Film Career · Casting
Casting Director
Casting · Teamsters Local 399 (LA) / Local 817 (NY); the CSA is a society, not a union
- Union
- Teamsters Local 399
- Day rate
- ~$3,000–$6,000/wk
- Experience
- 4–8 yrs
What does a Casting Director do?
The casting director finds the actors. They break down the script by role, run sessions, negotiate deals within the casting budget, and present the director with choices. Background casting is its own specialty handled by extras casting companies.
What does a Casting Director make?
- About $25K-$100K+ flat per feature, or $3,000-$6,000 a week, roughly $80K-$250K a year established.
- Teamsters Local 399 covers casting directors in the West; major-feature CDs earn well above.
Film work is gig based, so crew are paid a day or weekly rate rather than a salary. These are realistic 2024-2025 ranges grounded in union rate cards and industry data; actual pay swings with budget tier, market, overtime, and reputation.
Sources & how we estimate pay
Union scale is the floor; the ranges above also reflect market day rates above scale. They are grounded in the following 2024–2025 sources:
Union rate cards & wage schedules
Official guild scale — the floor each craft is paid from.
- IATSE — 2024 Basic Agreement wage scales (PDF) ↗
- IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) — camera rate cards ↗
- DGA — minimum salary rate cards (director, unit production manager, assistant directors) ↗
- WGA — schedule of minimums (writers) ↗
- SAG-AFTRA — theatrical & background rate sheets (cast, stunts, background) ↗
- Teamsters Local 399 — basic feature wage rates, 2024–27 (transportation, locations, wranglers) (PDF) ↗
Government wage data
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the closest federal occupation.
On the job
- Break down the script into castable roles and build lists for each
- Run audition sessions and self-tape reviews, directing actors to useful reads
- Negotiate offers with agents inside the casting budget and schedule
- Present curated choices to the director and producers with a point of view
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You know talent, have an eye for the right fit, and can run auditions
- You can negotiate deals with agents
Soft skills
- You have a deep memory for faces and performances
- You build relationships across the industry
Career progression
The ladder runs casting intern or assistant, then casting associate, then casting director. Associates often run sessions and manage the office for years before going out on their own. Established CDs build companies with their names on them, and television keeps entire casting offices employed season round.
A typical path, from entry to the top of the craft. Times are rough and vary by market, luck, and how steadily the work comes.
- Casting Assistant· 2-4 yrs
~$50K–$250K/yr
- Casting Coordinator· 2-4 yrs
~$50K–$250K/yr
- Casting Directoryou are here· peak of the craft
~$80K–$250K/yr
How do you become a Casting Director?
Get into a casting office in any capacity: internships and assistant desks are the true entry point, and they are gotten by persistence and being useful. Watching hundreds of auditions teaches the eye faster than anything else, and the relationships with agents you build as an associate become your book of business later.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by Teamsters Local 399 (LA) / Local 817 (NY); the CSA is a society, not a union contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.