Gaffer

The head of the electrical department who handles all the work that is related to light is known as the Gaffer. The gaffer is supposed to assemble all the necessary light equipment, position the entire chain of lights appropriately and work according to the demands of the filmmaker and the script. Every sequence needs a variety of lights and within that, a huge number of lights for each variety- managing the entire array of lights is no child’s play. The gaffer also needs to keep a check on the whole team so that the coordinate with the other departments, and do their job well within the deadlines.

The task of a gaffer is beyond the logistics and mechanics and expects the people concerned to be extremely patient. They help in the screenplay as well. The gaffer is constantly in touch with the Photography and Camera Departments. They are often contacted by the costume designer and set decorator- the reason being that the shades of the dresses and props might change with the light effects and hence, bring down the original color. To maintain the raw colors and texture they consult the gaffer, often.