Script Supervisors / Continuity & Allied Production Specialists Guild (IATSE Local 871)

Overview

IATSE Local 871 is the union representing script supervisors, production office coordinators, assistant production office coordinators, art department coordinators, production and assistant accountants, teleprompter operators, stage managers, script coordinators, writers' room assistants, and graphics coordinators in the greater Los Angeles area. Founded in 1953, Local 871 covers some of the most detail-oriented roles in the below-the-line production hierarchy. The current 2024-2027 contract with the AMPTP took effect August 1, 2024 and runs through July 31, 2027.

If you are a script supervisor or production coordinator working on a union production in Los Angeles, Local 871 governs your wages, working conditions, and benefits. A 3rd-year script supervisor earns $53.49 per hour (regular rate) or $3,225.07 per week minimum on studio-scale productions for the period August 3, 2025 to August 1, 2026. If you are a producer, signing an IATSE agreement commits you to hiring Local 871-covered personnel and paying these minimums plus benefit contributions. Visit ialocal871.org for membership information and the full wage schedule.

Jurisdiction and Covered Crafts

Local 871 represents a broader range of crafts than its name suggests. The full jurisdiction includes:

• Script Supervisors / Continuity: Track every detail of how a scene is shot across all takes and setups
• Teleprompter Operators: Operate teleprompter systems for live events, sports, and scripted productions
• Production Office Coordinators (POCs) and Assistant Production Office Coordinators (APOCs): Manage production office administrative operations
• Art Department Coordinators: Coordinate art department logistics and paperwork
• Production Accountants and Assistant Production Accountants: Manage production accounting and payroll
• Script Coordinators: Manage script revision distribution and tracking in writers' rooms
• Writers' Room Assistants: Support writers' room operations
• Stage Managers and Graphics Coordinators: Work in sports venues and live events

Each craft has its own qualification requirements and wage scales. Script supervisors and teleprompter operators require 100 paid non-union days or 30 paid union days to qualify. Production office coordinators, art department coordinators, and accountants require 30 paid union days only.

Membership Costs and Qualification Requirements

How to Join

Joining Local 871 requires qualifying through work experience and registering with Contract Services Administrative Trust Fund (CSATF). The process differs by craft:

Script Supervisors and Teleprompter Operators:

• 100 paid non-union days within a 2-year period, OR
• 30 paid union days within a 1-year period (on a non-union show that signed an IATSE agreement during production)
• All days must be verified through pay stubs (personal checks are not accepted)
• Employer letters must be submitted to CSATF confirming work in the covered capacity

Production Office Coordinators, Art Department Coordinators, and Accountants:

• 30 paid union days (verifiable through pay stubs) with a valid photo ID

Once days are submitted and approved, CSATF sends a letter to Local 871 confirming Roster placement. The Local then contacts the applicant by USPS with eligibility to join. New members must complete an appointment to fill out an application, I-9 form, and pass a color-blindness test. A passport, driver's license, and Social Security card are required at the appointment.

Several safety classes through CSATF are mandatory before working on union productions. Upon completion, members receive a permanent safety passport. Contact CSATF Safety Pass program at 818-847-0040 ext. 1200 for information.

Registration Process

If you are newly employed in a covered craft by a signatory company, you must register with Local 871 before working. Registrants pay a set quarterly amount to compete for union work. Once you accumulate 30 union days for any signatory employer within a 2-year period, you become eligible to join the Local and can no longer remain a registrant.

Minimum Compensation (2025-2027 Rate Cards)

The 2024-2027 Local 871 agreement sets minimum wages by craft and experience level. Rates increase annually on the first Sunday following the ratification anniversary date.

Script Supervisor Wage Rates (Studio Minimum - Schedule 1)

These rates apply to productions other than half-hour prime time dramatic television recorded digitally. Overtime is 1.5x after 6 hours and/or 40 hours, with a minimum call of 10.5 hours.

Teleprompter Operator Rates

Script Coordinators and Writers' Room Assistants

Script coordinators earn a minimum of $28.50 per hour effective August 4, 2024, subject to general wage increases in Years 2 and 3 of the contract.

Schedule 2 (3% Reduction)

A separate wage schedule with a 3% reduction applies to motion pictures other than half-hour prime time dramatic television. For the period August 3, 2025 to August 1, 2026, a 3rd-year script supervisor under Schedule 2 earns $51.89 per hour (regular) or $3,128.08 per week.

Benefit Contributions

Producers contribute to the Individual Account Plan (IAP) on behalf of each employee: 3.5% effective August 4, 2024, increasing to 4% one year thereafter. Full wage schedules are available in the 2024-27 Local 871 Wage Schedules PDF.

The Script Supervisor's Role

The script supervisor works directly with the director and the editor throughout principal photography. Before shooting each scene, the script supervisor reviews the script, previous shots, and continuity records to flag potential issues. During each take, they track actor positions, costumes, props, hair, makeup, camera coverage, dialogue as scripted versus as performed, and the timing of all action. They make detailed notes and often photographs that the editor will need to cut the scene correctly.

At the end of each shooting day, the script supervisor prepares facing pages (also called editor's notes or continuity reports) that accompany the day's footage to the editing room. The script supervisor also maintains the lined script, a marked-up copy showing which takes cover which lines, and tracks actual screen time versus scripted time.

A missed continuity detail that goes untracked can create uncorrectable visual inconsistencies in the finished film, making the script supervisor one of the most important set relationships after the DP and first AD.

Historical Context

Local 871 was founded in 1953 to represent script supervisors and continuity coordinators in the Los Angeles film and television industry. The Local's jurisdiction has expanded over the decades to include production office coordinators, accountants, teleprompter operators, script coordinators, and writers' room assistants, reflecting the evolution of production workflows and the growth of television and streaming production.

The 2024 contract negotiation followed the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that disrupted production industry-wide. Local 871's agreement was part of the broader IATSE negotiation cycle that produced the 2024-2027 Basic Agreement and Area Standards Agreement. The Local 871 Memorandum of Agreement was effective August 1, 2024, incorporating wage increases, improved benefit contributions, and new provisions for script coordinators and writers' room assistants whose roles have grown in prominence with the expansion of streaming television production.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Directors

The script supervisor is one of your most important set relationships. An experienced script supervisor who anticipates editorial problems before they occur, flagging continuity issues before a scene wraps rather than after, saves significant post-production time and can prevent problems that would otherwise require expensive reshoots.

For Producers

Local 871 rates for script supervisors and production coordinators are meaningful below-the-line budget items. For the 2025-2026 period, a 3rd-year script supervisor costs $3,225.07 per week at minimum, plus 3.5% IAP contributions and applicable overtime. The script supervisor's notes and the production coordinator's organizational infrastructure are not optional overhead. They are essential to the smooth functioning of any professional production.

For Crew Members Seeking Membership

Save all pay stubs from every production you work on. Personal checks from employers are not accepted as verification by CSATF. Start a file with CSATF even if you only have a handful of days, as days begin to expire if not all earned within the required time frame. Keep employer letters confirming your work in the covered capacity.

See Also

For the director and 1st AD roles the script supervisor works alongside, see Directors Guild of America in this directory. For the broader IATSE structure, see IATSE in this directory. For how below-the-line union costs appear in production budgets, see Above the Line vs Below the Line. Use the Indie Film Budget Calculator to estimate how Local 871 minimums and benefit contributions affect your production budget.