# Turnaround Rules Compared: SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, DGA, and Minors

Source: https://storiara.com/blog/turnaround-rules-compared
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Nick Harty, Storiara

> Turnaround is the minimum rest between dismissal and the next call, and it differs by group. SAG-AFTRA theatrical performers get 12 hours in the studio zone. IATSE crew under Local 80 and the Area Standards Agreement get 10 hours, or 9 for distant hires. DGA assistant directors get 9 hours measured from an hour after wrap. Minors in California and New York get 12. Weekend rest ranges from 32 to 56 hours.

These are summaries of published agreements and regulations, current as of September 2026. Each agreement has exceptions this post doesn't cover, and low budget agreements can change the numbers. It isn't legal advice, so check your agreement or ask the union before you rely on a reduced rest period.

## The minimums side by side

| Group | Daily rest | Measured | Weekend rest | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAG-AFTRA theatrical performers | 12 hours (studio zone) | Dismissal to first call, including makeup, wardrobe, hair | 56 hours; 54 if Monday's call is 6:00 a.m. or later; 36 on a six-day location week | SAG-AFTRA help center |
| IATSE Local 80 (Basic Agreement) | 10 hours; 9 distant hire; 8 for studio gang work | Dismissal to next call | 54 after five days (50 in limited cases); 32 after six | Local 80 FAQ |
| IATSE Low Budget Theatrical Agreement | Check the agreement | | 52 hours | Local 80 FAQ |
| IATSE Area Standards Agreement | 10 hours local or nearby hire; 9 distant hire (10 after two consecutive 14-hour days) | Following dismissal | 54 after five days (50 in limited cases); 32 after six | ASA Article 3(F) |
| DGA UPMs and ADs | 9 hours | One hour after company wrap to one hour before next shooting call | Studio: 33 hours for one day off or 50 for two, or the 6th or 7th day is paid, if a 14-hour day runs past 1:00 a.m. | DGA BA 13-116; DGA rate card |
| Minors, California | 12 hours | Dismissal to next call | The 12-hour rule applies between any two workdays | Title 8, 11760(i) |
| Minors, New York | 12 hours | Dismissal to required arrival | The 12-hour rule applies between any two workdays | Part 186-6.2(c) |

Two things stand out. Adult actors have the longest daily rest on most sets, so they set the earliest call for any scene they're in. And ADs have a shorter rest on paper, but it's measured from an hour after wrap to an hour before call, so they effectively need 11 hours between wrap and shooting call.

## SAG-AFTRA performers

The 12-hour rest runs from the moment the performer is finally dismissed, which is often after wardrobe and makeup removal, until their first call for any purpose the next day. A common slip is counting from camera wrap when the actor spent another 35 minutes in the makeup trailer.

The help center lists the exceptions. On a location outside the studio zone (other than overnight), rest can drop to 10 hours when exterior photography is required the day before and the day after, no more than once every fourth consecutive day. On an overnight theatrical location, it can drop to 11 hours on two non-consecutive days in a workweek.

A violation is a forced call. SAG-AFTRA's help center lists the penalty for a day performer as the daily rate or $900, whichever is less, and for a weekly performer as one day's pay or $950, whichever is less. The 2014 Codified Basic Agreement also says the performer can be required to waive a daily rest violation of up to two and a half hours (two hours on an overnight location), but the payment is still owed automatically. The [forced call](https://storiara.com/glossary/forced-call) entry has more, and performer dismissal times go on [Exhibit G](https://storiara.com/glossary/exhibit-g).

## IATSE crews

For Local 80 grips, craft service, and first aid in Los Angeles, the local's FAQ lists 10 hours between shifts, 9 for distant hires, and 8 for studio gang work. The Area Standards Agreement uses 10 hours for local and nearby hires and 9 for distant hires, but a distant hire who works 14 or more hours on two consecutive days for the same production gets 10 hours starting on the second day, until they work a day under 14 hours or get a day off. That exception doesn't apply to pilots or first-season series.

The ASA's weekend rest is 54 hours after five consecutive days. It can drop to 50 hours only when the fifth day is no longer than 12 hours worked and one of these applies: scripted exterior night shooting on the fifth day, a location with limited access hours, or a weather or natural hazard delay. A theatrical film can use that reduction twice. After a six-day week, rest is 32 hours.

