The set decorator chooses the couch. Set dressers carry it up three flights, unwrap it, set it where the decorator wants it, move it two feet left when the production designer walks in, and then move it out of the way for the dolly when the company arrives. Most of the job is physical work done carefully, with a lot of attention to where things were.
The crew and who does what
On most shows the set decoration department is organized something like this:
| Position | What they do |
|---|---|
| Set decorator | Chooses and sources dressing, manages the budget |
| Buyer | Shops and arranges rentals with the decorator |
| Lead person (leadman) | Runs the crew, schedules loads, tracks inventory |
| Swing gang dressers | Load in, dress, strike, and return items off camera |
| On-set dresser | Stays with the shooting company for adjustments and continuity |
Local 44's wage schedule groups the working crew under one classification, "property person, swing gang, set dressing, greens," with a separate higher rate for the property leadperson or gang boss. Greenery people who handle plants and landscaping on set work under the same classification.
Swing gang: before and after the camera
Swing dressers work ahead of the company. A realistic Monday for a crew dressing a restaurant that shoots Wednesday:
- 7:00 AM: Pick up the truck at the stage and drive to two prop houses to collect booths, chairs, bar stools, and table settings.
- 10:30 AM: Unload at the restaurant, after the location manager confirms the owner's own furniture has been moved.
- 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM: Hang new light fixtures the gaffer approved as practicals, install framed art on picture rails without damaging walls, place booths and tables to the decorator's floor plan.
- 4:00 PM: The decorator walks the room, rearranges three tables, and swaps the art over the bar.
- 5:30 PM: Photos of every wall for continuity. Truck returned.
After the last shot on Wednesday, the swing gang comes back to strike, pack, return rentals, and put the restaurant back exactly as it was. Location agreements often require that, and the location manager will have photos of the original condition too.
On set: the on-set dresser
The on-set dresser works with the shooting crew from call to wrap. Before rehearsal they photograph the set. When the DP wants a lamp out of frame or the dolly needs a chair moved, the on-set dresser moves it and marks where it was. When the camera turns around, they put it back for the reverse angle, matching the photos.
The script supervisor tracks continuity for actions and props in actors' hands, but the on-set dresser owns the dressing. If a wine glass on a side table was half full in the master, it has to be half full in every close-up. A set that is dressed and ready to shoot is a hot set, and dressers are the ones who put up the signs telling everyone not to touch it.
Pay and kit
Local 44's posted schedule for theatrical films over $15 million, covering August 4, 2024 to August 2, 2025, lists $50.35 an hour for the property person, swing gang, set dressing, and greens classification and $52.68 for the property leadperson or gang boss. The 2024 Basic Agreement added 4% in 2025 and 3.5% in 2026 on top of those, compounding. Overtime follows the Basic Agreement: time and a half after 8 hours worked and double time after 12. Check Local 44 for the current year's figures and for the tier that fits your production.
Set dressers usually bring their own hand tools, a drill, a level, and hanging hardware. Some lead persons charge a small weekly kit rental for power tools or a gear cart, written on the deal memo with an inventory.
Getting in
Dressers come from many places: carpentry, retail display, theater, and non-union film crews. Local 44 in Los Angeles has specific rules for non-members. Productions place work calls through the Local 44 call board by 6:30 PM the day before. When no qualified member in the craft is available, the union turns the call over so the production can hire a permit worker. Local 44 says a turnover must follow those rules for the days to count. After 30 days of union work registered with Contract Services, a dresser submits for placement on the Industry Experience Roster and can join. Days worked on a non-union show that becomes union also count, if you were on the show before the organizing effort. In New York, set dressers are generally part of IATSE Local 52.
Paperwork
A set dresser's paperwork is mostly time cards, start paperwork, and continuity photos, which should be organized by set and scene and shared with the lead. Lead persons track rental tags and pick-up and return slips, since a missing chair from a prop house becomes a loss and damage bill. A prop list template laid out by set is a workable format for an inventory log.