Hold Day: What It Means in Filmmaking
By Muhammad Wisal and Muhammad Ali / 2 min read
A hold day is a day when an actor is not scheduled to work but stays booked and is usually paid, because they work on days both before and after it and the production keeps them available instead of releasing them.
What does hold day mean?
A hold day sits between an actor's first and last work days. The actor is not called to set, but they cannot take other work that day, so the production pays to keep them. On the day out of days report, a hold day is marked H. On union productions the hold day is generally paid like a work day under the performer's contract; on non-union shoots the terms are whatever the deal memo says, so write it down before the shoot.
Hold days happen because scenes are scheduled by location and practicality, not story order. If an actor works Monday and Thursday, Tuesday and Wednesday become hold days unless the gap is long enough to release them and bring them back later, which is called a drop and pick up. Each hold day adds cost, so assistant directors try to cluster an actor's scenes together when the schedule allows.
A hold day is different from an actor being "on hold" during casting or prep, which is a soft booking of their dates before a firm offer. On a schedule, the term means a paid day between work days.
Example: hold days on a day out of days row
Imagine a five-day shoot for a short thriller. Teodor, who plays a landlord, has scenes on day 1 and day 4. Priya, the lead, works every day. Their rows on the day out of days might look like this:
| Cast | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Work | Hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Priya (Lead) | SW | W | W | W | WF | 5 | 0 |
| 2. Teodor (Landlord) | SW | H | H | WF | 2 | 2 |
Teodor is paid for four days to work two. If his day 4 scene could move to day 2, both hold days disappear and he finishes on day 2 (SW then WF). That one move is the kind of saving an AD looks for when reworking the strip board.
Related terms
- Day out of days: the report where hold days are counted per actor.
- Drop and pick up: releasing an actor during a long gap instead of holding them.
- Actor availability: planning the schedule around the days people can work.
- Work days (W, SW, WF, SWF): the codes for days an actor is on set.
FAQ
Are hold days paid?
On union productions they generally are, at the terms set by the performer's agreement. On non-union shoots it depends on the deal, so agree on it in writing with each actor.
How do I reduce hold days?
Group each actor's scenes onto consecutive days where locations allow, and check the day out of days after every schedule change. In Lowerated the day out of days is generated from your schedule, so you can see each actor's work days change as you move strips.
