SPONSOR-A-CREW-MEMBER

The rates below are about the average going rate for each of the featured crew positions on a low budget shoot. The tasks listed are just a few of the things they are responsible for.

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Cinematographer

~ I turn concepts into reality, the director

expresses ideas for her vision and I use the camera to transfer them into something you can see on the screen.

~ I select the appropriate lenses, film stock, and camera equipment package to best achieve the film's unique goals.

~ I am responsible for the technical aspects of the quality of the picture and stay in constant collaboration with the lighting department.

Daily Rate ............................................................. $718
Weekly Rate ...................................................... $4,308
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $21,548

Sound Mixer

~ It is my goal to capture the clearest audio recording the characters' dialogue of the characters on set during each scene as they happen.

~ I detect even the slightest ambient noise that may ruin the take like passing airplanes, leaf blowers, trains, even air conditioning vents and notify the director immediately so he can hold the filming.

~ I am always wearing headphones, so if you walk up to me and start speaking don't worry, I'm not ignoring you.

Daily Rate ........................................................... $518
Weekly Rate .................................................... $1,558
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $7,778

Grip

~ Along with the rest of department, I take care of all the rigging and building and securing everything on set in the safest manner possible. We set the electric team up for success.

~ I raise, lower, tighten, secure, lay down, coil, conceal, and erect things all day so you will see me go up and down ladders all day.

~ I help put the tracks for the dolly in place and then push the camera dolly along them so smoothly that the shot isn't distracting.

Daily Rate ........................................................... $308
Weekly Rate .................................................... $1,848
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $9,248

Gaffer

~ I am the leader of the electrical team. We work hand in hand with the grips. Once they have everything where the Cinematographer tells them to, we go in and deal with gels, diffusion and the actual wattage of the lights.

~ I can be easily identified because I usually have an array of things hanging from my belt like 1) a rope with several different rolls of tape - each with a special purpose and 2) gloves to protect what's left of my fingertips that haven't been singed off by grabbing hot bulbs bare-handed.

~ I take my team in to pre-light each upcoming scene. We can reproduce sunlight, the flicker of a TV, or street lights passing on a car window.

Daily Rate ........................................................... $288
Weekly Rate .................................................... $1,718
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $8,558

Production Assistant

~ I am among the first to arrive on set and the last to leave every day and all the time in between I am to barely be seen and rarely heard.

~ I am at the Assistant Director's beck and call and can be given any number of tasks like distributing walkies to the crew; helping to load and unload equipment from the trucks; sourcing the oddest things from the most unlikely vendors; or keeping an eye on the talent and walking them to their places on set.

~ I may be at the bottom of the totem pole, but it's like being in film school on-the-go. I get paid to have an up close, hands on look at how movies are made.

Daily Rate ........................................................... $178
Weekly Rate .................................................... $1,068
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $5,348

Production Office Coordinator

~ I am the Production Manager's right hand in coordinating all of the logistics and personnel involved in the film. We know where every thing and every person is at all times. Similar to the man at the circus who has to keep the spinning plates up in the air - organization, multi-tasking and timing are my strongest skills.

~ I have been known to arrange the exact time & place delivery and receipt of catered food, animal "talent", equipment, vehicles, cranes and supplies all in one day.

~ I also take care of some accounting duties on the crew's behalf. At some point in every day, I am either sorting per diem, signing out petty cash and reconciling receipts for the whole production, preparing expense reports or distributing paychecks.

Daily Rate ........................................................... $228
Weekly Rate .................................................... $1,368
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $6,848

Hair or Make Up Stylist

~ I attend to anyone who will be shown on screen. That means I start with their natural appearance and make them look older, younger, like a princess or a meth addict according to what the film calls for.

~ I tend to fall into the role of temporary best friend for the star. I listen to, encourage, pamper, cater to and sometimes even make excuses for the star to buy time (much to the director's chagrin).

~ I sometimes have to walk the tightrope with bigger stars between what is needed for picture and what they are accustomed to. Thank heavens I have the 3 Ms to keep the talent happy: mirrors, magazines, and menus.

