Film Career · Stunts
Stunt Coordinator
Stunts · SAG-AFTRA
- Union
- SAG-AFTRA
- Day rate
- ~$1,100–$2,500/day
- Experience
- 7–14 yrs
What does a Stunt Coordinator do?
The stunt coordinator designs and supervises every stunt, hires the stunt performers, and owns the safety plan for action sequences. On vehicle action they work with the picture car coordinator and SFX on rigs, and they can double as second unit director on action-heavy shows.
What does a Stunt Coordinator make?
- Day rate about $1,100-$2,500, or $5,500-$15,000+ a week, roughly $90K-$300K+ a year.
- Budget tier, action volume, and reputation drive it; A-list coordinators on franchise films exceed these figures.
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) ↗
On the job
- Design action sequences the production can execute safely
- Hire and lead the stunt performer team
- Own the safety plan and run rehearsals to readiness
- Coordinate with SFX, camera, and transportation on rigs and vehicles
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You can design, cast, and choreograph stunts
- You know rigging and stunt safety cold
Soft skills
- You can lead a stunt team
- You put safety above spectacle every time
Career progression
Coordinators come from accomplished stunt performing careers: performer, then key roles like fight captain or rigging lead, then coordinator. The chair extends into second unit directing for those who master shooting action, not just performing it.
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.
- Stunt Performer· 5-10 yrs
~$60K–$300K+/yr
- Assistant Stunt Coordinator· 2-4 yrs
~$60K–$300K+/yr
- Stunt Coordinatoryou are here· peak of the craft
~$90K–$300K+/yr
How do you become a Stunt Coordinator?
This chair is earned through the stunt community: years of performing, specialty skills, and the trust of coordinators who mentor you. There is no outside door; there is the long, real one through the work.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by SAG-AFTRA contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.