Gaffer/Lighting Designer

The chief Lighting Designer of the film is also known as a Gaffer. For small scale student productions, the Gaffer often operates the lights themselves. The Gaffer will typically work for the Director of Photography (DP). Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Speaking with the director and other designers to develop design concepts and establish a schedule for sharing design plans

• Beginning design work using research and observations made during location scouting or from location photographs

• Attending pre-production meetings and experimenting with lighting when useful 

• Completing light plot showing instrument type and location within a ground plan of the shooting