When your feature or short film production hires crew from the Directors Guild of America, you know your cast and crew are getting top notch expertise. With that level of excellence.comes a lot of terms like, completion of assignment pay, wrap allowance production fees, and other daunting details. So it is not just about the DGA rates alone. Whether you are shooting a feature film or a short film, this article will help guide you through, the information you need to know, when working with the DGA.

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Here is a layout of what you will find in the order of appearance:

DGA Basic Agreement Theatrical Rates Table Directors

DGA Theatrical Director Fringe Rates

DGA Basic Agreement Theatrical Rates Table UPM, AD’s

DGA Basic Agreement Completion of Assignment UPM, AD’s

DGA Basic Agreement UPM, AD’s Fringe Rates

DGA Low Budget Agreement Director Rates Table

DGA Low Budget Agreement Levels 1-3 UPM, AD’s Rates Table

DGA Low Budget Agreement Levels 1-3 UPM, AD’s Other Terms

DGA Low Budget Agreement Level 4 UPM, AD’s Rates Table

DGA Low Budget Agreement Level 4 UPM, AD’s Other Terms

DGA Low Budget Agreement Extended Workdays

Important DGA rates and dates

Latest DGA rates effective July 1st, 2019 and remain in effect until June 30th, 2020. When the subsequent season DGA rates come in we will update our blog.

DGA Basic Agreement Director Rate Table

Basic Agreement is for films with budgets $11 million and over.

Shooting a feature film, Documentary or Short Film? You can always find the latest union rates on our website with our easy Union Rates Search tool.

DGA Rate Card for Film Directors Theatrical Basic Agreement Directors

RATE TYPE AND GUARANTEES

HIGH BUDGET

SHORTS & DOCUMENTARIES

Weekly Salary

$20,113

$14,364

Guaranteed Preparation Period

2 Weeks

2 Days

Guaranteed Employment Period

10 Weeks

1 Week + 1 Day

Guaranteed Cutting Allowance

1 Week

0 Days

Compensation for Days Worked Beyond Guarantee

$4,023

$2,873

Daily Employment Rate Where Permitted

$5,028

$3,591

6th and 7th Days Worked; Holidays Worked

The workweek for Studio locations is 5 days, with the 6th and 7th days off. The workweek for Distant locations is 6 days, with the 7th day off.

Film directors will be paid 1/5 of their weekly salary plus $3,609 for work on a 7th day in a workweek or on New Year’s Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas Day. If compensation is less than $3,609 per day, then they are paid 200% of scale.

If required to work a 6th day studio, Directors will be paid 150% of actual pro rata daily salary or an additional 200% of scale, whichever is lower.

Director Fringe Rates for Basic and Low Budget

Pension & Health Employer Contributions:

Pension Plan 7%, Health Plan 10.5%

Pension & Health Ceilings:

Theatrical: Pension ceiling = $200,000; Health ceiling = $400,000

Unit Production Managers & Assistant Directors Minimum Rates

DGA Rate Card for Theatrical Basic Agreement UPM and AD's

RATE TYPE

UPM

FIRST AD

KEY 2nd AD

2ND SECOND AD

ADDITIONAL 2ND AD

Weekly Studio Salary

$5,740

$5,459

$3,658

$3,453

$2,101

Weekly Distant Salary

$8,038

$7,634

$5,111

$4,828

$2,947

Weekly Studio Production Fee

$1,245

$1,01

$771

Weekly Distant Production Fee

$1,482

$1,245

$1,013

Daily Studio Salary

$1,435

$1,365

$915

$863

$525

Daily Distant Salary

$2,010

$1,909

$1,278

$1,207

$737

Daily Studio Production Fee

$311

$253

$193

Daily Distant Production Fee

$371

$311

$253

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6th and 7th Days Worked; Holidays Worked

