Is It Worth Joining IATSE? How to Get Into a Film Union in 2026

Joining IATSE is worth it if you want to work on signatory film and TV, because in Los Angeles those productions hire crew from the Contract Services rosters and you can't get on a roster without documented days and Safety Pass training. But getting in takes years of logged work in your exact job title, and a lot of the work in between is non-union, which is normal: many makeup artists, for example, split time between union film and TV and nonunion commercial and content work.

Is It Worth Joining IATSE? The Honest Version

What the official pages support:

• Access to union jobs. On the West Coast, the Industry Experience Roster is the list signatory productions hire from. The DGA works the same way for ADs: signatory companies must give hiring preference from its qualification lists.
• Real safety training. Roster placement requires Safety Pass courses, and those classes make you safer on any set, union or not.
• Non-union days aren't wasted. Several locals count them. Local 600 and Local 695 accept non-signatory days, Local 706 has a nonunion L.A. County route, and Local 700 counts comparable nonunion work with proof of pay.

What to weigh: day counts are long, some locals open only in windows, and joining can mean passing on non-union jobs. For performers, SAG-AFTRA's own framing is a choice: weigh union rates against fewer non-union jobs, or decide on purpose to stay non-union for now. We haven't listed pay, pension or health figures here because the sources behind this guide don't publish them; ask your local directly.

Rules change by union, job and city, so the official page is the final word. Still picking a department? Start with Film Crew Positions Explained.

The One Thing Every Union Route Has in Common: Proof

Every application is checked against paperwork, so save every pay stub, deal memo and call sheet with your exact job title on it. Local 695 says your stubs need to say Sound Mixer or Boom Operator, not "Sound Person" (Local 695).

Paid work is what counts, so skip unpaid "for the credit" days. A crew deal memo on every job gives you proof of title and dates.

How to Join IATSE: The Contract Services Rosters

You don't join "IATSE" in general. You join a local, each with its own rules, and in Los Angeles most run through Contract Services (the Contract Services Administration Trust Fund, or CSATF).

What the Industry Experience Roster is

You qualify for the Industry Experience Roster by documenting days in a specific classification, then registering and finishing required safety training. The Editors Guild notes that placement itself is free and handled through thehub.org (Editors Guild West Coast).

A separate Commercial Roster covers work under the IATSE and AICP agreement; for Local 600 it calls for 30 workdays on signatory commercials in the last 365 days (CSATF Local 600 guidebook).

What Safety Pass is

Safety Pass is required for roster placement, and some jobs add courses, like aerial and scissor lift classes for grips and electricians. Harassment Prevention training is required every two years in California and annually in New York for crews in the system (CSATF Local 600 guidebook).

Local by Local: Who Covers What and How You Get In

Local 600, International Cinematographers Guild

Local 600 represents camera crew and still photographers nationally. In the West, roster placement needs 30 days of qualifying signatory work within 365 days, or 100 days of non-signatory work within three years, plus required safety training. Once you're placed, you must join Local 600 within 60 days (CSATF Local 600 guidebook).

In the East, Local 600 asks new applicants to email a resume and cover note to Member Services naming the classification and upcoming projects. In the Central region, you contact the Atlanta office (Local 600 How to Join).

Local 695, production sound (Los Angeles)

Local 695 lists 30 qualified IATSE days in your classification in the past year, or 100 combined IATSE and non-IATSE days in three years (Local 695).

Local 728, set lighting (Los Angeles)

Local 728 represents studio electrical lighting technicians. Its joining guide says you first get placed on a Contract Services roster (the Industry Experience Roster or the Television Commercial Roster), then join the local, and Safety Pass classes are required (Local 728). The guide we could find is a 2022 PDF, so check the current rules on the official page before you count days.

Local 80, grips (Los Angeles)

Local 80 represents grips, plus crafts service, marine, first aid and warehouse workers. Future members start by registering and attending an online Permit Orientation on Zoom (Local 80 Future Member). Its day counts weren't published in the material we reviewed, so get them from the orientation or the local. For the full LA grip path, see How to Become a Grip in Los Angeles.

Local 52, grip, electric, sound and props (New York)

Local 52 covers grip, electric, sound, props and more. When we checked, its join page said the general application period was closed and listed a vested application route for people already vested in a covered pension plan, with OSHA 10 Construction and aerial lift cards among the required documents. The page didn't look recently updated, so check the current rules on the official page or call the local. The OSHA 10-hour course is voluntary and you can take it now.

Local 700, Motion Picture Editors Guild

Local 700 covers editors, assistants, colorists, sound and music editors. You generally join within 30 days of being hired on a union job. On the West Coast, most classifications need roster placement: editors need 175 days in the last three years and assistant editors need 100 days in the last two years, and comparable nonunion work can count with proof of pay (Editors Guild West Coast).

On the East Coast, it starts with a union job, a letter of hire and proof of local residency (Editors Guild East Coast).

Local 706, makeup and hair (Los Angeles)

Local 706 roster routes include 60 days in each of three different years within the last five years on nonunion L.A. County productions, 60 days on one union production, or 30 days on a production that flips union. Every route requires registering with Contract Services and finishing its safety classes. Makeup artists must pass a color blindness test, and hair stylists need a cosmetology license (Local 706). California's separate 600-hour hairstylist license (added in 2022) doesn't cover chemical services, so confirm which license Local 706 accepts before you pick a school.

