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Lighting technicians are responsible for operating the technical lighting systems for film, TV and theater productions as well as for events. They are also responsible for setting up and maintaining these lighting devices and systems. If you have experience in an electronics profession, this is definitely an advantage.
As part of TV and film projects, the lighting technician receives their specifications from the head cameraman. This lighting plan must be implemented. In a theater production, these instructions usually come from the director (who also has a certain say in film and television).
In the advertising industry, the lighting technician is also responsible for creating a coherent lighting concept and appealing lighting situations based on the concept/screenplay/storyboards etc. provided to him.
You can find everything you need to know about the responsible position of lighting technician at Jobwork.
Within a production, the areas of responsibility for the lighting technician are extremely varied. In most cases, these cannot be handled by one person alone. The larger the project, the more differentiated the lighting team needs to be. This is the only way to guarantee safety on set and the necessary quality of work. A distinction is made between the following types of lighting technicians:
Head lighting technician
The head lighting technician pulls all the strings on set. In the theater industry, this position is also known as the lighting master; in English, the term "lighting designer" or "gaffer" is used. He is responsible for the implementation of the lighting concept - usually developed together with the cameramen. The gaffer must ensure that both the creative and technical specifications are implemented precisely.
Lighting technician
The Assistant Chief Lighting Technician or "Best Boy" mainly performs organizational tasks, such as managing the materials used or coordinating all other lighting technicians. While the chief lighting technician is usually responsible for the creative execution, the lighting technician has executive tasks. In smaller productions, for example, they are responsible for setting up and wiring the lighting setup as well as the actual operation during the performance.
Lighting technician
Setting up tripods, attaching and aligning lamps, carrying out simple repairs - the lighting technician is responsible for all (technical) work on set. They ensure that the lighting is positioned and aligned correctly. The lighting technician ("electricians" or "grip" in English) therefore implements the specifications of the creative department and the head lighting technician.
Genny Operator
His task is to keep an eye on the power supply. The genny operator must keep an eye on the status of the cabling as well as the power load distribution and the required power output. Incidentally, the word "genny" is a diminutive of "generator". On the set of a film or series shoot, the lighting team provides the necessary power for the lighting system with its own, specially soundproofed and mobile generator.
Depending on the size of a particular production, the size of the lighting team required also varies. For film and TV productions, a head lighting technician and 2-5 other team members are usually deployed. If night scenes are on the program, temporary additional lighting technicians and equipment are usually hired at short notice.
Since 1998, "lighting technician" has actually been an officially recognized profession, but there is no specific training for it. Those interested can follow the path of a "specialist for event technology" or gain sufficient practical experience.