LIGHTING DEPARTMENT
Job Overview
As head of the electrical department, the gaffer is responsible for
designing and executing the lighting for a production. "My job is to light
the set to the taste of the director of photography and to help make good
decisions in helping tell the story with the use of lighting and natural
factors," explains gaffer Dwight Campbell.
Special Skills
A gaffer must understand the language of filmmaking and pay atten-
tion to details. He must be a problem-solver and have the ability to com-
municate well, not only with the director and cinematographer, but also
when disseminating information to his crew. "I can't stress how impor-
tant communication is when you're meeting with the director, production
designer, or director of photography," says gaffer Russell Caldwell. "If I
don't understand, I ask questions until I do."
A gaffer must have a well-rounded knowledge of the filmmaking
process. To light a scene properly, he must understand photography and
film processing.
Advice for Someone Seeking This Job
Most gaffers begin as grips, work into the job of key grip or best boy
grip, then into electrical best boy, or directly into the role of gaffer. "Take
any job you can get on a film project," says Campbell. "Work day in and
day out and find out what intrigues you the most. Learn everyone's job.
Learn what interests you and then pursue it.
"I used to volunteer on AFI, USC, and UCLA films. I worked on
projects for no money." Even after he was already working as a key grip
on successful features, Campbell continued to work on student or low
budget projects for free whenever he was between projects, just to gain
more experience and make new contacts. "Every day you help make a
film, you meet 40 or 50 new people. All of those people are going to be
looking for work tomorrow. All of a sudden you're networking, making
a way into the working community of filmmakers. They're all trying to
JOB TITLE: GAFFER,
CHIEF LIGHTING TECHNICIAN
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