Film crew hire/New York/2nd AC
Hire a 2nd AC (clapper loader) in New York. Every take slated, and every card accounted for.
2nd ACs (second assistant camera, or clapper loaders) for commercials, brand films and drama in New York’s studios, lofts and streets. They help prep the package at the rental house, slate the takes, look after the cards or the film, and keep the camera report the edit relies on. From $550 a day, paid to the 2nd AC in full.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
- 10 hrs a New York crew day, plus a meal break
- 500+ productions, filmed in sixteen countries
Photos: Here Now Films, Mike Bautista, Voice + Video and Tyler Haehn
The role
What a 2nd AC does on your shoot
A 2nd AC, or clapper loader, runs the paperwork and the media of the camera department. They mark every take with the slate, so sound and picture sync and the editor knows what’s what. They lay marks for the cast, load and unload cards, or magazines on a film shoot, and keep the camera report.
On a bigger New York commercial the loading can be a job of its own, the loader, with the 2nd AC on the slate, the marks and the second camera. On most of the shoots we crew, one 2nd AC does all of it.
On film, the 2nd AC is the one person who handles the negative before the lab: loading magazines in a changing bag or a darkroom tent, canning the exposed rolls and labelling every can. One mistake there costs a day.
- Every take marked. Scene, take and camera on the slate, so the edit can find it and sync it.
- Media accounted for. Cards or rolls logged in and out, and never formatted before they’re backed up twice.
- A camera report that’s right. Lens, stop, filters and notes for every take, for the editor and the colourist.
- Batteries and lenses ready. Charged, cleaned and where the 1st AC needs them.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- A 10-hour day, plus a meal break
- Slating every take, with timecode where it’s used
- Loading and unloading cards, or film magazines
- The camera report, lens log and media log
- Marks for the cast at rehearsal
- Handing cards to the DIT, or film cans to the lab
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee, on the whole quote
- Payroll and insurance for the job, at cost
- Shuttle drives, or film stock, processing and scans, at cost
- A prep day at the rental house, if the package needs one
- Travel outside the five boroughs, and any cars or vans, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in New York.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production: who’s the producer of record?
One question sets the price: who’s the producer of record? Book a 2nd AC for your own camera team, or have us take the production on.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% booking fee, on everything we book for you: crew, kit and travel. Payroll and insurance at cost, on their own line.
We do
- Find, book and brief the New York crew
- Every crew member employed for the job: payroll, workers’ compensation and COIs
- Book kit, vans and travel too, if you want them
- Send the full price, in dollars, before anything is booked
- One person to call all day
You do
- Run the shoot, or your producer does
- The plan, the schedule and the call sheet
- The location, its COI and any Mayor’s Office permit
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote, at cost: payroll for each crew member, the insurance they need for the job, New York workers’ compensation included, and the certificates of insurance your location asks for.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
From $20,000 for a New York production; most land between that and $75,000. One quote, in dollars, every line shown.
We do
- Our producer plans it with you and runs the job
- Locations, permits, kit, studio and travel, booked in the production’s name
- The production’s insurance, the COIs and the Mayor’s Office permit
- One quote and one contract with us, wherever you’re based
You do
- The creative calls
- Signing off the plan and the budget
The production’s insurance, the crew’s payroll and any permits are lines in the quote, so you see each one before you sign.
Not sure which you need? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote.
On the day
A day with a 2nd AC, call to wrap
A two-camera commercial in a cyc studio in Long Island City, shot to cards. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:00 Camera cart Batteries charged, lenses on the cart, fresh cards formatted in camera, the slate and camera reports ready.
- 08:00 Marks Tape marks laid for the cast at rehearsal, a colour for each actor, and distances called to the 1st AC.
- 08:30 First take Slate in, a clear call, out of shot. Every take written up: scene, take, lens and stop.
- 10:30 Card change A full card out, a fresh one in, the full one logged and walked to the DIT. It’s formatted only once two checked copies exist.
- 13:00 Meal break The media log brought up to date, batteries swapped.
