Film Career · Camera
Loader (2nd Assistant Camera)
Camera · IATSE Local 600
- Union
- IATSE Local 600
- Day rate
- ~$350–$950/day
- Experience
- 0–2 yrs
What does a Loader do?
The 2nd AC runs the slate, manages media and camera paperwork, and marks actors. The title loader survives from the film era, when the job included loading raw stock into magazines in a changing tent, a task digital capture retired on most shows.
What does a Loader make?
- Day rate about $350-$950 (Local 600 scale around $44-$52 an hour), or roughly $50K-$130K a year.
- This is the entry rung of the camera department; union status and shooting film versus digital move the range.
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
- Slate every take and keep camera reports accurate
- Manage media cards, batteries, and the camera cart
- Mark actors and assist the 1st AC through lens changes
- Own the paperwork trail from set to editorial
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You can load and manage film or media and run camera reports
- You are organized and precise with gear and paperwork
Soft skills
- You want to learn the camera department from the ground up
- You are reliable and detail-obsessed
Career progression
In IATSE Local 600 the Loader and the 2nd AC are separate rungs: the ladder runs camera trainee or utility, then Loader, then 2nd AC, then 1st AC, and a Loader typically serves about a year before moving up. Both jobs teach the department's rhythm and paperwork spine, and strong assistants are promoted by the 1sts they served.
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.
- Production Assistant· 0-2 yrs
~$35K–$55K/yr
- Loader (2nd Assistant Camera)you are here· 2-3 yrs
~$50K–$130K/yr
~$65K–$180K/yr
- Camera Operator· peak of the craft
~$50K–$200K+/yr
How do you become a Loader?
Camera trainee and utility positions come through Local 600 programs, rental houses, and low-budget sets. Learn the slate, the reports, and the etiquette; the camera department promotes people who make the 1st AC's life easier.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by IATSE Local 600 contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.