Gaffer

A gaffer in the motion picture industry is the head of the electrical department, responsible for the design and execution of the lighting plan for a production. Sometimes the gaffer is credited as Chief Lighting Technician. In television the term Lighting Director is often used, but sometimes the Technical Director (T.D.) will light the studio set.

Related Topics:
Motion picture industry - Lighting

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Experienced gaffers can coordinate the entire job of lighting, given knowledge of the time of day and conditions to be portrayed, managing resources as broad as generators, lights, cable, manpower. Experienced gaffers can also reccommend the appropriate color of gel (plastic sheeting) to put on the light to transform midday into a beautiful sunset. They can re-create the flicker of lights in a subway car, the motion of light inside an turning airplane, or the passage of night into day.

Related Topics:
Generator - Cable - Gel - Subway

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The gaffer works with the director of photography and a key grip to put in a lighting set-up. The gaffer will usually have an assistant called a best boy and, depending on the size of the job, a crew of studio electricians.

Related Topics:
Director of photography - Key grip - Best boy - Electrician

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In some countries like Australia, the gaffer is expected to own a truck complete with most basic lighting equipment and then rent extra lighting equipment as needed.

Related Topics:
Australia - Truck

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Very famous is the adhesive tape called after the gaffer: gaffer's tape or gaffer tape. Often it is misspelled as "Gaffa tape".

Related Topics:
Adhesive - Gaffer tape

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