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Encyclopedia > Lighting technician

Lighting technicians are involved with setting up and controlling lighting equipment for entertainment venues (film or theater). Toward this end, they work under the direction of the cinematographer and gaffer (in film) or the lighting designer and master electrician (in theater). They are responsible for the movement and set up of various pieces of lighting equipment for visual effects.Rory Noble Knows what to do Lighting includes both artificial light sources such as lamps and natural illumination of interiors from daylight. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle &#8212... A Cameraman-Reporter during a MINUSTAH mission in 2007 (Photo: Patrick-André Perron A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera (the art and science of which is known as cinematography). ... A gaffer in the motion picture industry is the head of the electrical department, responsible for the execution (and sometimes the design) of the lighting plan for a production. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Master Electrician (or ME) in a theatre is responsible for implementing the lighting design for a production drawn up by the Lighting designer. ... Visual Effects (or VFX for short) is the term given to a sub-category of special effects in which images or film frames are created and manipulated for film and video. ...


Theatrical lighting technician

Main article: Electrician (theater)
See also: Stage lighting

In a theatrical setting a lighting technician will be responsible for building the lighting rig in the theater space as per the design drawings of the lighting designer. In theater, the term Electrician is generally applied to those that work with the various aspects of lighting. ... This is a current Stagecraft collaboration! Please help improve it to good article standard. ...


A common hierarchy in a theatre is as follows:

  • Head (Master) Electrician – In charge of overseeing the lighting crew, interpreting the Lighting Designer’s drawings, and ultimately responsible for the building and maintenance of the lighting rig.
  • Assistant Electrician – Assistant to the head electrician, usually in charge of maintaining paperwork, and keeping up with changes that are made to the rig during the process of technical rehearsals.
  • Electrician – labor used by the master electrician to construct the rig. Duties of an electrician include: hanging lights in the proper place, Running power and necessary data to all lights, doing light rigging, and installing the necessary color and image patterns into the lights. During a day of focus the electricians on call will aim all lights under the direction of the lighting designer.

Film lighting technician

Also called Set Lighting Technician, Lamp Operator, Electrician, Electric, Spark or simply a Juicer. The Lighting Technicians on a motion picture set handle all of the electrical needs as well as place and focus all of the lighting under the direction of the Gaffer (Chief Lighting Technician). For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as...


The lighting technician's duties include:

  • Placement and focus of lighting fixtures for any given scene to be photographed.
  • Distribution of power and work lights around the set and support areas (including actor's trailers, portable production offices, catering, etc.).
  • Management of electrical generators.
  • Providing electricity to all support services and departments on the set.

The film set electrical department hierarchy is as follows: Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Generator redirects here. ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ...

  • Gaffer (Chief Lighting Technician) is the head of the electricians. The Gaffer works directly under the Director of Photography (Cinematographer) to make decisions on the creative lighting on the set (or on location), and is responsible for executing those decisions.
  • Best Boy Electrician (Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Second Electric) works under the Gaffer as the foreman of the electrical staff. The Best Boy is, generally, the liaison between the set and the equipment truck, and between the electricians and other film crew departments. The Best Boy manages the equipment and manpower, organizes rentals and returns of special lighting gear needed for specific scenes, and sometimes repairs equipment. In the absence of a Generator Operator, the Best Boy manages the main power source(s) for the set, balancing power loads and maintaining electrical safety.
  • Set Lighting Technician (Lamp Operator, Electrician, Third Electric) handles the physical lamps and the stands or other hardware they are mounted to. Stands placed on uneven ground and hardware that is mounted to walls or hanging in any special area are often under the control of the Grip department. The electrician lays cable, runs extensions, wires fixtures, sets fixtures and focuses them under the direction of the Gaffer.

A Cameraman-Reporter during a MINUSTAH mission in 2007 (Photo: Patrick-André Perron A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera (the art and science of which is known as cinematography). ... In a film crew there are two kinds of best boy; Best Boy Electric and Best Boy Grip. ... Film crew and equipment on a location shoot. ... In the U.S. and Canada, grips are lighting and rigging technicians in the film and video industries. ...

Stage Lighting Technician

Also called a sparky, lighting tech, lighting operator or a noodle tech. The Stage Lighting Technicians set up lighting and make effects for live performances and concerts.


Duties include:

  • Setting up and focusing lights
  • Patching and or wiring up lights to dimmers or control consoles
  • Changing the state of lights during a performance or concert
  • Packing down lights after the show

The Stage lighting department hirearchy is as follows:

  • Chief lighting Technician. works with the production manager to see what effects need to be created
  • Lighting Programmer. Works with the chief lighting technician to program the lights to create effects and sequences before the show
  • Lighting Technician.
  • Stage lighting assistant. Works with the lighting technician to setup and patch or wire up lighting, also lugs gear.

  Results from FactBites:
 
Lighting Technicians (1451 words)
The distribution of light and how it enhances the subject is a major pictorial element and is usually the responsibility of the Director of Photography who, with the assistance of the Chief Lighting Technician (Gaffer), designs the lighting scheme to create or accentuate the mood required for a scene.
Lighting Technicians work on sound stages, studio lots, and on practical locations such as restaurants, bars, houses, office buildings, parks, city streets, etc. Their work involves all three major phases of the work - rigging the set, lighting the set during production, and striking (dismantling) the lighting equipment after shooting is completed.
Lighting Technicians should be able to stay on their feet most of the day, climbing ladders, standing, stooping, bending, walking, and carrying and lifting heavy cable and lighting units.
Lighting technician - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (688 words)
Lighting technicians are involved with setting up and controlling lighting equipment for entertainment venues (film or theater).
The Lighting Technicians on a motion picture set handle all of the electrical needs as well as place and focus all of the lighting under the direction of the Gaffer (Chief Lighting Technician).
Gaffer (Chief Lighting Technician) is the head of the electricians.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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