International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600)
The IATSE local union representing directors of photography, camera operators, focus pullers, and other camera department crew working in film and television in the United States.
Overview
The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG), operating as IATSE Local 600, is the union representing camera department professionals working in film, television, commercials, music videos, and new media in the United States. Local 600 was formed in 1996 through the merger of several regional camera locals into a single national union, and today represents more than 9,000 members including directors of photography, camera operators, first assistant camera operators (focus pullers), second assistant camera operators (clapper loaders), digital imaging technicians (DITs), still photographers, and camera production assistants.
As an IATSE local, ICG members work under both the IATSE Basic Agreement and Local 600's own supplemental agreements. The Guild negotiates with studios and productions over camera-specific classifications, equipment handling rules, and the boundaries of camera department work that affect jurisdiction questions as new technologies emerge.
Membership and Classifications
Local 600 organizes its membership by classification, with different rate scales and working conditions for each. Directors of photography (DPs or cinematographers) sit at the top of the department hierarchy and hold their own classification with correspondingly higher minimum rates. Camera operators, Steadicam operators, drone operators, and specialty camera operators hold separate classifications. The A-camera, B-camera, and additional camera distinction determines how multiple-camera shoots are staffed and billed.
The DIT classification -- representing digital imaging technicians who manage on-set image quality, color, and data management -- was formalized within Local 600 to address the digital production transition. This classification covers work that did not exist in the era of photochemical production and reflects the union's ongoing adaptation to changing production technology.
Equipment Jurisdiction
One of Local 600's most consequential functions is establishing which crew members operate which equipment on union sets. Jurisdiction disputes -- over who operates drones, who handles stabilized camera rigs, who manages virtual production camera systems -- arise regularly as production technology evolves. Local 600 negotiates these boundaries with producers and IATSE, establishing the classification framework that determines crew composition and billing on any production using new camera technologies.
These jurisdiction rules matter practically for independent producers planning their camera department. Understanding which work requires a Local 600 member and at which classification determines both staffing and budget.
What Filmmakers Should Know
Working with Local 600 members on a union production requires IATSE signatory status. For DPs and camera operators, Local 600 membership provides access to better-resourced productions, health and pension benefits, and the professional community that the Guild maintains through events, screenings, and its publication ICG Magazine.
Non-union DPs working toward union membership should track their days on qualifying productions carefully. IATSE locals often allow entry through a permit system on productions that cannot find a union member with the required specialty skills.
See Also
For the broader IATSE structure within which Local 600 operates, see IATSE in this directory. For the honorary cinematographers society that operates alongside Local 600, see American Society of Cinematographers in this directory.
