Cinematography-Theory-And-Practice

ElectriciansThe electric crew carries out the DPs instructions on lighting. Thecrew consists of the gaffer (the head of the crew), the second electric,and other electricians (lighting technicians). As the job gets larger, thenumber of electricians must increase. An inadequate crew slows theentire production down. The gaffer is also sometimes referred to inthe credits as Chief Lighting Technician. The DP gives his orders to thegaffer who then instructs the electricians what to do. It is importantthat the gaffer always be close to the DP for instant communication.The gaffer’s chief assistant is the second electric, also called the bestboy electric, or assistant chief lighting technician. The second has threemain duties: maintaining and overseeing all the equipment, supervisingeverything to do with electricity, and directly supervising thecrew. On location, the second will spend a lot of time on the truckordering, organizing, and maintaining the equipment.The second designs the layout of the distribution — the locationof the generator, the size of the cables to suit the total load,where distribution boxes will be placed, and so on. Important dutiesinclude checking that the cables and distribution equipment are notoverloaded, that the generator is running properly and supplyingthe correct voltage. With HMIs it is also critical to check that thegenerator is running at the proper frequency (see Technical Issues).The second also supervises the crew to ensure they are being putto best use and working efficiently. The electricians do most of theactual work of bringing lights to the set, putting them in position,getting them to the height required by the DP, adjusting the barndoors, adding scrims if needed, and plugging them in after checkingwith the second to make sure they don’t overload a circuit. If a gelis attached to the barn doors, the electricians do it. If it is in a frameand set separate from the light, the grips do it.Figure 15.15. Rather than settingthe dolly directly on the tracks, manygrips use a sled that runs on skateboardwheels; it’s fast to set up andmore maneuverable. An 8x8 silk isstored temporarily by laying it downand anchoring with sandbags at thecorners.set operations299