DAY WORKED

LOCATION TYPE

WEEKLY SALARY

WEEKLY PRODUCTION FEE

DAILY SALARY

DAILY PRODUCTION FEE

6TH Day

Studio

1.5x ⅕ Salary

1.5x ⅕ Fee

1.5x Daily Rate

1.5x Daily Fee

6TH Day

Distant

Included in Rate

Included

7TH Day

Studio

2x ⅕ Salary

2x ⅕ Fee

2x Daily Rate

2.x Daily Fee

7TH Day

Distant

Extra ⅕ Studio Salary

Extra 1/6 Fee

Extra Dist Daily Rate

Extra Dist. Daily Fee

Holiday Worked

Studio

2/5 Salary

2/5 Fee

2x Daily Rate

2x Daily Fee

Holiday Worked

Distant

2/7 Salary

2/7 Fee

2x Daily Rate

2x Daily Fee

Holiday Not Worked

Studio

1/5 Salary

1/5 Fee

1x Daily Rate

1x Daily Fee

Holiday Not Worked

Studio

1/7 Salary

1/7 Fee

1x Daily Rate

1x Daily Fee

Extended Workday

HOURS WORKED

CONDITION

POSITION

ADDITIONAL PAY

16+

Every 4 hours or portion thereof

UPM

Additional 1 day pay

16+

Every 4 hours or portion thereof

ADDITIONAL 2ND AD

Additional 1 day pay

16+

Every 4 hours or portion thereof

KEY 2nd AD

Additional 1 day pay

16+

Every 4 hours or portion thereof

2ND SECOND AD

Additional 1 day pay

14-16

Hours over 14 less than 16

FIRST AD

Additional 1/2 day pay

16- 20

Hours over 16 less than 20

FIRST AD

Additional 1/2 day pay

20+

Every 4 hours or portion thereof

FIRST AD

Additional 1 day pay

Rest Periods

The rest period is 9 hours, if the rest period is invaded the employee receives ¼ days pay for every hour invaded.

UPM & AD’S Completion Of Assignment Pay

UPMs, 1st ADs, Key 2nd ADs and 2nd 2nd ADs are entitled to an additional week’s salary upon completion of assignment if employed two or more consecutive weeks or 2 1/2 days salary if employed at least five consecutive days but less than two consecutive weeks. COA pay shall be based on actual (including overscale) salary paid, excluding production fee, extended day, and rest period invasion payments, and shall be computed by totaling all compensation earned (including upgrade salaries) and dividing the total thereof by the number of weeks worked.

No COA is paid for a hiatus of at least one week over Christmas/New Years so long as (1) the Employee receives unworked holiday pay for Christmas Day and New Years Day; (2) the hiatus is a maximum of two consecutive weeks; and (3) if on location, the Employer will provide travel to/from location or will provide per diem and housing if the Employer agrees that Employee remains on location.

UPM and AD’s Employer Contributions Fring Rates

Pension & Health Contributions

Pension Plan 7%, Health Plan 10.5%, Vacation 4%, Holiday Accrual 3.719%

Pension & Health Ceilings

Theatrical: Pension ceiling = $200,000, UPM Health ceiling = $350,000, AD’s Health ceiling = $250,000

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Low Budget Agreement Director Rates Table

DGA Rate Card Theatrical Low Budget Directors

LEVEL

BUDGET

<$500K

$500k-$1M

$1M-2.5M

$2.5M-3.75M

$3.75M-5.5M

$5.5M-8.5M

$8.5M-11M

RATE-GUAR.

Weekly Salary

Negotiate

$75K total

$15k

$18,102

Daily Salary

Negotiate

$1,500*

$3,771

$4,525

Guarant. Prep

n/a

Negotiate

2 wks

Guarant. Employ

Negotiate

13 wks

10 wks

Guarant. Cutting

n/a

1 wk

Daily Pay Past Guar.

n/a

Negotiate

$3,017

$3,620

*For Second Unit Directors

Low Budget UPM & AD's Minimum Rates

DGA Rate Card Low Budget Theatrical UPM’s and AD’s

Low Budget Agreement Levels 1 - 3

POSITION

1A <$500K

1B $500k-$1M

2 $1M-2.5M

3 $2.5M-3.75M

UPM

Negotiable

$1,894

$2,870

$3,444

FIRST AD

Negotiable

$1,801

$2,730

$3,275

KEY 2nd AD

Negotiable

$1,207

$1,829

$2,195

ALL OTHER 2AD

Negotiable

$823

$1,051

$1,261

Low Budget Levels 1-3 UPM, AD’s Other Terms

TERMS

1A <$500K

1B $500k-$1M

2 $1M-2.5M

3 $2.5M-3.75M

Production Fee

Not Required

UPM = $25/wk; 1AD & Key 2AD = $25/wk

UPM & 1AD = $200/wk; Key 2AD = $150/wk

6th 7th Day Work-Studio

6th and 7th 1x pay

6th day 1x, 7th 1.5x

6th 7th Day Work-Distant

6th and 7th 1x pay

6th day 1x, 7th 1.5x

Rest Period

Same as Basic

Vacation Fringe 4%

Not Required

Holidays Worked

2x Day Rate

2x Day Rate/Studio Extra ⅕ Studio rate/Distant

Holidays Not Worked

Not paid

Paid if during workweek

Holiday Fringe of 3.719%

Not Required

COA** Pay

Not Required

Same as Basic

Dinner Allowance

$30

Distant Housing

1st Class or Best Avail.