Local 798, makeup and hair (East)

Local 798 covers makeup artists and hair stylists in film, TV and commercials across 23 eastern states and DC. It takes new applicants during a submission window, and the 2026 window is closed, so watch its How to Apply page for the next one.

Local 892, Costume Designers Guild

The CDG represents costume designers, assistants and illustrators. A common path is a costume designer credit on a feature, TV production, commercial or music video made for commercial release, documented with a deal memo, crew list or call sheet, plus three signed letters of recommendation. Student projects don't count, and the Guild may interview you (CDG Join).

Local 705 and Local 764, costumers and wardrobe

Costumers are a different local. In Los Angeles, Local 705 lists nine ways in, most starting with the Industry Experience Roster through Contract Services. In New York, Local 764 represents wardrobe workers in TV, film and live performance and holds weekly registration info sessions.

Quick Reference: Unions, Locals and the Main Route In

Why Roster Rules Differ by Region

The Contract Services rosters are a West Coast system, so "get your 30 days" usually means Los Angeles. New York runs on its own locals (52, 764, 798 and the East offices of 600 and 700), each with its own applications, windows and residency rules. Other areas often fall under a regional office, like Local 600's Central region in Atlanta. Find the local that covers your job where you actually work, then read its join page.

How to Get on a DGA Qualification List

Directors. The DGA doesn't take membership applications on request. A director generally joins by being hired by a DGA signatory company to direct, or by making their own feature project signatory. The guild sends an application after it gets the employer's deal memo, and you'll need endorsements from three members in your category. Initiation fees are lower for low-budget features; ask for the current schedule (Joining the DGA). Episodic directors often start through studio programs the DGA lists on its site, like NBCU LAUNCH.

ADs and UPMs. Signatory companies must give hiring preference from qualification lists, and those lists are run by the DGA Contract Administration, not the Guild: dgaca.org for Southern California and the Third Area, dgaca-east.org for New York, and dga-cql.org for commercials.

To get on the Southern California 2nd AD list by experience, you need 400 days as a UPM, 1st AD or 2nd AD on covered productions, with no more than 25% prep or office work and at least one qualifying day in the last six months (DGACA SC 2nd AD).

The other main route is a training program:

• Assistant Directors Training Program (Los Angeles), run by the Directors Guild-Producer Training Plan, with no fee to apply (trainingplan.org).
• DGA Assistant Director Training Program (New York), a paid two-year program of at least 350 production days. Trainees earn DGA contract wages with health insurance, applicants must be at least 21, and no production experience is required. The deadline for the 2027 class is December 1, 2026 (dgatrainingprogram.org). PAs eyeing the AD track should read How to Become a Production Assistant.

How to Get Into SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA eligibility usually comes from one of three places (eligibility requirements):

1. One day of covered principal work.
2. Three days of covered background work.
3. A year as a paid-up member of an affiliated union such as Actors' Equity, ACTRA, AGMA or AGVA, plus principal work in that union.

Ultra Low Budget, student and short films don't count. For background actors, the union's Steps to Join page says vouchers alone aren't accepted as proof of work. Keep pay stubs too. More in our SAG-AFTRA guide.

The PGA Isn't a Union

The Producers Guild of America is a trade association, and membership isn't automatic. You need an eligible individual producer credit, generally within the last five years (seven for feature films), on a project that meets distribution benchmarks (PGA membership).

Looking Toward 2036

Generated video will keep taking the low end of the market. It can't stand on a set, keep a crew safe or earn a producer's trust, so documented days, safety cards and verified titles get more valuable over time. New to set? See How to Get on a Film Set With No Experience.

FAQ

Is it worth joining IATSE?

If you want signatory film and TV work, usually yes, since those productions hire from the rosters. But it takes years of documented days, and plenty of good work in between is non-union. Many crew do both.

Do SAG-AFTRA vouchers count as proof of work?

Not by themselves, per SAG-AFTRA's Steps to Join page. Keep pay stubs for every background day.

Can I join the DGA by applying?

Not as a director; you generally join when a signatory hires you. ADs get on qualification lists by experience or through the LA or New York training programs.

Does nonunion work count toward a union?

Sometimes. Local 600 and Local 695 count non-signatory days toward the West Coast roster, Local 706 has a nonunion L.A. County route, and Local 700 can count comparable nonunion work with proof of pay. Rules outside LA differ, so call the local first.

Your Role in 2036 on NeedaCrew

Each guide has the union route, training and sources for that job. See the Your role in 2036 index, or jump straight in:

• Camera: Director of Photography, Camera Operator, 2nd AC / Clapper Loader, Photographer
• Grip, electric and sound: Grip, Gaffer, Production Sound Mixer
• Post: Video Editor
• Hair, makeup and costume: Makeup Artist, Hair Stylist, Costume Designer
• Directing and producing: Director, 1st AD, Production Assistant, Producer
• Performers: Actor, Background Actor / Extra, Content Creator

While you're logging days, a free NeedaCrew profile with your day rate, reel and imported IMDb credits helps you get found for the work in between.