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What A Gaffer Does On Set: Crew Breakdown

What a gaffer does on set: heading the electrical department, turning the cinematographer’s intentions into fixtures and power, managing the crew and keeping the lighting safe and fast.

In Depth Cine · 10 min · Beginner · CIN · Cinematography · 2021

What you take away

Describe the look to the gaffer, not the lamp; they choose the tools.

Watch it

Filed under

Films to study for light

Oscar winners for cinematography

Books on cinematography

Kit for this lesson

Aputure MT Pro — A pocket pixel tube
Aputure F10 Barndoors — Cuts the spill off a Fresnel — the cheapest control there is
Aputure MC Pro — Pocket RGBWW — an eye light that fits in a pocket
Aputure Light Dome Mini III — The Dome for small rooms and small fixtures
Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM — The portrait-adjacent normal
Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM — The RF standard zoom, stabilised

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