Daily Rate ............................................................. $298
Weekly Rate ...................................................... $1,738
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $10,438

Editor

~ I am locked away in a room with editing machines for up to a few months at a time. I input and organize all of the raw footage before the director and I select the best shots that were captured on set. Then, I arrange them into sequences that best tell the story at hand.

~ I have a reputation for making the magic happen because I have a few tricks up my sleeve to fix a few things that may seem catastrophic, but I can only work with what I am given.

~ I am in charge of many other tasks that include syncing sound (from dialogue to a punch landing to the click clack of a woman's heels on the sidewalk) and overlaying the font for the credits to name a few.

Daily Rate ............................................................. $608
Weekly Rate ...................................................... $3,048
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $15,248

Boom Operator

~ I am the assistant to the Sound Mixer because he can't be in two places at a time.

~ You can always spot me on set because I am the one with my hands above my head throughout the entire take trying to get the mic at the end of my boom pole as close to the actors as possible without letting the tip of it dip into the shot.

~ I help affix the wireless mics to the talent as well as hide other ones around the set so we can capture the best sound without being seen.

Daily Rate ........................................................... $338
Weekly Rate ................................................... $1,988
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $9,908

Assistant Camera

~ I arrive on set a little earlier than the Cinematographer to build, set up and test the camera. When the shoot day is over, I stay behind a little later to disassemble it.

~ I stand right next to the camera and am responsible for pulling focus - the technical term for using the camera to shift the audience's focal concentration from one object (or person) to another in the frame.

~ I learn to anticipate the needs and mood of the Cinematographer and then respond accordingly. Sometimes on smaller crews I follow him around carrying the tripod, the camera bag and some lens options from location to location.

Daily Rate ............................................................. $368
Weekly Rate ...................................................... $2,168
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $10,848

Prop Master

~ I am given a certain budget by the production to acquire, make & manage every prop that is needed in the script.

~ I stay on hand throughout the shoot to provide the appropriate prop at the appropriate time to the appropriate character when they are to be on camera.

~ I then devise a precise system for where the props are kept safely and orderly until they are next needed for picture.

Daily Rate ........................................................... $288
Weekly Rate .................................................... $1,738
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $8,668

Driver

~ I never know if I'll be driving crew members in a 15 passenger van or a tinted SUV with the star or a minivan full of producers. Either way, I am always ready to be sent out with keys in hand.

~ I make sure to have at least 2 alternative routes in mind at all times just in case we run into unexpected traffic or detours even though the production office has given me printed directions and a GPS system.

~ I know the graveyard gas station staff from early morning and after wrap fill ups and I keep a stash of air freshener, bottled water, snacks and on a good day a New York Times and a Star Magazine for my passengers.

Daily Rate ........................................................... $208
Weekly Rate .................................................... $1,248
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $6,248

Craft Services

~ Unlike the catering company, I am an internal courtesy service. I do not provide seated meals on set, but a buffet of snacks and beverages continuously available for the cast and crew to graze as they pass by.

~ I spend at least one day a week restocking my goods at the nearest bulk warehouse. My membership card has more than paid for itself.

~ Throughout the day, I refresh the levels of chocolate, gum, granola, bottled water, cheese & crackers, fruit, soda, PB&J sandwiches, trail mix, veggie platters and mini pastries for example. Anything that will make the perfect grab-and-go snack.

Parking Attendant

~ I stay in contact with the Production Coordinator to obtain a list of the streets for which the production has acquired filming permits. Then I have NO PARKING signs printed with the permit details on them.

~ Two days before the shoot I post the signs up and down the blocks on signs and light poles in plain sight where spaces need to be reserved.

~ 24 hours before the shoot, I return with enough orange traffic cones to hold the entire block(s). I then spend the night in my car and keep an eye on the parking spaces in case someone tries to ignore the signage. As soon as the first crew trucks arrive on shoot day, I am released.

Daily Rate ........................................................... $188
Weekly Rate .................................................... $1,118
Whole Shoot (5 Weeks) ..................................... $5,568