The penalty changed in 2024. For motion pictures starting principal photography on or after November 3, 2024, the ASA pays additional double time at the straight-time rate for invaded hours. An invasion of half an hour or less pays a half hour; beyond that, it's computed in tenths. The agreement's own examples: a 13-minute invasion pays half an hour of double time, and a 36-minute invasion pays six-tenths.

For a grip at the ASA's 2026-27 non-Maryland Third rate of $41.47 an hour:

- 13-minute invasion: 0.5 x 2 x $41.47 = $41.47
- 36-minute invasion: 0.6 x 2 x $41.47 = $49.76

Multiply by 12 grips and electricians and a 36-minute invasion costs $597.12 for two departments.

## DGA assistant directors and UPMs

Paragraph 13-116 of the DGA Basic Agreement gives UPMs, ADs, and associate directors working with a shooting unit a nine-hour rest period. At the studio and nearby locations, it starts one hour after company wrap and ends one hour before the next shooting call. For the 2nd AD, it ends at the earlier of the first makeup call or the general crew call. On distant location, it starts an hour after wrap plus normal travel time to the production office and ends an hour before the next "company leaving" call.

If the rest is under nine hours but more than four and a half, the AD gets a quarter day's salary for each hour short. If it's four and a half hours or less, they get a quarter day's salary for every hour worked from the end of the short rest until a full nine-hour rest begins. The agreement's example: wrap at 3:00 a.m., so rest starts at 4:00 a.m.; the next shooting call is 1:00 p.m., so rest ends at noon. That's eight hours, a one-hour invasion, and a quarter day's pay.

The DGA's Low Budget Sideletter keeps this rest period at every level, according to the DGA rate card. See the [DGA low budget guide](https://storiara.com/blog/dga-low-budget-agreement) for the rest of those terms.

## Minors

California and New York both require 12 hours between a minor's dismissal and their next call. California adds that if the child's regular school starts less than 12 hours after dismissal, the child must be schooled at the workplace the next day. The [minors guide](https://storiara.com/blog/working-with-minors-on-set) covers hours limits, which usually bind harder than turnaround.

## Non-union crews

California's Wage Order 12, which covers the motion picture industry, sets overtime, meal periods, and rest breaks during the day, but it doesn't set a minimum rest between workdays for adult crew. It does cap a workday at 16 hours including meal periods, from report to dismissal, and requires the equivalent of one day's rest in seven, which can accumulate when the work requires seven or more consecutive days as long as the employee gets the equivalent in each calendar month. Other states have their own rules. A 10-hour turnaround in the crew deal memo is a reasonable way to set expectations, and the [crew deal memos guide](https://storiara.com/blog/crew-deal-memos) covers wording.

## Working out Friday's calls

A Basic Agreement feature shooting in Los Angeles. Thursday's dismissal times from the production report, and the earliest legal call on Friday:

| Person | Rule | Thursday dismissal | Earliest Friday call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grips, Local 80 | 10 hours | 9:20 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. |
| Lead actor, day performer | 12 hours | 9:55 p.m. (after makeup removal) | 9:55 a.m. |
| Actor, 12 years old | 12 hours | 6:10 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. (school rules still apply) |
| 1st AD | 9 hours, from 1 hour after wrap | Company wrap 9:00 p.m., so rest starts 10:00 p.m. | Rest ends 7:00 a.m., so shooting call 8:00 a.m. |

The production wants a 7:30 a.m. general crew call with the lead in makeup at 7:30. The grips are fine. The lead isn't. Calling her at 7:30 would be a 2-hour 25-minute invasion. Under the Codified Basic Agreement text, that's within the two and a half hours she can be required to waive, but the forced call payment is still owed, and at a $1,283 Basic Agreement day rate the help center's formula makes it $900.

The fix is on the call sheet: open Friday with the Scene 31 insert work and the 12-year-old's scenes, and bring the lead in at 10:00 a.m. The [turnaround calculator](https://storiara.com/tools/turnaround-calculator) does this for every person on the day, and the [2nd AD](https://storiara.com/roles/second-assistant-director) checks it before the call sheet goes out.

## Working out Monday's calls

Friday wraps late. Crew are dismissed at 11:40 p.m. and the lead actor at 11:55 p.m.

