{"id":114463,"date":"2019-06-06T06:00:05","date_gmt":"2019-06-06T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=114463"},"modified":"2019-06-04T15:14:46","modified_gmt":"2019-06-04T20:14:46","slug":"filmmaking-inside-the-electric-department","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/filmmaking-inside-the-electric-department\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Electric Department: Lighting, Tools, and Safety Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Electric Department is the backbone of any production. Let’s look at the roles, tools, and responsibilities behind safely powering a set.<\/h2>\n

The Electric Department is one of the most important on any production. Today, we’re taking a look at the jobs available to Electrics, the main kinds of lighting used on sets, as well as some of the common tools used on productions, then examining some of the basic safety skills necessary for all Electrics to possess.<\/p>\n

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What Does the Electric Department Do?<\/h3>\n

The Electric Department works alongside the Grip Department<\/a>, under direction from the Director of Photography, in order to devise and execute the lighting plan for each shot in the production. The Grip and Electric departments are often referred to under the single title of G&E.<\/p>\n

The primary job of all members within the Electric Department is to provide power to everything on set. This means everything from the craft service’s microwave, talent trailers, video village, to each of the lights illuminating the set.<\/p>\n

As a result, the Electric Department forms the backbone of any production. Let’s take a look at the positions that comprise the core Electric team on most sets.<\/p>\n

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Roles Within the Electric Department<\/h3>\n

\"Inside<\/a><\/p>\n

Image via Media Whalestock<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Gaffer<\/a><\/h4>\n

The Gaffer is the head of the Electric Department, and works directly under the Director of Photography, to develop and build the lighting plan on a shoot \u2014 in conjunction with the Key Grip and the Grip Department. In television, the gaffer is sometimes known as the Lighting Director. The Gaffer remains with the DP during the shoot to pass lighting changes to the Best Boy.<\/p>\n

Best Boy<\/a><\/h4>\n

The best boy, or best girl, is the main assistant to the gaffer and operates as the foreman of the Electric Department. The best boy oversees all operations of the Electric Department, passing directives from the gaffer to the set electricians, and assisting the electricians with setup and rigging of lights and cables. Best boys often are responsible for hiring and managing the Electric Department, in addition to assisting with the execution of the lighting plan. If the gaffer is unavailable for any reason, the best boy stands in to cover their responsibilities until the gaffer is available to return to set. The role of best boy is sometimes credited as the Assistant Chief Lighting Technician.<\/p>\n

Lighting Technician<\/a><\/h4>\n

Lighting Techs are the workforce of the Electric Department. They are frequently referred to as Electricians (or simply Electrics) on many productions, but might also be known as Sparks or Juicers. They are responsible for the loading and unloading of lighting equipment, execution of the lighting plan, and safely mounting lighting fixtures, cables, and other necessary light manipulators and equipment, out of the way of the cast and crew. Lighting techs are also responsible for managing set power, operating and running cables from generators, wall outlets, or other power sources on-set, to wherever it is needed by the crew.<\/p>\n

Rigging<\/a><\/h4>\n

Some productions have a team of Electricians who move ahead of the production and pre-light sets, based on the gaffer’s plan. This helps productions move more quickly by keeping the amount of time spent moving and setting up lights to a minimum. Rigging Electricians work under a Rigging Gaffer, who has their own best boy, and reports to the head gaffer of the Electric Department.<\/p>\n

Swings<\/h4>\n

A swing is a member of the Electric or Grip Department who is able to assist either department, as needed. On larger productions, Swing Grips or Electrics help to substantially reduce set-up and tear-down times, as they are authorized to work with both Grip and Electric equipment.<\/p>\n

Now that we’ve got the basic roles within the Electric Department covered, let’s take a look at some of the tools these technicians use each day on set.<\/p>\n

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Tools of the Trade<\/h3>\n

Light<\/h4>\n

PremiumBeat’s Michael Maher has a fantastic article detailing the basics of the main types of illumination used on set<\/a>, as well as a great primer on Color Temperature. I’ll cover the basics here.<\/p>\n

Film lights are highly specialized tools, with many variants to fit the specific needs a production might have. On modern productions, Electrics use four main types of illumination: Tungsten, HMI, Fluorescent, and LED.<\/p>\n

Tungsten<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Inside<\/a><\/p>\n

Image via Alberto Laratro<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n