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| {{Short description|Chief lighting technician and head of food safety}} | |||
| {{Other uses|Gaffer (disambiguation)}} | |||
| ]'']] | |||
| A '''gaffer''' in the ] and on a ] is an ], sometimes head of the electrical department, responsible for the execution (and sometimes the design) of the ] plan for a production's ]. The term Gaffer originally related to the moving of overhead equipment to control lighting levels using a ]. The term has been used for the chief electrician in films since 1936.<ref name=OED>] accessed 15 May 2009</ref> The gaffer's assistant is the ].<ref name="Taub153">{{cite book |title=Gaffers, Grips, and Best Boys |last=Taub |first=Eric |year=1994 |publisher=] |location=New York |isbn=0-312-11276-9 |page=153 |pages=272}}</ref> | |||
| In ] and ]s, the '''gaffer''' or '''chief lighting technician''' is the head ], responsible for the execution (and sometimes the design) of the ] plan for a production. The gaffer's assistant is the ''] electric''. | |||
| ==Etymology== | |||
| Sometimes the gaffer is credited as ] (CLT). | |||
| There are several possible explanations for the history of the term ''gaffer''. | |||
| One possibility is that the term originally referred to the moving of overhead equipment, or before electricity and in Shakespeare-era play theatres, lighting louvres to control lighting levels using a long pole with a wide grappling hook on its end, called a ].<ref name="Taub153">{{cite book|last=Taub|first=Eric|url=https://archive.org/details/gaffersgripsbest00taub_0/page/153|title=Gaffers, Grips, and Best Boys|publisher=]|year=1994|isbn=0-312-11276-9|location=New York|page=|url-access=registration}}</ref> | |||
| Experienced gaffers can coordinate the entire job of lighting, given knowledge of the time of day and conditions to be portrayed, managing resources as broad as ]s, lights, ], and manpower. Gaffers are responsible for knowing the appropriate color of ] (plastic sheeting) to put on the lights or windows to achieve a variety of effects, such as transforming midday into a beautiful sunset. They can re-create the flicker of lights in a ] car, the motion of light inside a turning airplane, or the passage of night into day. | |||
| Another potential origin is as a contraction of "]", originally applied by country people to an elderly man, or one whose position entitled him to respect; the female equivalent was "gammer", a contraction of "godmother".<ref name="OED">{{OED|gaffer, n.}}</ref> Both words are found in the comic play '']'', printed in 1575 but possibly written earlier. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| In this etymology, "gaffer" later became used more generally for a "master" or "governor", and by 1841 was applied to foremen and supervisors of gangs of workmen. | |||
| The gaffer, or chief electrician, works with assistants who are known as grips. Much of the "hands on" work credited to the gaffer is actually performed by the grips, who manage cables, position lighting fixtures and install dolly track. | |||
| In any case, it has been applied specifically to the chief electrician on a film set since the 1920s.<ref name="OED" /> The '']'' includes a citation from '']'' of 1926<ref name="OED" /> and a 1929 book on motion picture production also uses the term.<ref>{{cite book |first=Mary Eunice |last=McCarthy |title=The Hands of Hollywood |location=Hollywood |publisher=Photoplay Research Bureau |year=1929 |page=61 |url=https://archive.org/details/handsofhollywood00mary }}</ref> | |||
| ] is but one of the many types of tape that a gaffer, key grip, or any other member film crew uses in a variety of situations. Other types of tape include ], ] (also known as snot tape),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://faculty.uncsa.edu/film/1801/fall-2012/ditty_bag_checklist_2012.pdf|title=FIM 1801 - Fundamentals of Cinematography: Ditty Bag Checklist, Years Three & Four: Expendables|date=2012-05-07|author=David Elkins|publisher=]}}</ref> ], ], and ]. | |||
| == |
==Role== | ||
| The gaffer is responsible for managing lighting, including associated resources such as labor, lighting instruments and electrical equipment under the direction of the ] (DP, DOP or Cinematographer) or, in television, the lighting director (LD). | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ⚫ | The DP/LD is responsible for the overall lighting design, but delegates the implementation of the design to the gaffer and the ]. The key grip is the head ], in charge of the labor and non-electrical equipment used to support and modify the lighting. Grip equipment includes stands, ] and ]. The gaffer will usually have an assistant called a ] and, depending on the size of the job, crew members who are called "set lighting technicians" or "]", although not all of them are trained as ]s in the usual sense of the term. | ||
| ==External links== | |||
| ==Gaffer tape== | |||
| More about the evolution of the term "gaffer" in film making can be read . | |||
| The name of the position gives its name by association to ], a strong cloth-backed adhesive tape used within the film and TV industry. Gaffer tape is typically used by set lighting technicians under the supervision of, and not directly by, a gaffer. Many other types of tape are also used in the industry, such as paper tape, ] (A.K.A. snot tape), ], J-LAR, and cloth tape. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| {{film crew}} | {{film crew}} | ||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 07:59, 13 October 2024
Chief lighting technician and head of food safety
In film and television crews, the gaffer or chief lighting technician is the head electrician, responsible for the execution (and sometimes the design) of the lighting plan for a production. The gaffer's assistant is the best boy electric.
Etymology
There are several possible explanations for the history of the term gaffer.
One possibility is that the term originally referred to the moving of overhead equipment, or before electricity and in Shakespeare-era play theatres, lighting louvres to control lighting levels using a long pole with a wide grappling hook on its end, called a gaff.
Another potential origin is as a contraction of "godfather", originally applied by country people to an elderly man, or one whose position entitled him to respect; the female equivalent was "gammer", a contraction of "godmother". Both words are found in the comic play Gammer Gurton's Needle, printed in 1575 but possibly written earlier.
In this etymology, "gaffer" later became used more generally for a "master" or "governor", and by 1841 was applied to foremen and supervisors of gangs of workmen.
In any case, it has been applied specifically to the chief electrician on a film set since the 1920s. The Oxford English Dictionary includes a citation from Picture-Play Magazine of 1926 and a 1929 book on motion picture production also uses the term.
Role
The gaffer is responsible for managing lighting, including associated resources such as labor, lighting instruments and electrical equipment under the direction of the director of photography (DP, DOP or Cinematographer) or, in television, the lighting director (LD).
The DP/LD is responsible for the overall lighting design, but delegates the implementation of the design to the gaffer and the key grip. The key grip is the head grip, in charge of the labor and non-electrical equipment used to support and modify the lighting. Grip equipment includes stands, flags and gobos. The gaffer will usually have an assistant called a best boy and, depending on the size of the job, crew members who are called "set lighting technicians" or "electricians", although not all of them are trained as electricians in the usual sense of the term.
Gaffer tape
The name of the position gives its name by association to gaffer tape, a strong cloth-backed adhesive tape used within the film and TV industry. Gaffer tape is typically used by set lighting technicians under the supervision of, and not directly by, a gaffer. Many other types of tape are also used in the industry, such as paper tape, pressure-sensitive tape (A.K.A. snot tape), electrical tape, J-LAR, and cloth tape.
References
- Taub, Eric (1994). Gaffers, Grips, and Best Boys. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 153. ISBN 0-312-11276-9.
- ^ "gaffer, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- McCarthy, Mary Eunice (1929). The Hands of Hollywood. Hollywood: Photoplay Research Bureau. p. 61.
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