Film Gaffer? Role and Responsibilities

  Raj mani Maurya

What is the gaffer? Gaffer is a British slang term for old man / godfather or grandfather, or the head of a group of labourers, so the sight of that title in movie credits has probably triggered some laughs from moviegoers. But although the idea is funny, this is not a special film job for old fogeys - the gaffer is actually the head electrician on a movie set. In British theater, the term was used to describe the man who adjusted the lighting, and that came from the city lamplighters who used a "gaff," a pole with a hook on the end, to light the gas lamps in the streets. The term has been used for the chief electrician in films since the 1930s. The Oxford English Dictionary has a citation from 1936, a 1929 book on motion picture production also uses the term. Sometimes called the chief lighting technician, the gaffer, along with the key grip, works directly under the director of photography (otherwise known as the DoP or cinematographer). The gaffer and key grip handle the physical and technical labor that make the DoP's vision into reality -- the gaffer and his or her crew are in charge of lighting, and the key grip's crew work with the cameras. The DoP, gaffer and key grip are always in close communication during a shoot. The key grip is the head grip, in charge of the labor and non-electrical equipment used to support and modify the lighting. Grip equipment includes stands, flags and gobos, etc. The gaffer's job is definitely a technical and administrative one, but depending on the DoP's working style and their relationship, the gaffer can also have some creative freedom with the lighting and lighting effects. The Grip Department supports all non-electrical needs on set, most notably lighting and rigging). They set up gear for the camera, such as vehicle mounts, tripods, dollies, and cranes. The dolly is a vehicle with a camera mount; the vehicle runs on dolly tracks, allowing for smooth camera movement during a scene where the characters are walking, for example. Long before shooting starts, the gaffer goes through the script and makes notes of possible special lighting situations and what equipment might be needed. Then he or she will go with the director, DoP, key grip, best boys and producers on a tech scout -- they'll visit the studio and different filming locations to figure out exactly what each scene or shot calls for in terms of lighting, cameras and manpower. Afterward, the gaffer is responsible for writing up - and sticking to - a budget for the electric department.

Keywords- Film, Lighting, Gaffer, Cinematographer, chief electrician in films, Director of Photographer or Dop

Unique Identification Number - IJEDR1902106
Page Number(s) - 565-568
Pubished in - Volume 7 | Issue 2 | June 2019
DOI (Digital Object Identifier) -   
Publisher - IJEDR (ISSN - 2321-9939)

  Raj mani Maurya,   "Film Gaffer? Role and Responsibilities", International Journal of Engineering Development and Research (IJEDR), ISSN:2321-9939, Volume.7, Issue 2, pp.565-568, June 2019, Available at :http://www.ijedr.org/papers/IJEDR1902106.pdf