Film Career · Art
Assistant Production Designer
Art · IATSE Local 800 and craft locals
- Union
- IATSE Local 800 and craft locals
- Day rate
- ~$50K–$450K+/yr
- Experience
- 1–4 yrs
What does an Assistant Production Designer do?
The assistant production designer supports the senior members of the art department, handling the preparation and follow-through that keep the department moving.
On union productions the position falls under IATSE Local 800 and craft locals, which sets the rates, hours, and conditions the role works within. The role is engaged show by show, and careers in art are built on the department heads and crews who hire the same trusted people back.
What does an Assistant Production Designer make?
- This is an entry or assistant chair, toward the lower end of its department's range.
- Art crews are paid by the day or week: assistants and coordinators lower, and art directors and designers into weekly deals of $3,000-$18,000.
- Roughly $50K-$450K+ a year across the department (IATSE Local 800 and craft locals).
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) ↗
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You can design and build sets with craft and budget discipline
Soft skills
- You are reliable, eager to learn, and happy to start at the bottom
- You anticipate what the crew needs and stay a step ahead
The ladder
Related chairs in this craft family, ordered from entry toward leadership:
- 1Assistant Production Designer (this role)
- 2Associate Production Designer
- 3Production Designer
- 4Lead Production Designer
- 5Senior Production Designer
- 6Supervising Production Designer
Career progression
Within this craft family the recognized progression runs from assistant production designer toward supervising production designer, with each step earned through set time and the trust of the chairs above. Where this role sits on that ladder is less important than how the art department works: people move up when the department already believes they can do the next job.
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.
- Assistant Production Designeryou are here
~$50K–$450K+/yr
~$130K–$450K+/yr
~$130K–$450K+/yr
~$130K–$450K+/yr
~$130K–$450K+/yr
~$130K–$450K+/yr
How do you become an Assistant Production Designer?
This is a chair you can target directly: productions staff it from applicants with related skills and from people already working nearby on the crew. Get onto sets in any capacity, tell the department what you want, and be ready when a slot opens.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by IATSE Local 800 and craft locals contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.