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Below-the-Line/BTL

Where work is different every day

Freelance projects where you become one of the crew

Welcome to the crew!  Working as a professional craftsperson and technician means you are part of the team that makes screen stories come alive.  The work is freelance and project-based, meaning that you may work on a teen drama one year and a big budget feature film the following year. 

Working on set in production is not 9 to 5 work. As a freelancer, work patterns are somewhat seasonal, and the workdays are longer, often 12-15 hours long. Work can take place in many different locations, so reliable access to a vehicle is recommended. 

Expect to earn well: the median annual wages for below-the-line workers (working full time or part time and inclusive of overtime) is $58,460. That’s 34% higher than median individual wages for full and part time workers in BC in 2017.  Source: B.C. Motion Picture Below-the-Line Labour Market Study

Median annual wage (2017)

Higher wages than BC average

BC Productions a Year

Explore a below-the-line creative pathway in B.C.

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Quotes from set
You’re in a different place every day. I was working on set on Tuesday, we were out a dam in Maple Ridge, and we had control of the dam so we could turn it on and off. We had helicopters with lighting, we had a big crane with a camera on it, we had stunt people coming across the dam on fire. That was Tuesday, and then Wednesday we were in a sound stage with two people in a room. And then Thursday we were downtown.  It’s a job that you will never get bored of, because you’re going to be doing something different tomorrow.

~ Production Assistant, DGC BC

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