For this tutorial we’ll clarify what do gaffers and cinematographers do. We’ll take into consideration the connection between the important thing individuals which are answerable for creating the lighting atmosphere on set. We’ll be breaking this down at a newbie degree for these of you who should not acquainted with how departmental strains are drawn on a movie set.
The 2 key departments which are answerable for lighting, (within the sense that it seems within the completed product) are the electrics division and the digital camera division.
The electrics division, (also called the lighting division) is mostly composed of the gaffer. The gaffer is the top of the division and works immediately with the director of images (also called the cinematographer) who’s the top of the digital camera division. This may be defined merely under:
- Gaffer – Head of the Electrics Division (Lighting Division)
- Cinematographer (Director of Pictures) – Head of the Digital camera Division
The Electrics Division
Beneath the gaffer you’ve the most effective boy electrical, which is sadly a little bit of an outdated time period as of late. We now are inclined to say finest particular person.
The very best particular person shouldn’t be solely a hands-on second in cost from the division, however can be answerable for organizing the division and another electrics assistants that work beneath them (these are sometimes known as third, fourth, fifth or sixth electrics).
The Digital camera Division
The digital camera division is about up in a similar way, with the cinematographer/director of images or ‘DOP’ on the head, who’s the artistic lead, working intently with the director.
Beneath the DOP, there’s the first assistant digital camera, (usually known as the primary AC) who is mostly answerable for not solely being the main focus puller on set, however for managing the remainder of the digital camera division, together with the gear.
The way it All Works on Set
In order that’s the overall format of the digital camera and lighting division. Now there are undoubtedly another nuances as properly, which depend upon the specifics of the set and issues could shift a little bit bit relying on the place you reside. Nevertheless, what we described above is the overall format of the digital camera and lighting division.
As you’ll be able to see, a movie set is sort of a hierarchical area, and it is essential one set for everybody to know their tasks. It’s needed to grasp this format, with a purpose to perceive how these concepts and inventive choices can finally move right down to somebody working in submit manufacturing and the way you would possibly need to talk with these roles.
The DOP and the gaffer work in tandem, each as division heads. The gaffer helps the DOP to assist the artistic imaginative and prescient of the director. They do that by creating the lighting atmosphere and shaping the sunshine collectively.
- The Gaffer – The gaffer is answerable for truly bodily manipulating the lighting applied sciences to take action.
- The Cinematographer/DOP – The DOP is answerable for creatively composing that imaginative and prescient throughout the body, all stemming from the needs of the director.
It is actually essential that these two roles work very properly collectively, and you may usually discover that an skilled gaffer and DOP may have an amazing language of shorthand communication between them on set. Particularly when one is working to explain what they want from the opposite, even when they’ve by no means truly labored collectively earlier than.
