Also called: Chief Lighting Technician, CLT
Heads the lighting crew, designing and building the lighting setups the cinematographer wants.
A gaffer walks the set with the DP, plans where every light goes, then directs a crew of electricians hanging lights, running cable, and adjusting brightness. They balance art and serious electrical power.
Approximate, based on IATSE local rate cards and typical weeks worked; freelance crew income depends on how much work they book.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Apprenticeship, about 0 years after high school. Works up from set electrician over many years; IATSE Local 728 in LA.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Apprenticeship, Trade school. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Electrical Technology (trade school), Film Production.
Growing about average. Follows scripted production levels.
Low risk for 10 years. Smart LED fixtures and app control speed setups; designing light with the DP and running a crew on real sets stays hands-on and human.
Classes: Physics (electricity and light), Electrical CTE, Theater tech crew, Photography.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-4015.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.