Salary Difference Between a Director & Assistant Director

Directors earn their salaries by calling the shots on movie sets.

Though directors and assistant directors call the shots on motion picture sets, their working conditions and salaries are defined by a "higher power": The Directors Guild of America protects the legal and artistic rights of its members, and their creative freedom. Their current contract with production companies defines minimum salaries until June 30, 2012.

Definitions

Though the role of the director as artistic leader of the set is well known, the functions of the many levels of assistant directors may not be. The first assistant director, or AD, assists the director by organizing the crew and equipment, breaking down the script and preparing the shooting schedule. He helps supervise the crew and cast activities. The second AD supervises extras, completes paperwork at the beginning and end of the day, and checks in the cast and crew. She may be also known as the key second AD, if additional filming units have their own unit directors and additional second ADs, who are known as additional second ADs. A "second second" AD is the second AD for the most important unit that is not controlled by the main director.

Directors

Directors receive the same minimum weekly salary whether they are shooting on location or in the studio. Those in motion pictures get $16,508 per week, with a guaranteed preparation period of two weeks, guaranteed employment period of 10 weeks and a cutting allowance of one week. Days worked beyond the guarantee are paid at $3,302 per day. Under some conditions, daily employment is allowed, such as for trailers, promos, talent tests and educational motion pictures. In those cases, daily employment is paid at $4,127 per day.

First Assistant Directors

First ADs earn far less than directors. When working in the studio, they make a minimum $4,481 per week, and when working on a location away from the studio, they make $6,266. In addition, they get production fees, which cover office supplies and miscellaneous expenses. These fees run $830 per week in the studio and $1,021 on location. For daily employment, the wages are $1,120 per day in the studio, and $1,567 on location. Daily production fees are $208 in the studio and $255 on location.

Second Assistant Directors

The key second AD earns less than the first AD. His weekly rates are $3,003 in the studio and $4,195 on location. Production fees run $633 per week in the studio and $830 per week on location. For daily employment, salaries are $751 in the studio and $1,049 on location. Daily production fees run $158 for the studio and $208 on location. For the second second AD, studio rates are $2,835 per week and location rates are $3,962. Daily rates are $709 and $991, respectively. Additional second ADs get weeklies of $1,724 in the studio and $2,420 on location, as well as dailies of $431 and $605 respectively. Second ADs do not get production fees.

References

• Directors Guild of America: DGA Rate Cards 2011 - 2012
• ZenerA Consulting: What are the Duties of an Assistant Directors
• Directors Guild of America: Article 10 of the Basic Agreement