- 14:00 Second camera Slating two cameras at once, a mark for each, and both camera reports kept.
- 17:30 Wrap Last cards to the DIT, shuttle drives labelled, the camera report signed and handed over, the cart packed for the rental house.
On a film shoot the day is the same with magazines instead of cards: loaded in a changing bag or a darkroom tent, the exposed rolls canned and labelled for the lab. In New York the job usually starts the day before, at camera prep at the rental house.
Which kind
Which 2nd AC do you need?
The job changes with the medium and the size of the crew.
Digital 2nd AC Cards, slate and reports From $550 a day
Slates, swaps and logs cards, hands them to the DIT, lays marks and keeps the camera report.
Best for commercials, brand films and drama on cinema cameras.
Film 2nd AC 16mm and 35mm Quoted on the brief
Loads and unloads magazines in the dark, cans and labels every roll, keeps the stock and lab sheets, and gets the cans to the lab.
Book someone who has loaded film recently: it’s a skill you keep by doing it.
2nd AC and data Two jobs, one person Quoted on the brief
On a one-camera digital shoot, the 2nd AC can offload cards with verification software between set-ups. See DITs in New York.
Best for small crews where a separate DIT would sit idle.
Union 2nd AC On a signatory commercial Scale $984
Engaged at IATSE/AICP scale for a 10-hour call, with fringes and payroll on top.
Best for commercials that need a union camera team.
1st AC Focus and the camera From $700 a day
The senior assistant, who pulls focus and runs the camera. See 1st ACs in New York.
Best booked alongside the 2nd AC on any cinema camera shoot.
What it’s for
What people book a 2nd AC for in New York
Commercials in cyc studios
Two-camera days in Long Island City and Brooklyn, slated takes and a report the grade can rely on.
Film shoots
16mm and 35mm packages, with the magazines, the cans and the run to the lab.
Fireside chats and panels
Three cameras in a loft or a Midtown event space, slated together so the edit syncs in minutes.
Music videos
Playback synced to the slate, take after take, in warehouses in Brooklyn and Queens.
Overseas productions
A visiting DP and 1st AC who need a New York 2nd AC who knows the rental houses. See filming in New York from abroad.
Recent work
How we crew a 2nd AC in New York
Our work · Upper East Side, New York · September 2026
Nevis × Focus, an announcement film
One afternoon in a panelled library on the Upper East Side, for Nevis and Focus Financial Partners: three half-hour interviews with Mark Swan, Adam Birenbaum and Justin Ferri, then the room reset for a three-way conversation on five cameras. The library came empty, so everything on screen was brought in. A New York crew shot it twelve days after the first email, and our own team cut it, five cuts in eight days, then graded and mixed it.
How we crew it · New York
Cards that leave set twice
Every card is logged out of the camera, handed to the DIT, and formatted only once two checked copies exist. The shuttle drives go on the quote at cost: on our New York jobs, 4TB SSDs ran about $400 and 8TB drives $800 to $900 (checked October 2026). On a small crew the 2nd AC offloads between set-ups instead, and the producer takes the drives at wrap.
How we crew it · New York
Film, from the rental house to the lab
On a 16mm or 35mm shoot we book a 2nd AC who has loaded film recently. They prep the package with the 1st AC the day before, load magazines in a changing bag or a darkroom tent, can and label every roll, and keep the stock and lab sheets. Exposed film travels by hand, and we ask for a hand check rather than the X-ray at JFK, Newark or LaGuardia.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 10 hours, plus a meal break.
- Any overtime is agreed with you before it happens.
- Camera prep at the rental house is quoted separately.
Media and film
- Shuttle drives at cost, on their own line: on our New York jobs, 4TB SSDs about $400 and 8TB $800 to $900.
- Film stock, processing and scans at cost, on their own lines.
- Exposed film travels by hand, never in the hold.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the 2nd AC.
- 50% when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, payroll and insurance, kit, travel.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
Employment and insurance
- Every 2nd AC we book is employed for the job, on payroll, with New York workers’ compensation.
- Certificates of insurance (COIs) for your location or permit, naming whoever needs naming, on request.
