A gaffer's day is measured in amps and minutes. The DP says the scene should feel like late afternoon through dirty windows, and the gaffer has to work out which fixtures do that, where they hang, what feeds them, and how long it will take the electric crew to build it before the 1st AD starts asking. The DP decides the look, and the gaffer works out how to build it and keep the power steady for twelve hours.
Prep: scouts, power, and the lighting order
Gaffers usually start one to three weeks before day one on a feature, longer on a big stage build. The first job is reading the script and the shooting schedule with the DP and marking every scene that needs something unusual: a night exterior on a residential street, a practical neon sign, a car interior on a process trailer, a lightning effect.
The tech scout is where the plan becomes real. At each location the gaffer looks for where power will come from. That might be a tow generator parked a cable run away, a tie-in to the building's panel, or house power for a small setup. They check where the sun will be at call time and at wrap, what the windows face, and how high the ceilings are for hanging fixtures. They also talk through placement with the key grip, because the grips will rig anything that has to be flown, clamped to a wall, or put on a condor.
After the scouts the gaffer writes the lighting order: every fixture, the cable and distribution needed to feed it, dimmers or a lighting console, generator size, and expendables like gel and diffusion. The best boy electric usually turns that list into rental house quotes and a truck load. On shows with big rigs the gaffer also books a rigging gaffer and crew to pre-light sets days ahead.
How the day runs on a stage
A typical 12-hour stage day with a 7:00 AM crew call:
| Time | What the gaffer is doing |
|---|---|
| 7:00 AM | Walks the first set with the DP, confirms the pre-rig from yesterday is live |
| 7:20 AM | Watches the blocking rehearsal, then calls out the lighting plan on the walkie channel |
| 7:30 to 8:30 AM | Electricians set lamps while the gaffer tweaks levels with the board operator |
| 8:30 AM | First shot. Gaffer stands near the monitor or by the DP, adjusting between takes |
| 1:00 PM | Lunch. Before breaking, the gaffer sends two electricians ahead to pre-light the next set |
| 2:00 to 6:30 PM | Coverage and turnarounds, relighting for each new angle |
| 7:00 PM | Wrap called. Gaffer confirms what stays hot overnight and what gets struck |
While the gaffer stays near camera all day, the best boy is off set handling crew paperwork, the truck, and tomorrow's additions.
What the minimums look like in practice
Local 728's 2024-27 wage schedules list the gaffer as Chief Lighting Technician. For the year starting August 2, 2026, Wage Schedule 1 (theatrical features and the top tier of television) sets the studio minimum at $65.22 an hour for a daily employee. Daily hires get time and a half after 8 hours, so a 12-hour day at scale works out like this:
- 8 hours at $65.22 = $521.76
- 4 hours at $97.83 (time and a half) = $391.32
- Total: $913.08 before pension and health contributions
Weekly hires are paid on a different basis. The Schedule B weekly guarantee is $3,926.57 for 54 cumulative hours, which is 40 straight hours plus 14 hours at time and a half, all at a $64.37 base (61 paid hours times $64.37). The Basic Agreement ratified in 2024 raised minimums 7%, 4%, and 3.5% across its three years, and these are the third-year numbers. Low budget and new media shows pay less, and experienced gaffers on commercials often negotiate well above scale. The overtime calculator will run the same math for a different call.
Kit rental and truck packages
Almost every gaffer charges a kit rental. On a studio show that covers the gaffer's own light meter, color meter, tools, walkies they prefer, and a cart of odds and ends, paid as a flat weekly figure written into the deal memo. Because it is equipment rental, not wages, it does not carry payroll fringes. Productions generally ask for an inventory so everyone agrees on what was rented if something breaks or goes missing.
Gaffers who own a full grip and electric truck are in a different business. On commercials and smaller features the production may rent the whole package from the gaffer's company, invoiced like any rental house, with its own insurance certificate. That rental belongs in the lighting equipment account, and the labor stays on payroll. The kit and box rental guide covers how those payments are handled.
Getting the job and joining Local 728
Nearly every gaffer came up as an electrician, then worked as a best boy or a lamp operator for a gaffer who later passed them work. DPs tend to bring their gaffer from show to show, so relationships drive hiring more than applications.
For union work in Los Angeles, Local 728 requires placement on one of two Contract Services rosters, the Industry Experience Roster or the Commercial Roster. According to Local 728's joining guide, you need 30 days of permitted union employment on signatory productions within one year of your first permitted day, and you must pass a color-blind test before roster placement. Contract Services also requires its general production safety course and harassment prevention training before placement. In New York the electric department falls under IATSE Local 52.
Paperwork and tools
The gaffer signs off on the lighting order and approves loss and damage reports with the best boy. They review electric crew time cards before they go to the accountant, keep generator and fuel notes when a location needs them, and flag extra crew days for rigging or big night work so the production coordinator can book them. On set the tools are a light meter, a phone app or console for wireless DMX fixtures, and the walkie.
Storiara for the electric department
Storiara's Equipment module holds each item with cost and rate fields and availability, and can import a rental house list from CSV or XLSX. A gaffer's lighting order can sit next to the schedule the DP and 1st AD are working from, and the crew record for the gaffer can carry a union and contract selection with the rate filled in. See Equipment for details.