Ask most people what a gaffer does and you get "lighting". True, and not useful. The role is more specific than that, and the specificity is what makes it hireable.
What is a gaffer, exactly?
The gaffer is the Chief Lighting Technician — the head of the electrical department on a film or television production. They report to the cinematographer, take the look the DP wants, and work out what instruments, power and rigging will actually produce it on the day.
In the United States the jurisdiction belongs to IATSE Local 728, Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians, chartered on 15 May 1939. Local 728 describes its members' responsibility as the installation and removal of temporary electrical power systems, lighting control systems and lighting instruments for motion picture and television production, including commercials and live performance work.
That phrasing matters. The department owns the power, not only the lamps. Distro, generators, cable runs and board programming all sit inside the same jurisdiction, which is why "the gaffer just points lights" undersells the job by a wide margin.
Who works for the gaffer?
The department under the gaffer runs, in order:
| Position | Formal title | What they own |
|---|---|---|
| Gaffer | Chief Lighting Technician | The lighting plan and the DP relationship |
| Best boy electric | Assistant Chief Lighting Technician | Crew, truck, order, timecards |
| Board op | Lighting Console Programmer | Console programming and cues |
| Rigging gaffer | Chief Rigging Technician | Pre-rig and strike, ahead of the shooting crew |
| Electrics / lamp ops | Lighting Technician | Placing, powering and adjusting units |
The best boy is the one detail people most often get wrong. It is not a junior title — it is the department's second in command, and on a large show the best boy is running more logistics than the gaffer is.
Rigging is worth understanding too: a rigging crew under the Chief Rigging Technician often pre-lights a location days before the shooting crew arrives, which is how a big set is ready on a morning call rather than three hours into the day.
How is a gaffer different from a key grip?
They are peers who split the work along a clean line: the gaffer makes light, the key grip shapes, blocks and cuts it.
Flags, nets, silks, bounce, overheads and anything that modifies light without being plugged in belong to the grip department. Anything drawing power belongs to electric. Both department heads answer to the cinematographer, and on a well-run set they plan together in prep rather than negotiating on the floor.
What makes a gaffer good rather than adequate?
Prep, mostly. The gaffer who has walked the location, read the schedule and knows the company moves is the one whose department is not the reason the day runs long. Lighting is usually the longest single setup on a shooting day, so the gaffer has more influence over the schedule than almost any other head of department.
The other half is the DP relationship. A gaffer is translating an intention into a rig, and the ones who get re-hired are the ones who understood the intention on the first pass.
How do you get hired as a gaffer?
Almost always by having been the best boy for a gaffer who moved up or got busy. It is a promotion-from-within craft.
That works fine until the people who know you are not working. Making your credits legible to a production that has never met you is a different problem, and it is the one a public Crew Card is built for. If you are weighing where to base yourself, where film crew actually get hired covers the channels that carry across markets.
See also the full gaffer role page, and the neighbouring best boy electric and key grip pages.
Sources
- About Us — Local 728 jurisdiction, chartered 15 May 1939, covering Chief Lighting Technicians (Gaffers), Assistant Chief Lighting Technicians (Best Boy), Lighting Console Programmers and Chief Rigging Technicians — IATSE Local 728, Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians
- About Us — Local 80 representing Motion Picture Grips and related crafts — IATSE Local 80
- What Is IATSE? An Explainer — the 1939 split of Local 37 into Locals 728, 727, 80 and 44 — No Film School
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a gaffer and a best boy?+
The gaffer is the Chief Lighting Technician and head of the electrical department. The best boy electric is the Assistant Chief Lighting Technician — the department's second in command, responsible for the crew, the truck, the equipment order and timecards. It is a senior role, not an entry-level one.
Is a gaffer more senior than a key grip?+
No. They are peers, both reporting to the cinematographer. The gaffer's department creates light and owns anything drawing power; the key grip's department shapes, blocks and cuts light using flags, nets, silks and bounce.
What union covers gaffers in the United States?+
IATSE Local 728, Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians, chartered on 15 May 1939. Its jurisdiction covers temporary electrical power systems, lighting control systems and lighting instruments for motion picture and television production.