A soundstage gives you control.
A Hackney warehouse gives you control, character and a finished visual language before the first light goes up.
That difference matters in 2026. Production teams are looking for filming locations in London that can do more than provide four walls. They need texture. Flexible layouts. Space for crew, kit and talent. A location that already looks like something.
For music videos, fashion films, commercials and editorial campaigns, a raw industrial space often makes more sense than a blank soundstage.
At @38, you get a dark industrial location in Clapton E5 with dramatic coloured lighting, exposed brick, dark wood and full exclusivity.
From £600 for a half day, up to 4 hours.
Why Hackney warehouses work for modern productions
Hackney has the surfaces production teams usually spend time and money trying to recreate.
Raw brick. Dark timber. Steel structures. Industrial staircases. Deep shadows. Coloured light.
These details give a frame somewhere to go. They create contrast around talent, product and movement. They make a location feel lived-in without adding a layer of artificial set dressing.
A purpose-built soundstage is designed to disappear. That is its strength. You can create almost anything inside it.
But you also have to create almost everything.
That can mean:
- Set construction
- Scenic painting
- Surface dressing
- Additional lighting
- Prop sourcing
- More prep days
- More crew time
- More budget before the camera rolls
A warehouse location starts further ahead. You can still bring your own elements, but the space already has a point of view.
The cost comparison: warehouse hire versus a soundstage
There is no single rate for a London soundstage. The cost changes depending on size, rigging, sound control, technical support, access and the production schedule.
The same applies to warehouses.
Recent Hackney listings show industrial filming spaces ranging from around £40 to £220 per hour, depending on the size and specification. Some larger or higher-spec spaces list day rates from approximately £700 to £1,600.
The headline hire rate is only part of the calculation. You also need to consider the costs around the space.
A blank soundstage may require:
- Set-build days
- Strike days
- Scenic materials
- Additional dressing
- Storage
- Rigging and lighting support
- Overtime
- Extra technical services
A warehouse may reduce some of those costs because the location itself is already doing visual work.
That does not mean every warehouse is cheaper for every production. A soundstage remains the better option when you need precise sound isolation, a controlled climate, large rigging grids or a fully neutral environment.
The question is not simply, “Which location has the lowest day rate?”
It is:
What does the space save you elsewhere?
At @38, the main floor is available for £600 for up to 4 hours or £1,100 for up to 8 hours. You get exclusive access to the main floor, dramatic colour wash lighting, track lighting, power throughout and a dedicated studio room for talent or changing.
No set build required.
See the full shoot hire details at @38.
Built-in texture for music videos
A music video location in London needs to hold attention quickly.
There is no time for the background to feel empty. The frame needs depth. The light needs somewhere to land. The environment needs to support the artist without competing with them.
Industrial spaces are useful because they offer contrast naturally.
A performer can move from a dark wood floor into a red-lit corner. A close-up can use exposed brick as texture. A wider performance shot can use the scale of the main floor. A product or fashion detail can sit against a cleaner section of the space.
You can change the look without changing the location.
That is useful when a treatment calls for multiple visual worlds. It is also useful when the schedule is tight and you need to keep the camera, crew and kit moving.
At @38, the available environment includes:
- Raw brick walls
- Dark wood floors
- Industrial surfaces
- Purple, red, teal and blue lighting potential
- A DJ booth backdrop
- Track lighting for your own equipment
- Power throughout the main floor
- A studio room for talent and changing
One booking. Multiple looks.
More room for crew, kit and movement
A location can look good in photographs and still fail on the day.
The crew needs space to work. Talent needs somewhere to prepare. Lighting needs room to move. Production needs a clear way to bring equipment in and out.
This is where warehouse-style locations often beat smaller studios.
The @38 main floor has a 170-person capacity. That does not mean you need 170 people for a shoot. It means the space has room to support a serious production without forcing every department into the same corner.
You can build a practical workflow around the shoot:
- Camera and lighting in the main floor
- Talent holding in the studio room
- Equipment storage away from the active set
- Outfit changes without stopping production
- Multiple setups within one booking
- Space for agency, client and production teams
Parking is available by arrangement for equipment vans.
Access begins from 08:00, Monday to Sunday. That gives you more flexibility for early call times, long production days and content schedules that need to move quickly.
Before booking any filming location in London, ask practical questions first:
- How does equipment enter the space?
- Is there enough power for your lighting plan?
- Where will talent change?
- Can the crew move between setups without resetting the whole room?
- Is another booking happening in the building?
- How much time will you lose dressing a blank environment?
A strong location answers those questions before the shoot starts.
Flexibility without losing exclusivity
Production teams do not always know exactly what the final day will look like.
A campaign may need stills as well as motion. A music video may add behind-the-scenes content. A fashion shoot may require a second styling direction. A brand may want to capture a month of social content in one session.
A flexible filming location lets you adapt without booking several different spaces.
@38 offers full exclusivity during your booking. Your shoot is the only shoot taking place on the main floor.
That matters.
You can leave a lighting setup in place while the next look is prepared. You can use the space without working around another team. You can make noise, reset and move at the pace of your production.
For a full day, the main floor is available for up to 8 hours. For shorter productions, the half-day rate gives you up to 4 hours.
For recurring campaigns, multi-day packages are available by enquiry.
When a soundstage is still the right choice
Warehouses are not a replacement for soundstages in every situation.
Choose a soundstage when you need:
- Strict sound isolation
- Full climate control
- Large-scale VFX work
- A neutral space with no existing visual character
- Complex rigging infrastructure
- Maximum control over every surface in frame
Choose a Hackney warehouse when you need:
- A finished industrial aesthetic
- Fast setup
- Several looks in one location
- Room for performance and movement
- A location for music video production
- A fashion or editorial backdrop with natural character
- Less time spent building the world around the camera
The best location depends on the brief.
If your production needs a dark, textured, urban look, building that world inside a blank stage may be unnecessary work.
Book a music video location in London
@38 is a raw industrial creative space in Clapton E5.
You get:
- Exclusive main floor access
- 170-person capacity
- Dark wood and raw brick
- Dramatic coloured lighting
- Track lighting
- Power throughout
- Studio room for talent and changing
- Parking by arrangement
- Access from 08:00, Monday to Sunday
- Half-day hire from £600
- Full-day hire from £1,100
Use it for a music video, fashion film, product campaign, editorial, commercial or content day.
Book a shoot at @38 or view the shoot space.
We respond within 24 hours.
Where would you rather shoot?
A controlled soundstage?
Or a Hackney warehouse with the texture already in the walls?
Tell us in the comments below where you would rather shoot : and why. If you have a 2026 production in mind, DM @38 or book directly at at38.org.
Clapton · Hackney · London E5.
Go make something with a bit of weight to it.
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