Behind the Lens

Film Career · Props

Prop Master

Props · IATSE Local 44 (property craft, LA); Local 52 (NY)

Union
IATSE Local 44
Day rate
~$48–$75/hr
Experience
2–6 yrs
How to join your union View in the set org chart

What does a Prop Master do?

The prop master finds, makes, and manages everything an actor handles: the watch, the letter, the weapon, the meal. Continuity multiples, working hero props, and on-set safety for anything handled all run through the props truck.

What does a Prop Master make?

  • About $48-$75 an hour, or $2,400-$4,500 a week (Local 44 base around $45-$52; keys negotiate above), roughly $85K-$180K a year.
  • Weapons and mechanical-prop complexity and the rate above scale drive it.

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:

On the job

  • Break down the script for every object an actor touches
  • Source, build, and age props with continuity multiples ready
  • Run the props truck and crew through shooting
  • Own handling safety, including weapons alongside the armorer

You’ll like and be good at this job if:

Hard skills

  • You can source, build, and manage every prop, with safety and continuity
  • You know weapons and mechanical-prop handling

Soft skills

  • You are resourceful and detail-obsessed
  • You like the mix of research, craft, and logistics

Career progression

Props careers run from props PA or shopper, then assistant property master, then prop master; in LA the union gate is roughly 2,500 assistant hours plus a CSATF script-breakdown and budgeting test. The craft prizes resourcefulness: masters who can produce the impossible object by Tuesday become directors' security blankets.

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.

  1. Production Assistant· 0-2 yrs

    ~$35K–$55K/yr

  2. Props Buyer· 2-4 yrs

    ~$50K–$450K+/yr

  3. Prop Masteryou are here· peak of the craft

    ~$85K–$180K/yr

How do you become a Prop Master?

Get on a props truck in any role and learn its systems. Backgrounds in fabrication, antiques, or theater props transfer directly. Show a props crew you can find things nobody else can and the promotion path opens.

On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by IATSE Local 44 (property craft, LA); Local 52 (NY) contracts.

Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.