- On a crew hire the location, its COI, the permit and your own general liability stay with you. When we’re the producer of record, the production carries them.
- In New York, Here Now Films books its crews through established New York production companies, so every crew member is employed, on payroll and fully insured for the job.
$550 a day
Union scale in New York: $984 a day for a 2nd AC, before fringes.
| Day rate, 10 hours | $550 |
| Booking fee, 10% | $55 |
| One day, before payroll, media and travel | $605 |
Every 2nd AC we book in New York is employed and insured for the job. Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote. What that covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the 2nd AC.
- Every crew member employed and insured for the job
- 50% at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a 2nd AC in New York.
Tell us the date, the camera, the rental house, and whether it’s digital or film. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in New York, booked the same way
One brief, one quote in dollars, every role on its own line. Our day rates in New York, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From $1,500
- Producer From $750
- Production manager $650
- 2nd AD $600
- Production assistant $250
- Runner $250
Camera 07
- DP From $1,200
- Camera operator $750
- 1st AC $700
- 2nd AC This page $550
- Steadicam operator From $1,500
- Gimbal operator $750
- Drone operator From $1,000
Data and playback 02
- DIT $750
- Video playback $650
Sound 01
- Sound mixer $850
Hair, make-up and costume 02
- Hair and make-up $650
- Costume $700
Art department 02
- Art director $750
- Set builders $550
Post-production 01
- Editor From $600
How our rates work: crew rates in New York. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in New York.
Questions
Hiring a 2nd AC in New York: questions
How much does a 2nd AC cost in New York?
Our 2nd ACs in New York start at $550 for a 10-hour day, and the 2nd AC is paid all of it. Union scale for a 2nd AC under the IATSE/AICP commercial agreement is $984 a day, before fringes. On top goes our 10% booking fee, so one day comes to $605, before payroll and insurance (at cost, on the quote), media and travel. A prep day at the rental house is quoted separately.
Who employs the crew, and are they insured?
Every crew member we book in New York is employed for the job and fully insured: payroll, New York workers’ compensation, and certificates of insurance for your location or permit. Payroll and insurance show as their own line on the quote, at cost. On a crew hire, the location, its COI and the permit stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production.
Is a clapper loader the same as a 2nd AC?
Yes: a clapper loader and a 2nd AC (second assistant camera) are the same job. New York and the rest of the US say 2nd AC; Britain says clapper loader, a name from the days when the job was mostly loading film. On a large New York commercial you may also see a loader on the call sheet, a separate person who looks after the media while the 2nd AC slates and lays marks.
Do I need a 2nd AC on a digital shoot?
On a cinema camera shoot with a 1st AC, yes: someone has to slate, log and look after the cards while the 1st AC keeps focus. On a small crew the 2nd AC can offload the cards too, so you may not need a separate DIT. On a simple interview day the camera operator can usually slate and swap cards alone, and a 2nd AC is worth it only once there are three cameras to keep in sync.
Are your New York crews union or non-union?
Non-union by default, on corporate, branded and documentary work. If your production is signatory to a union agreement, or you need union crew for a commercial, we quote at scale: the IATSE/AICP commercial agreement for camera and make-up, Local 52 for grip, electric and sound, USA 829 for the art department, and the DGA for directors and ADs. Scale is wages only: fringes and payroll go on top.
Can your New York 2nd ACs load film?
Yes. We book 2nd ACs who have loaded 16mm and 35mm recently, which is the skill to ask for. They prep the package at the rental house with the 1st AC, load and unload magazines in a changing bag or a darkroom tent, and keep the stock and lab sheets. Exposed film travels by hand, with a hand check asked for at the airport instead of the X-ray. Tell us the camera and the stock when you book.
How far ahead should I book a 2nd AC in New York?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours and comes back with a 2nd AC and a price. Our latest New York shoot, Nevis × Focus, was filmed twelve days after the first email. For film, allow for the stock, the lab and the prep day, and for a first rental at a big house, which can want a credit application and a certificate of insurance for the hired-in kit before the package leaves.