The chief lighting technician, who works directly with the director of photography to design how each scene is lit and leads the electric crew that rigs lights and power. The gaffer chooses fixtures, gels, diffusion and placement, and the best boy electric handles crew and equipment logistics. Gaffer tape, the cloth tape that peels cleanly off surfaces, takes its name from the job.
Gaffer wants a 4 by 4 frame of diffusion on the key and the window blacked out by the time we come back from lunch.
Also heard as
- chief lighting technician
- CLT
Related terms
Key light
The main light source illuminating a subject, setting the direction, exposure and character of the lighting.
Flag
A black fabric panel on a frame used on film sets to block light from hitting part of a scene or the lens.
CTO
Color Temperature Orange: a correction gel that warms daylight-balanced light toward tungsten color temperature.
Practical
A working light fixture that appears in the scene itself, such as a table lamp, sconce or neon sign.