The On-Call Production Professional
A standby day is a scheduled day where a specific crew member or service provider is paid to be available on-call, ready to report to work immediately if needed. During a standby day, the individual is not on set and is not actively working, but they cannot take another job or be unreachable. They are essentially being paid for their availability and readiness.
This is a strategic tool used by production managers to maintain flexibility while controlling costs. It allows them to have specialized personnel or equipment ready to go without having to pay them a full day’s rate if their services might not be required. According to most union contracts, a standby day is paid at a reduced rate, often half of the person’s normal daily rate. If the crew member is actually called in to work, their pay for that day is immediately upgraded to their full rate, and their workday begins from the moment they are called.
Common Scenarios for Standby
Standby days are employed in a variety of situations to manage the inherent unpredictability of filmmaking:
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Weather Cover: This is the most frequent use. If the day’s schedule consists of an exterior scene, but there is a high chance of rain, the production will prepare an interior “cover set.” Crew members essential for the exterior scene (e.g., a special effects team for a fire stunt) might be put on standby. If the weather holds, they are called in. If it rains and the production moves to the interior cover set, their services might not be needed, and they remain on standby.
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Specialized Technicians: A production might only need a motion control camera operator or a VFX data wrangler for a few specific shots. If the 1st AD is uncertain exactly when those shots will happen, they can place the technician on standby to avoid paying them to wait on set for hours.
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Actors: Occasionally, an actor with a small role may be put on standby if the day’s schedule is running behind. If the production is able to catch up and get to their scene, they will be called to set. If not, they are released for the day.
Standby is a different concept from being “on hold.” A hold is used during the pre-production and casting phase to reserve talent for a potential project in the future. Standby is an on-call status used during the active principal photography phase of a film.