Film Career · Production
Script Supervisor
Production · IATSE Local 871 (West) / Local 161 (East)
- Union
- IATSE Local 871
- Day rate
- ~$450–$700/day
- Experience
- 1–3 yrs
What does a Script Supervisor do?
The script supervisor tracks continuity across every take: dialogue as spoken, blocking, props, wardrobe, screen direction, and timing. Their lined script and notes are the editor's map of what was shot. One person holds this entire responsibility on most productions.
What does a Script Supervisor make?
- Day rate about $450-$700, or $2,800-$4,200 a week (IATSE Local 871), roughly $70K-$130K a year.
- Market and budget tier drive 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
- Line the script and log every take with coverage details
- Track continuity: action, dialogue, wardrobe, props, and eyelines
- Watch screen direction so cut-together shots will match
- Deliver daily notes that editorial can navigate blind
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You can track continuity, timing, and coverage in detail
- You know what the editor will need
Soft skills
- You are hyper-observant and organized
- You are diplomatic and always watching
Career progression
Many script supervisors train under working ones as trainees or assistants, then take small productions solo. It is a single-chair craft, so reputation spreads through directors and editors who trust your notes.
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· 1-3 yrs
~$35K–$55K/yr
- Script Supervisoryou are here· craft peak
~$70K–$130K/yr
How do you become a Script Supervisor?
Study the craft formally or apprentice with a working supervisor, then supervise anything: shorts, indies, web work. A director who never got burned by your notes is the reference that books the next show.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by IATSE Local 871 (West) / Local 161 (East) contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.