Set Painter Jobs

If you are a professional painter and want to expand your career, consider being a set painter for the film industry. This article explains how you can become a set painter on a movie production.

Being a set painter is not being a painter of army paint sets. Though young and old kids enjoy the hobby of painting a whole regiment of army paint battlefields set, this is a real job on a film set design.

When hired, you arrive with your paint supplies ready to paint the set or stand by if they need a quick touch-up while filming a scene.

If you are a professional painter or like to paint houses, buildings, and fences, and want to expand your career, consider being a set painter for the film industry.

You meet talented people from all over the world. The pay and benefits are exceptional, and you work in a very creative environment. You’ll meet movie stars!

Runaway Productions Create Local Film Production

“Runaway productions” is a term used to describe films produced outside of Hollywood on location. The film industry coined these words because productions often move away from Hollywood to make more money. It is not profitable for Hollywood, but it is excellent for you to live outside Hollywood and get a job in film production as a set painter.

Certain cities, like Seattle or San Francisco, invite runaway productions to film in their area because they want the money. Some, including states, offer credit or tax incentives, like Massachusetts or Georgia, to save film production money.

Cold Call Film Offices

How Do You Get Hired onto a Film Set?

Pull out your yellow pages phone book and call film commission offices to see if they can add you to their list of set painters available for work. The idea is to get a set painter job on a film production that comes to town or within a 100-mile radius. Work on the production to start developing your resume, including film credit.

Start as a set painter on a film as a non-union member. Build your contacts—use business cards—to procure more work after the movie wraps.

Become the Lead Painter

Discover how quickly you will advance to another production. You might even get a gig as the head painter or standby painter. The secret to doing this is getting to know the production designer of each job you get in film production. Say something like, and mean it, “I want to work with you again.” It can escalate from there.

Carve a little niche for yourself as the only painter in a 100-mile radius who works for films, television, and commercials.

Work Within a 100-mile Radius

Establish yourself as the lead painter in this 100-mile radius. That way, your reputation leads you to more work. One production designer will tell another production designer, who will tell another, and well, you do the math—that’s a lot of painting gigs.

Remember that word of mouth is the best impression of whether or not you work in this industry.

Painter’s Success Story

Steve is a scenic artist and head painter who paints movie sets. He makes the wood look like metal. Metal looks like wood, the old look new, and so on.

In the movie production of Don Juan Demarco, the crew painted the whole town while Steve put moss in the fountains and used dark green auto paint on the water.

How did Steve get his first job? He told a carpenter he worked with, who was going on to a TV series production, to call him if they needed any painters. They did, and he went to work in the paint department.

Steve studied art in high school and worked as a construction draftsman and illustrator in the Army. He then attended the Art Institute of Chicago for a year. For over fifteen years, he has designed and painted television sets.

He joined Seattle IA Local 15. However, the union was not doing what the members needed to find work in the film industry, so Steve pitched in and helped form Local 488, a local union for studio mechanics. After he moved to L.A., he joined 729 local painters but kept his membership in Local 488.

How Much are Union Fees?

Fees vary by the location of each local union in each city. The LA Local 729 is the best union to contact for more information.

Steve says working in films is a team project. If you get the reputation of being hard to work with or self-centered, the word gets around. Dealing with high pressure, tight deadlines, and last-minute changes is essential.

Film Production in Various Cities

Steve says the union has helped him get work by being a member. “But those in my position, a seasoned set painter, at my level get jobs on our own.”

In addition to Seattle and Portland, Steve worked on features in Minneapolis, Memphis, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, Hong Kong, and Twin Falls.

Of course, he always worked on shows in Hollywood, even before moving to Los Angeles, the heartland of moviemaking.