Module 1The lighting department
- What a gaffer is, and where the word comes from
- Who's who in the department
- Working for the director of photography
- How the job changes from film to live TV and events
Watch · video course
What does a gaffer do?
Understand what the lighting department does on a film or TV set, how light behaves, and how people get into the work.
About the course
What does a gaffer do?
The gaffer runs the lighting department on a set, working with the director of photography to turn a lighting plan into light. This course explains the job, the crew around it and the kit it uses, filmed on Granary's main stage with the studio's own lighting rig.
It's an introduction for students, runners, career changers and self-shooters. It doesn't qualify anyone to do electrical work, and it says so where it matters.
- Format
- 6 modules of narrated video lessons, about 2 hours in all, with short quizzes and printable reference sheets
- Pace
- Most people finish in a week
- Filmed
- On the Granary main stage, with the studio's own fixtures, dimmers and lighting desks
- Please note
- An introduction, not an electrical qualification
Outcomes
By the end, you'll be able to
- Explain what a gaffer does and who else is in the lighting department
- Describe how the gaffer works with the director of photography
- Walk through a job from prep and recce to wrap
- Tell hard light from soft light and say what makes each
- Name key, fill, back and motivated light, and what each does in a frame
- Use the inverse square law to explain why light falls off with distance
- Explain colour temperature, correction gels and why colour rendering matters
- Identify common fixtures, shaping tools and control equipment by sight
- Explain in plain terms why power distribution and protection matter, as awareness only
- List the main safety duties on a lighting crew
- Describe the routes into lighting work in the UK
Outline
What the course covers
6 modules. Each ends with an assignment, and the templates and checklists come with the lessons.
Module 2A job from prep to wrap
- Prep: script, recce, lighting plan and kit lists
- The shooting day
- Wrap and de-rig
- Working alongside the other departments
Module 3How light behaves
- Hard and soft light
- Key, fill, back and motivated light
- Falloff and the inverse square law
- Colour temperature, gels and colour rendering
- Contrast ratios
Module 4The kit
- Fixtures
- Flags, nets, scrims, diffusion and bounce
- Dimmers, DMX and lighting desks
- Stands, grids and where lights hang
Module 5Power and safety, as awareness
- Why this module is not a qualification
- Watts, amps and volts, with a worked example
- Distribution and protection
- Hot lamps, cables, lifting and height
- The rules and who is responsible
Module 6Getting in
- Routes into lighting work
- What to learn next
- Where to find published rate cards
Who it's for
This is for you if
- Film and media students, runners and early-career crew
- Career changers curious about lighting work
- Self-shooters and producers who want to speak the lighting department's language
Who it isn't for
Probably not, if
- Anyone who needs a qualification to work as an electrician on set
Waiting list
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Questions
Before you ask
Is this a qualification?
No. It's an introduction. Electricians on set hold electrical qualifications this course doesn't give, and the power and safety module is awareness only.
Is there a hands-on version?
Yes. Crew ready is two days working as a lighting crew on the main stage, with this course as the pre-work. Join its waiting list too if you want to do both.
Where does the word gaffer come from?
Nobody is completely sure. The first lesson covers the main theories.
Want the hands-on version? Crew ready is two days in the lighting department.