Moving Images, Understanding Media

302 Moving Images: Making Movies, Understanding Media

variations and ongoing changes in practices on sets from low budget projects

to major Hollywood productions are staggering. Th e workfl ow for the camera

crew on the twenty-fi rst century set can include a wide variety of strategies.

To give one example, the job of a camera assistant can include collecting

shots on a digital card, removing the card from the camera, downloading

the information onto a laptop, verifying the labeling and organization of the

takes, and passing on this work so that the shot can be immediately inserted

into a temporary rough cut to see how the footage works.

Lighting and Electric

To direct the lighting of the movie, the cinematographer’s head assistant is the

gaff er, or chief lighting technician. Th e gaff er and the lighting crew, including

best boy electric and second electric, are in charge of maintaining, selecting,

setting, and adjusting the lighting setups of the movie. Cinematographer

Michael Margulies explains,

I will discuss with the gaff er what I want, where I want the light

coming from, what I want the light to hit, and usually let him

decide on the units he uses. Nine out of ten times he will make the

decision on the unit... I want the set looking in a certain way and

I want so many foot-candles and that is what he gives me.

Th is quote from 1986 refl ects a traditional approach to fi lm lighting, and

there is now more predominant use of natural illumination and minimal

lighting setups in fi lm and television. However, the dynamic between directors

of photography and lighting crews, headed by the gaff er, still revolves around

their ability to converse fl uently about light and to use the tools at their

disposal eff ectively.

Figure 8-16 Gaffer Eric

Blum, on ladder, and crew rig

lights for Of Men and Angels.

(Photo by Gregg Mancuso,

Courtesy farleyfi lm.com)

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