Distant Per Diem

$60

Incidental’s Allow. Distant

Not Required

Mileage in TMZ

None unless cast or crew get

Mileage outside TMZ

$.30/mile

2AD Wrap Allowance

Not Required

Min Prep Time

Negotiable, but no less than needed

7 days 1 AD, 3 days Key 2AD

Aircraft/Water Allowance

Not Required

$180

**COA is Completion of Assignment

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Low Budget Agreement Level 4 UPM, AD’s Rate Table

Low Budget Level 4A $3.75M-5.5M

RATE TYPE

UPM

FIRST AD

KEY 2nd AD

2ND SECOND AD

ADDITIONAL 2ND AD

Weekly Studio Salary

$4,018

$3,828

$2,561

$2,417

$1,471

Weekly Distant Salary

$5,627

$5,344

$3,578

$3,380

$2,063

Weekly Studio Production Fee

$872

$709

$540

Weekly Distant Production Fee

$1,037

$872

$709

Daily Studio Salary

$1,005

$957

$640

$604

$368

Daily Distant Salary

$1,407

$1,336

$894

$845

$516

Daily Studio Production Fee

$218

$177

$135

Daily Distant Production Fee

$259

$218

$177

Low Budget Level 4B $5.5M-8.5M

RATE TYPE

UPM

FIRST AD

KEY 2nd AD

2ND SECOND AD

ADDITIONAL 2ND AD

Weekly Studio Salary

$4,592

$4,367

$2,926

$2,762

$1,681

Weekly Distant Salary

$6,430

$6,107

$4,089

$3,862

$2,358

Weekly Studio Production Fee

$996

$810

$617

Weekly Distant Production Fee

$1,186

$996

$810

Daily Studio Salary

$1,148

$1,092

$732

$691

$420

Daily Distant Salary

$1,608

$1,527

$1,022

$966

$589

Daily Studio Production Fee

$249

$203

$154

Daily Distant Production Fee

$296

$249

$203

Low Budget Level 4C $8.5M-11M

RATE TYPE

UPM

FIRST AD

KEY 2nd AD

2ND SECOND AD

ADDITIONAL 2ND AD

Weekly Studio Salary

$5,166

$4,913

$3,292

$3,108

$1,891

Weekly Distant Salary

$7,234

$6,871

$4,600

$4,345

$2,652

Weekly Studio Production Fee

$1,121

$912

$694

Weekly Distant Production Fee

$1,334

$1,121

$912

Daily Studio Salary

$1,292

$1,228

$823

$777

$473

Daily Distant Salary

$1,809

$1,718

$1,150

$1,086

$663

Daily Studio Production Fee

$280

$228

$173

Daily Distant Production Fee

$333

$280

$228

Low Budget Agreement Level 4 UPM, AD’s Other Terms

TERMS

4A $3.75M-5.5M

4B $5.5M-8.5M

4C $8.5M-11M

Rest Period

Same as Basic

Vacation Fringe 4%

Not Required

Yes

Holiday Fringe of 3.719%

Not Required

Yes

COA** Pay

Same as Basic

Dinner Allowance, when meal not provided

$30

Distant Housing

1st Class or Best Avail.

Distant Per Diem

$60

Incidental’s Allow. Distant

Not Required

$22-Day

Mileage in TMZ

None unless cast or crew get

Mileage outside TMZ

$.30/mile

2AD Wrap Allowance

Not Required

$57/day

Min Prep Time

15 days 1 AD, 7 days Key 2AD

Aircraft/Water Allowance

$180

All Level 4: 6th and 7th Days Worked; Holidays Worked

Workweeks for all Low Budget levels for Directors, UPM’s, AD’s are the same as the Basic Agreement, Studio locations 5 day workweek, Distant locations 6 day workweek.

For studio locations, 5 day workweek, employees working on the 6th day get 150% of their daily salary including any production fee. Daily salary for weekly employees is ⅕ their weekly salary. Employees who work on the 7th day get 200% of their daily salary and production fee, if any.

For distant locations employees working on the 7th get an addition ⅕ of their studio salary and an addition ⅙ of their production fee. Distant weekly salaries equal 7/5 of the studio salary.

For Holidays worked employees get 200% of their daily pay, for holidays not worked employees get paid their daily pay.

Low Budget Agreement Extended Workdays

HOURS WORKED

CONDITION

LOCATION

POSITION

ADDITIONAL PAY

16+

Every 4 hr or portion thereof

All

UPM

Extra 1 day pay

13-16

Hours between

Studio/Report To

All 2ND AD’s

Extra 1/2 day pay

16+

Every 4 hr or portion

Studio/Report To

All 2ND AD’s

Extra day pay

14-16

Hours between

Distant or Bus To

All 2ND AD’s

Extra 1/2 day pay

16+

Every 4 hours or portion

Distant or Bus To

All 2ND AD’s

Extra 1 day pay

14-16

Hours over 14 less than 16

All

FIRST AD

Extra 1/2 day pay

16- 20

Hours over 16 less than 20

All

FIRST AD

Extra 1/2 day pay

20+

Every 4 hours or portion

All

FIRST AD

Extra 1 day pay

Employer Fringe Contributions

Same as Basic Agreement:

DGA Basic Agreement Theatrical Director’s Fringe Rates

DGA Basic Agreement UPM, AD’s Fringe Rates

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