What is a Lighting Technician?

In any production environment (Television, Film, Commercials or Video), the creative vision of the Director and the Director of Photography has to be translated into reality with a set of technical equipment. In order to make that possible, Lighting Technicians, along with the electrical department, have to combine an artistic eye with technical knowledge and expertise.

What is the Job?
A Lighting Technician typically works under the supervision of the lighting director (or gaffer), or the Director of Photography in higher budget productions.

One of the main tasks is to understand the DoP’s vision of the scene and establish what are the technical requirements to make it possible in terms of the necessary equipment and its correct assembling and operations.

Technicians also physically pre-rig all the lighting and cables and make sure that everything is in operating condition before the shoot, when they also are in charge of operating any necessary switch, colour change etc…

Along with physical and technical preparation, Lighting Technician must be keen to work in heterogeneous teams, having to smoothly communicate with directors, producers, technicians from different departments and actors, having to meet everyone’s requirements in an efficient and effective way.

With career progression, specialisation is frequent. There is a huge variety of specific techniques which are perfected with experience and applied in particular productions, therefore most Technicians tend to focus on a particular sector in order to meet the demand for experienced professional in that field.

Key Skills
Technical knowledge of equipment and its functioning is the main requirement for this job. The electrical team often has to set up the lighting for a set in less than a few hours, so expertise and practicality are necessary to give a good performance.

All of the lighting work in a production obviously has to remain hidden and unnoticeable from the viewer’s perspective. Aesthetics must be curated in every little detail in order to produce the desired effect in the smoothest way, being precise and mindful is key.

How to get to work as a Lighting Technician
Most new entrants for this role are qualified electricians, but on-the-job experience is essential to obtain a good position. Working as a technician for student film projects, events, or joining drama societies or companies might help building a practical background in the field.

The BBC, along with other regional agencies and companies, run work experience scheme which involve working in studios, gaining direct experience with the production environment.

Education and training
A degree is not a strict requirement for this role, however subjects such as electrical engineering or physics may provide a good source of technical knowledge.

There are, nonetheless, some foundation degree or specialist degree courses such as Lighting Design, Lighting Technology, Live Event Technology etc… which may be particularly useful on the technical side.

However, most Lighting Technicians are qualified electricians, so vocational courses such as those offered by City & Guilds and EAL might be beneficial.

Where can it take you?
In terms of direct career advancement, with the necessary experience you could progress to a Senior Light Technician role and, subsequently, to a Lighting Director position. However, depending on the skillset and specific techniques you develop through your career, cross-sector advancement offers a variety of perspectives.

A lot of Light Technicians progress to jobs in live events or theatre, which require similar knowledge but adopt different techniques. Others, specialising on the creative side of their job, progress towards a Director of Photography role.

The combination of skills and perspectives are endless really, making the Lighting Technician position a very good starting point for a career in production.

Become a Lighting Technician today

If you are ready for the next step in your career, why not take a look at the latest Lighting Technician vacancies on our jobs board? You can view our latest vacancies here.