Short Turn

The Price of a Compressed Schedule

In the demanding environment of film and television production, a ‘short turn’ or ‘short turnaround’ refers to a scheduling situation where an individual is required to return to work without receiving their full, contractually mandated rest period. Film production is governed by strict union agreements (from organizations like SAG-AFTRA for actors, the DGA for directors, and IATSE for crew) that stipulate a minimum number of hours a person must have off between wrapping one workday and their call time for the next. This period is typically 10 or 12 hours, ensuring adequate time for travel, meals, and sleep.

Causes and Safety Concerns

A short turnaround is often an unavoidable consequence of a difficult schedule. Common causes include:

• A late-running night shoot followed by an early-morning day shoot.
• A significant location change that increases travel time.
• Unexpected delays (due to weather, technical issues, etc.) that push the wrap time later and later.

This practice, sometimes referred to as a ‘forced call,’ raises significant safety and wellness concerns. The primary issue is fatigue. An exhausted crew member—whether they are a grip rigging heavy equipment, a stunt performer, or a driver—is more prone to making dangerous mistakes. For actors, exhaustion can negatively impact their performance and ability to remember lines. The issue of ‘drowsy driving’ after an exceptionally long day followed by a short turnaround is a major point of concern for industry unions.

Contractual Penalties

To discourage productions from overworking their personnel, union contracts build in substantial financial penalties for turnaround violations. When a production imposes a short turn on an employee, they are required to pay that individual a penalty fee, which can be equivalent to a full day’s pay for each hour that encroaches upon the rest period. For example, if an actor’s 12-hour rest period is cut to 9 hours, the production might be liable to pay them for the 3 hours of violation. These penalties serve as a powerful financial deterrent, forcing producers and assistant directors to create schedules that are as humane and safe as possible, and to resort to short turnarounds only when absolutely necessary.