Mondo Knows Facts
The gaffer runs the lighting department
They plan the rig, hire the electricians and answer to the cinematographer The gaffer turns a lighting plan into lamps, cable and power on set, while the best boy acts as second in command and keeps track of the crew and kit. On location the job includes the generator and keeping cable runs clear. Safety on rigging points, heat and electrics sits with them too. It sits in Mondo's movies & tv collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.
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Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
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The script supervisor tracks continuityThey note what each actor wore, held and said so matching shots agreeA location scout finds places to shootThey photograph and research sites, then check access, power and permitsAn animal wrangler trains the animals on screenHandlers teach one specific action and repeat it take after takeThe armourer controls every weapon on setA licensed specialist checks, loads and hands over each gun, then counts it backThe focus puller keeps the shot sharpThey turn a geared wheel to track an actor moving toward or away from the lensThe dolly grip drives the camera platformThey push and steer a wheeled rig by hand so the move stays smooth
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Tags: jobs, lighting, production
The gaffer runs the lighting department: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- They plan the rig, hire the electricians and answer to the cinematographer. The figure is taken from BFI, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a movies & tv fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Movies & TV shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.