Joining a Film Union · IATSE Local 600, Cinematographers Guild
Camera: how to join IATSE
The camera department owns the image: operating the camera, pulling focus, managing the media, and running the crane, drone, and remote heads. It's IATSE Local 600, one national local, and days on covered productions, verified through Contract Services, are what put you on the roster.
Good to know
Unlike most IATSE crafts, camera is one national local, ICG Local 600, so you carry the same card whether you shoot in Los Angeles, Atlanta, or New York. Your covered days are verified through Contract Services, and in roster regions it pays to document them early, since the experience roster gates much of the hiring.
Roles in this craft
The jobs that make up this craft, each with its own page on pay, the day-to-day, and how to break in.
How to join, step by step
Know your union
- Camera is ICG Local 600, one national local, so the same card works in LA, Atlanta, or New York.
- It covers DP, operator, AC, DIT, and more.
Build skills and gear knowledge
- Learn the bodies, lenses, and workflow as a PA, loader, or trainee on smaller shows.
- The AC and DIT tracks reward precision and reliability more than a reel.
Work covered days
- In LA, covered days register with Contract Services (CSATF) toward the Industry Experience Roster; elsewhere, apply to the local.
- Right-to-work states like Georgia let you build those days as a non-member.
Roster and join
- Enough documented days puts you on the roster and lets you join Local 600.
- Keep call sheets and pay stubs for verification.
What you’ll need
- 30 union days (past year) or 100 non-union days (past 3 years) in your classification
- W-2 payroll records or signed employment-verification letters
- Initiation funds (~$5,000+, varies by classification)
Find your local
IATSE Local 600, Cinematographers Guild membership runs through a local for your market. Look up the one that covers where you work on the union’s site.