Gaffer DP relationship

Steve Laramie

Steve Laramie

Veteran
I have worked with 4-5 Gaffers so far and have become friends with them so I wouldnt be able to get an honest answer out of them. My question is how to know if you are over working them? I am a nice guy and do everything i can to not treat my crew like dirt and give them breaks and all but I would like to hear some feedback from you guys on how much you work your gaffers. For example. If I have the Gaffer put a 2k up on a combo stand 20ft in the air and I want it slightly tweaked and I see that he is sweating and looks beat I wont ask him to tweak it. Am I to nice?
 
Are you paying him?

Are you both getting paid by someone else?

Are the projects you are working on, going to be shown to an audience?

Is the craft you are engaged in, a hobby, or a profession?


Those four questions will help shape the answer to your own question.

If that 2K light isn't flagged off and is spilling into an area of the frame that I don't want it to be, then yes, get him to tweak it.


Steve
 
The simple fact is is that you are both there to do a job. Whether it is difficult or not, that is what he is there for, and any knowledgeable crew member knows that going in and can expect to get a little sweaty. I wouldn't ever consider sacrificing the look of the shot because I think someone is tired or is working too hard.

Obviously you reach limitations with small crews, if your gaffer is actually doing the job of an electrician, as well as his own job, then the workload on him is much larger, and thus he may not be able to work as hard/fast for as long, people just get worn out when they end up doing everything. It's the reason big shows can have 40+ guys in G&E alone.

Sooner or later he'll have his guys doing the manual labor so that he can focus on his job, translating the DP's (yours, in this situation) vision into an efficient and proper lighting configuration. Gaffing is really about management more than anything else. Happy shooting.
 
I agree with Andrew

As a related anecdote...

I've shot/gaffed 20+ films in my time at school, mostly with the same gaffers and crew, and I can say with absolute certainty that our best stories and most fond memories come from the times when we were the most stressed, beaten, tired, hungry, and cold but still "tweaked the light", as it were.
 
I always have a close relationship with all the gaffer's I work with, I started my career in the electric department so I know his/her pain. If I feel the gaffer, or anyone the the camera, electric or grip department had too work really hard that day I make sure to thank them and maybe arrange production to buy them some drinks or dinner if it is in the budget. I usually try to organize the shooting schedule to not include too many difficult setups in a row to give the lighting and camera crews a break.

What SeanEmer said is completely true, the jobs I have had the hardest time are my best stories.
 
it shouldn't be a gaffer making the tweak..... Where are your grips!!!!!!?????

haha, joking joking....


If you need a tweak, you need a tweak. Hes gotta get it done. but remember its important to have enough crew. You need 2 guys for the first 4 lights, then 1 more grip every three more lights you put on set.... like 3 guys for 4-7 lights. Cause a light isnt just a light on a stand, its flags, silks, setup, break down, tweaks, ladders, someone to set the ladder, 2-5 Cstands depending on what is near or around it, and power and distro.

just make sure he has enough crew.
 
hi all,

i am a gaffer and i must say that if i didnt have to work with dop's it would be a really good job.........

hey i am just kidding........

we are there to work hard, if a light needs moving , flagging,
cut or tweaked thats our job so we do it.
cheers
ian

ps the grips are the ones with the donuts in their hands
 
hi sean

i had a couple of those perpetual motion machines in the back of the truck...but they were cheap chinese copies and they ran out of motion
so now they are just perpetual machines.....

ian
 
Just try and know what you want the first time. The more decisive you become the less your lighting department will hate you. As you're starting out, you're going to make mistakes, but those mistakes will translate into times you know that specific thing won't work...so, fix em!

That way you know what to do next time and you'll just begin working your lighting team less and less as you get better.

Also I mean...lunch at 6 hours, don't go over 12, but try your hardest to keep it at 10, especially if it's a freebie. Don't forget about the time it takes to wrap out....if he doesn't have any help you should be helping him wrap out...Those are just sort of common things you gotta do.
 
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