Throughout my time teaching the art of acting and the business of filmmaking to aspiring actors, I’ve developed an affinity to educate actors about the various crew members of a standard film set. While some actors feel that this information is useless, I firmly believe that in order to become a successful film actor you must fully understand the work it takes from others to complete a production. Perhaps one of the most the interesting, and often overlooked, position within a film set is the gaffer.
Film gaffers are responsible for designing, implementing and overseeing the integration of electrical equipment within a film set. Thus, this position is vital for not only the actor, but for all other departments.
Primary Responsibilities
The term gaffer originates from British English where the term literally means the boss. A film gaffer is the chief electrician on the set, and it is his responsibility to ensure a film set is properly connected to electrical sources to safely power lights, camera equipment and other electrical-driven equipment within a film set.
In some film sets you may hear the gaffer being referred to as the Chief Lighting Technician. Some of the other vital responsibilities of the gaffer is to have a solid understanding of lighting gels in order to alter the color of lighting equipment to achieve a desired effect. Typically, the gaffer reports to the Director of Photography, and these two professionals work very closely together as the gaffer must use his skill and knowledge to create the vision from the D.P. and the director.
As an actor, you may not feel that the gaffer plays a direct role in your performance; however, this professional is responsible for bringing electricity to the film set. Therefore, without his work a film could literally not be made. If you have questions regarding lighting or any other electrical-related issue, you may need to discuss these queries with the gaffer or his assistant, known as the Best Boy.
