MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES
Local USA 829 currently admits members into the following Categories or Classifications of Membership, each of which has certain job descriptions and responsibilities including but not limited to those listed below. An individual may become a member in multiple Categories, except for Industrial Members who would move out of the Industrial Member Classification after passing whatever test necessary for being accepted into the Scenic Artist Category (you're either a Scenic Artist or an Industrial member; you can't be both).
SCENIC ARTIST
Lay-out, surface decoration, sculpting, mold-making, casting and painting of scenery and properties for all media, plus the execution of models, miniatures, matte-shots and some graphics for motion pictures, commercials and television.
SCENIC DESIGNER
Design, sketching, drafting, model building and supervision of scenery for all media. Film or television Art Directors & Production Designers are members of this category. Storyboard Artists are also accepted into the Scenic Design category, and are frequently hired as Assistant Art Directors.
COSTUME DESIGNER
Design, selection, painting and dyeing of costumes for all media. Clothing Stylists and fashion coordinators who do styling for motion pictures, commercials and television would be accepted into this category.
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Design and direction of lighting for all media except network television and motion pictures.
SOUND DESIGNER
Create the aural environments in tandem with other design elements of the production, including the selection and implementation of sound effects and music.
PROJECTION DESIGNER
Design of projections for all media. This is our newest category of membership, established in mid-2007.
COMPUTER ARTIST
Recently created category to address the evolving visual needs of the entertainment industry.
GRAPHIC ARTIST
This category covers graphic artists for television in the Midwest.
ART DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR
Assists the Art Director and/or Production Designer by coordinating the schedule, staffing, budget-tracking and physical needs of the Art Department in film and television production.
ALLIED CRAFTS
This category includes costume painters. No new members are being accepted into this category.
INDUSTRIAL MEMBERS
A Classification rather than an artist category; their job is to assist the Scenic Artist in scenic shops, film and television studios and on locations. An Industrial Member might use the experience gained on the job in order to take one of the exams to become a journeyman Scenic Artist.
LEGACY CATEGORIES
MURAL ARTIST
A legacy category no longer accepting new members, formed when there was an unusual need for painters of large murals and dioramas, such as during the NY World's Fair.
ALL CLASSES MEMBER
Another legacy category no longer accepting new members. Members in this category took exams in Scenic Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design and Scenic Art all over the same long weekend, and were granted membership in this all-encompassing category which allowed them to work in any or all categories they chose to on any given project. Now, members who want to work in multiple categories must join each category separately.