- Crew, 54 hours: Monday 5:40 a.m.
- Lead actor, 56 hours: Monday 7:55 a.m.
- Lead actor, 54 hours if Monday's call is 6:00 a.m. or later: 54 hours is 5:55 a.m., and a 6:00 a.m. call satisfies the condition, so 6:00 a.m. works.
- Crew on an LBTA film, 52 hours: Monday 3:40 a.m.

A Monday 6:00 a.m. call is legal for everyone here. A Monday 5:30 a.m. call would invade crew weekend rest by 10 minutes and the actor's 56-hour rest by more than two hours.

## Common mistakes

Counting from camera wrap. Every group measures from its own dismissal, and ADs from an hour after wrap.

Assuming one rule covers the set. The crew, the cast, the ADs, and a child actor can each have a different earliest call on the same morning.

Forgetting the weekend. A late Friday on a five-day week can push Monday's call as far as a short Thursday turnaround pushes Friday's.

Using a reduced rest period by habit. The location and overnight exceptions have conditions and frequency limits, and the ASA's 50-hour weekend can be used twice on a feature.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between crew and actor turnaround?

SAG-AFTRA theatrical performers get 12 hours from dismissal to their next call in the studio zone. IATSE Local 80 crew and Area Standards Agreement local hires get 10. On most union shows, that means actors set the earliest possible call for any scene they're in.

### What happens if a SAG-AFTRA actor's turnaround is violated?

It's a forced call. SAG-AFTRA's help center lists the penalty as the daily rate or $900, whichever is less, for day performers, and one day's pay or $950, whichever is less, for weekly performers.

### What is the penalty for invading IATSE turnaround?

Under the Area Standards Agreement, for pictures starting principal photography on or after November 3, 2024, invaded rest hours are paid at additional double time at the straight-time rate, with a half-hour minimum and tenth-of-an-hour increments after that.

### How long is weekend turnaround for film crew?

IATSE Local 80 and the Area Standards Agreement give 54 hours after a five-day week, reducible to 50 in limited cases, and 32 hours after a six-day week. Local 80 says the Low Budget Theatrical Agreement's weekend turnaround is 52 hours.

### Do non-union crews have a legal turnaround minimum?

California's Wage Order 12 for the motion picture industry doesn't set a minimum rest between workdays for adult crew. It caps a workday at 16 hours including meals and requires the equivalent of one day's rest in seven. Check your state's rules and set turnaround in the deal memo.

## Sources

- [SAG-AFTRA: How do rest periods work for a Theatrical production?](https://servicesagaftra.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1001/~/how-do-rest-periods-work-for-a-theatrical-production)
- [SAG-AFTRA Codified Basic Agreement of 2014, Schedule A Section 10 (hosted by AMPTP)](https://amptp.org/wp-content/themes/amptp/assets/pdf/SAG-AFTRA/2014%20Codified%20Basic%20Agreement%20(%E2%80%9CCBA%E2%80%9D).pdf)
- [IATSE Local 80: Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.iatselocal80.org/our-faqs/faq-frequently-asked-questions/)
- [2024 IATSE Area Standards Agreement, Article 3(F) (AMPTP)](https://amptp.org/wp-content/themes/amptp/assets/pdf/IATSE/Area%20Standards%20Agreement%20%28%E2%80%9CASA%E2%80%9D%29/2024%20Area%20Standards%20Agreement%20-%20FULLY%20EXECUTED.pdf)
- [2023 DGA Basic Agreement, Paragraph 13-116 (AMPTP)](https://amptp.org/wp-content/themes/amptp/assets/pdf/DGA/2023%20DGA%20BA%20Combined%20FINAL.pdf)
- [DGA Minimum Salary Schedule, effective 7/1/26 to 6/30/27](https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/directorsguf4d4-dga2c79-dgaprod1615-f6e3/media/Files/Contracts/Rate-Cards-2026-thru-2027/DGA260722Rates2026thru2027.pdf)
- [California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 11760](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/11760.html)
- [New York State DOL: Part 186 Child Performer Regulations](https://forms.labor.ny.gov/WP/Part186.pdf)
- [California IWC Wage Order 12 (Motion Picture Industry)](https://www.dir.ca.gov/IWC/IWCArticle12.pdf)