with something portable, and end cleanly on a wrap date that often shifts. Our film set WiFi page covers the on-set side.
Upload maths for rushes and proxies
Required upload = data volume ÷ time available. Here 1 GB is taken as 8,000 megabits and the time window is converted to seconds. Volumes are examples; your post team will know the real figures.
| Data to send | Time window | Calculation | Steady upload needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 GB of proxies | 8 hours overnight | 400,000 Mb ÷ 28,800 s | About 14 Mbps |
| 200 GB | 8 hours | 1,600,000 Mb ÷ 28,800 s | About 56 Mbps |
| 200 GB | 4 hours | 1,600,000 Mb ÷ 14,400 s | About 111 Mbps |
| 500 GB | 8 hours | 4,000,000 Mb ÷ 28,800 s | About 139 Mbps |
| 1 TB (1,000 GB) | 10 hours | 8,000,000 Mb ÷ 36,000 s | About 222 Mbps |
These are steady rates with nothing else on the line. Add the office's own traffic, and leave headroom for slower periods.
Worked example: sizing a production office connection
A production office of 40 people. Everyday use first: 40 × 2 devices = 80 devices, and 80 × 0.5 Mbps = 40 Mbps of download. Daily video meetings with post and the studio, say eight people on calls at once, add 8 × 1.5 = 12 Mbps each way. Without any transfers, that's about 52 Mbps down and 12 Mbps up at the busiest moment.
Now the uploads. Post expects about 200 GB of proxies a night, sent in an eight-hour window: about 56 Mbps of steady upload, from the table above. If transfers run overnight they don't compete with the calls; if some have to run during the day, add them together, 56 + 12 = 68 Mbps, plus headroom. Plans often offer only a small share of their download as upload, so a generous download figure can still fail this test. Choose the plan by upload, and the download follows.
Production office internet checklist
Work through this from the day the office address is confirmed.
- Book the connection as soon as the office address is confirmed, before prep starts
- Check what the address supports and how long activation may take; see how long internet takes to connect
- Get upload volumes and transfer windows from post-production
- Choose a plan by its upload figure first
- Find out whether the building has existing equipment or needs a new installation
- Before ordering a new service, check its contract term against the wrap date
- Arrange a 4G/5G router to cover the gap until the fixed service is active
- Plan separate networks for the office, crew, data transfers and visitors
- Plan coverage for every room the office will use, including upstairs or back rooms
- Agree who can change passwords and network settings during the shoot
- Give the network provider the wrap date and pack-down window, and update it if it moves
Separate networks for crew and the production office
One set of equipment can run all of these as separate networks, each with its own name and password.
Production office
Accounts, coordinators and producers, with access to printers and shared drives that crew and visitors shouldn't see.
Crew
Phones and laptops of a crew that changes daily, behind a password that can be shared widely without exposing the office.
Data transfers
The machine sending rushes or proxies, with its own reserved share of upload so overnight transfers finish on time.
Visitors and cast
Agents, visitors and cast get internet access and nothing else, so a borrowed password never opens the office or the transfer machine.
Devices and cameras
Printers, screens and any security cameras at the office or unit base, kept apart from everything else.
Location moves and the unit base
When the unit shoots away from the office, the internet has to travel too. For a day or two at a location, 4G/5G routers are the practical choice: quick to deploy and independent of the location's own network. Plan them realistically. Mobile networks can congest when crowds gather, and mobile upload is limited and depends on the site, so large transfers usually wait for the office's fixed connection.
For a longer stay, such as several weeks in a hired building or at a studio, treat the location as a temporary office: check whether a fixed service can be activated in time, and bridge with 4G/5G until it is. Check mobile signal at each location on the recce, at the time of day you'll be there, and note where a router can sit with power and a clear view. Studio WiFi hire covers stage-based shoots.
Wrapping out the network
The end of a production is as busy as the start. Plan the network's wrap alongside everything else.
Confirm the wrap date early
Give your network provider the planned wrap and office closing dates, and tell them as soon as either moves.
Finish transfers first
Make sure the last rushes and documents are sent and confirmed before the connection or the network comes down.
Clear devices
Remove production networks and passwords from devices that stay behind, and sign out of shared accounts.
Pack down and return equipment
Count hired equipment against the delivery list and pack down in an agreed order.
End or transfer the service
Arrange the end of any new internet service in line with its contract term.
Where to get help with production internet
If the office address is confirmed and the shoot is weeks away, there's time to get a fixed service in and plan the networks properly. If prep starts next week, the order of the day is a 4G/5G bridge, a fixed service ordered at once, and networks built so the switch-over is a change at the router. Temporary internet explains how we choose between those options for a given address.
Questions people ask
How much internet does a film production office need?
Size a production office by upload first. Divide the data you need to send each night or day by the hours available: 200 GB in eight hours needs about 56 Mbps of steady upload. Then add everyday office use, about 0.5 Mbps per active device, and video calls at about 1.5 Mbps each way. Leave headroom on both figures.
How early should a production book internet?
Book as soon as the production office address is confirmed. A new fixed internet service can take from a couple of business days to several weeks to activate, depending on the address and existing equipment. A 4G/5G router can bridge the gap, but its upload is limited, so the fixed service should be in place before the shoot starts sending rushes.
Can you upload rushes over 4G or 5G?
Small amounts, sometimes. Mobile upload is limited and varies by site, and mobile networks can congest when crowds gather, so large rushes or proxy uploads over 4G/5G are slow and unpredictable. Most productions send large transfers from the production office's fixed connection and use 4G/5G on location for email, call sheets and smaller files.
What internet do you need on a film set?
On location, most productions need email, call sheets, messaging and small file transfers for the unit, usually over 4G/5G routers placed where signal is strongest. Large uploads normally wait for the production office. A longer stay at one location or studio may justify a fixed service, provided it can be activated in time.
Should crew and production office share WiFi?
Better not. Give the production office its own network with access to printers and shared drives, the crew a separate network whose password can be shared widely, and data transfers their own reserved share of upload. Visitors and cast can have a network of their own. One set of equipment can run all of these separately.
What happens to production internet at wrap?
At wrap, finish and confirm the last transfers, remove production networks and passwords from devices that stay behind, pack down and return hired equipment, and end any new internet service in line with its contract term. Giving your network provider the wrap date early, and updating it when it moves, keeps the pack-down orderly.
Sources
Planning figures on this page are starting points. Every network is confirmed against the actual site.
