Why digital vouchers are the new standard for Assistant Directors
For decades, managing background actors on set relied on paper vouchers that were manually filled and had to be signed and checked by Assistant Directors (ADs) and their teams. But with new health and safety protocols following the COVID-19 pandemic, all that was about to change.
ADs are responsible for keeping productions on schedule, coordinating background performers, and ensuring every department stays aligned. Traditionally, paper vouchers provided a physical record of time spent on set, edited and approved by various departments such as production, wardrobe, props, and ultimately, payroll.
With a new focus on reducing physical contact after the pandemic, eliminating unnecessary paper handling became a top priority. Paper vouchers posed an obvious problem — so productions turned to digital vouchers as a safer, more efficient solution.
What began as a necessary health precaution quickly proved to be a superior way to manage background performers. Digital vouchers are now considered an industry standard across film and television productions of all sizes, offering benefits that go far beyond safety. They’ve transformed how ADs manage their day, communicate with their teams, and keep production running smoothly.
Here’s how digital vouchers are helping ADs work faster, smarter, and with fewer headaches.
Real-Time Check-Ins and Attendance Tracking
Checking in background performers used to be a time-consuming process, especially on large productions with dozens or even hundreds of extras. Each background actor had to fill out and sign a paper voucher, while ADs or background PAs manually recorded arrival times, meal breaks, and wrap times.
With digital vouchers, check-in and check-out can happen in bulk, and arrival times are logged automatically. ADs and their teams can see — in real time — exactly who has arrived, who’s on break, and who’s wrapped. This instant visibility helps ADs make faster scheduling decisions, reduces delays, and ensures that casting, production, and payroll all have the same up-to-date attendance data.
Faster Daily Reports and Background Summaries
At the end of the day, ADs typically compile background performer summaries for production reports, payroll, and compliance. On paper-based productions, this involved sorting through stacks of vouchers, manually adding up times, and cross-referencing notes from the set.
With digital vouchers, these summaries can be generated instantly. Because all check-in, check-out, and bump data is already captured digitally, ADs can produce accurate reports in seconds — ensuring that all departments are aligned and that reports are ready for payroll without additional administrative work.
This automated reporting saves ADs significant time, especially on productions with large background casts.
Easy Tracking of Custom Bumps and Adjustments
Background performers frequently receive additional pay (or bumps) for special work, such as wearing their own wardrobe, handling props, or performing special actions. Tracking these bumps manually often led to confusion or payroll errors, especially when bumps were added late, or adjusted after the fact.
With digital vouchers, ADs and PAs can log custom bumps in real time — no extra paperwork required. Adjustments can be made directly in the system, ensuring that payroll gets complete, accurate data and that background actors are paid correctly without delays.
Instant Communication with Background Performers
Changes on set happen constantly, and ADs need to communicate those changes quickly to background performers — whether it’s a revised call time, a location shift, or a last-minute wardrobe update.
Many digital voucher systems include built-in messaging tools, allowing ADs to send group texts directly to all background performers on a project. Instead of relying on PAs to relay messages or calling individual actors, ADs can instantly reach the entire group, ensuring background actors have the latest information and ultimately minimize confusion.
This direct communication helps keep sets running smoothly and reduces costly no-shows caused by miscommunication.
Improved Transparency Between Departments
One of the most important benefits of digital vouchers is that they create a centralized, shared record of background data. On paper-based productions, ADs, casting, payroll, and production often had different versions of the same data, leading to errors, disputes, and unnecessary back-and-forth.
With digital vouchers, everyone works from the same system, with real-time access to:
- Who checked in and when
- Which performers received bumps or special payments
- Meal and break times
- Final wrap times and approvals
This shared access ensures that all departments are aligned, reducing errors and making it easier for ADs to focus on running the set, instead of resolving administrative issues.
Better Recordkeeping for Union Compliance and Audits
For productions working under SAG-AFTRA or other union agreements, keeping accurate records of background work is critical for compliance. Digital vouchers automatically create a detailed digital record for each performer, capturing:
- When they received, opened, and signed their start paperwork
- When they checked in, took breaks, and wrapped
- Any custom bumps or adjustments
- Final approvals for payroll processing
This complete digital history makes union compliance easier and ensures that ADs and production teams are audit-ready at any time, without needing to dig through physical files or track down lost paperwork.
Time Savings That Let ADs Focus on Set Operations
Ultimately, digital vouchers give Assistant Directors something invaluable: time.
By automating check-in, reporting, communication, and payroll processes, digital vouchers free ADs from administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on what matters most — running the set, coordinating with the director and crew, and ensuring the production stays on schedule.
What was once hours of paperwork and data entry is now handled in minutes, giving ADs more flexibility and less stress during busy production days.
Final Thoughts: Digital Vouchers Are the New Normal
What started as a health and safety measure during the pandemic has evolved into an industry-wide best practice. Today, digital vouchers are the standard for managing background performers — not just because they reduce contact, but because they make productions more efficient, accurate, and transparent.
For Assistant Directors, adopting digital vouchers isn’t just about keeping up with technology — it’s about embracing a tool that helps them do their jobs better, with fewer errors, faster workflows, and clearer communication.
In today’s fast-paced production environment, digital vouchers aren’t just convenient — they’re essential.
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The source of truth for background on every set
Built to remove the guesswork and bring efficiency and accuracy, Digital Vouchers streamlines background operations from digital onboarding, tracking bumps, to voucher approvals.