1. Defense of the profession
The members of AFAR commit to doing everything possible to ensure that the role of assistant director is recognized, defended, and respected in all the responsibilities it encompasses.
2. Quality label
The members of AFAR commit to upholding and promoting the Association’s quality label:
- through the quality of their daily work in fulfilling their role, in compliance with collective agreements, labor laws, and health and safety regulations,
- by informing employers as well as other professionals (technicians, workers, actors) about the existence of this quality label.
Each member agrees to request that the production employing them includes the mention “AFAR” in the film credits, alongside the technician’s name.
3. Contracts and salary conditions
The members of AFAR commit not to accept any employment contract that does not comply with the collective agreements of the cinematographic or audiovisual production industries, both in terms of labor laws and salary conditions (minimum wages, overtime, bonuses, etc.).
In this sense, any contract that does not conform to current labor legislation must not only be refused by AFAR members but also reported to the Association.
4. Working conditions
The members of AFAR commit to doing everything possible to ensure that working conditions within production are good, respectful, and supportive, to enable everyone to perform professional and quality work.
Beyond the legal and salary provisions stated above, the 1st assistant director must:
- ensure that what they consider to be a minimum preparation time is respected in relation to a given project,
- ensure the existence of a directorial team structure such as: 1st assistant - 2nd assistant - 3rd assistant and/or cinema auxiliary director / assistant director (excluding “conventioned” internships), which is the minimum structure required but too often challenged for economic reasons.
These requests aim to:
- ensure that the directorial team members retain a fair distribution of tasks assigned to each role,
- maintain reasonable daily and weekly working hours to preserve the quality of work and the health of the directorial team members,
- ensure a high-quality transfer of knowledge to assistant directors in training.
5. Solidarity and loyalty
The members of AFAR commit to showing solidarity and loyalty to the Association and its members.
In the event that an AFAR member refuses a contract or project due to non-compliance with the principles set forth in this charter, the other members of the Association, in solidarity, also commit to refusing the reported project.
Each AFAR member pledges, out of loyalty, to inform the Association of any project offer made to them, whether they accept it (to provide information on their availability) or are unable to accept it (to allow the Association to offer the opportunity to other members).
6. Prevention of sexist and sexual violence and harassment
Assistant directors, like all professionals, employers, and employees, have a role to play in the fight against sexist and sexual violence and harassment (VHSS).
The members of AFAR commit to exemplary conduct and responsible practices in their work and management. They also commit to being informed and trained in the prevention of VHSS.
Each member of AFAR pledges to adhere as closely as possible to all the points outlined in this charter and thus uphold the highest regard for their Association and profession.