Divine lighting is a gift from the Lord for All to be enlightened by

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Hollywood Lighting Partners didn’t get asked to light this monument in Brazil, the CNN tour in Toronto or anywhere else in the world but wanted to take a minute to recognize the beautiful tribute to our French brothers and sisters from lighting technicians worldwide.images-1 images-2 images-3 images

Quality lighting doesn’t just happen. It’s what lighting technicians do!

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Hollywood Lighting Partners knows that quality lighting doesn’t just happen. Many think you can just get a good camera and start shooting, but in reality the best way to get quality footage is to use quality lighting to enhance the look of your project. Taking this time and step ensures that your camera can actually see the story you are trying to tell as opposed to just seeing everything you point it at.

Hollywood is full of quality lighting technicians and many can be found on our IATSE Local 728 Set Lighting Technician roster. Unfortunately our local doesn’t list the roster on it’s web page so we remain nameless.

The good thing is that as technicians in Hollywood we get to work with some of the best equipment and biggest names in production on the biggest lots. It is great experience and can be a lot of fun.

Whether it’s conventional tungsten lighting, dmx controlled moving lights, LED, HMI, theatrical/commercial/live show or your christmas lights for the holidays, 728 electricians are knowledgable and familiar. We are there to support cinematographers and our Local 600 brothers and sisters to help create the looks that win the awards for the director’s chair folks and the video village crowds.

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Hollywood Lighting Partners knows sometimes gripping ain’t easy.

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Hollywood Lighting Partners knows to help control light properly you need the assistance of the Grip department.

Some gaffers really need to control the light, using every C-stand available thoroughly peeling the Grip department and lighting techs that need to get to the light.

Haskell Wexler visits the set and meets Pete Pearce

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The great cinematographer Haskell Wexler came to visit a set we were working on.

He has pioneered so many things in our industry (see mini bio below) and deserves maximum respect.

Thank you Haskell.

Haskell Wexler Mini Bio-  Two-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler was adjudged one of the ten most influential cinematographers in movie history, according to an International Cinematographers Guild survey of its membership. He won his Oscars in both black & white and color, for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) (1966) and Bound for Glory(1976) (1976). He also shot much of Days of Heaven (1978) (1978), for which credited director of photography Nestor Almendros — who was losing his eye-sight, won a Best Cinematography Oscar that Wexler feels should have been jointly shared by both. In 1993, Wexler was awarded a Lifetime Achivement award by the cinematographer’s guild, the American Society of Cinematographers. He received five Oscar nominations for his cinematography, in total, plus one Emmy Award in a career that has spanned six decades. Wexler was active as recently as 2007.

In addition to his masterful cinematography, Wexler directed the seminal late Sixties film Medium Cool (1969) and has directed and/or shot many documentaries that display his progressive political views. He was the subject of a 2004 documentary shot by his son Mark WexlerTell Them Who You Are (2004).

Pete Pearce has been nominated for 2 television lighting Emmy’s.

Hollywood Lighting Partners shows our 2nd home, the truck.

 

 

Look familiar? Perhaps you are a Hollywood Lighting Partner or you might be an on set crew member. This is what our 2nd home looks like in the set lighting department. Last weekend we did a TV promo for a new show working out of this truck owned by awesome gaffer and local 728 brother, Scott Spencer. The truck has a roof that allows daylight to radiate into the box making things easier for us to do our thing.

truck1Here at Hollywood Lighting Partners we like to shed some lite on the subject without making lite of the situation. Let us brighten your day.

Happy New Year from Hollywood Lighting Partners

The 1st lighting job for 2015 is a film by artist & LBCCMVP alumni Sanjin M called TETCHED.

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What is a GAFFER?

Lighting is one of the most important components to quality production. Without lighting all of television would just be radio.                     

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Proper lighting completes a scene by enhancing the look of the scene and enabling the viewer to attach emotionally to what’s happening on the screen . Directors cannot always rely on natural lighting to accomplish their vision due to timing or elements so they create their own effects with the help of a gaffer and the lighting team in a more controlled environment.


Duties

In the entertainment industry the head of the electrical department is known as the chief lighting technician (CLT) or the gaffer. The gaffer answers to the Director of Photography (DP) or Lighting Director (LD), who helps interpret the director’s vision for the overall look of the project. Assisting the gaffer are the best boy electric (assistant CLT) and a crew of technicians generally called electricians, lamp operators or juicers.

The gaffer is tasked with designing the lighting plot for each shot of a film or TV show. (In some cases a lighting director may handle this duty on a television set.) The gaffer selects the proper instruments for each shot based on the environment, camera angles, desired effect, and available ambient lighting. The gaffer adjusts color temperature with the use of colored gels and manipulates the direction and intensity of light by using barn doors, flags, and reflectors. The set-up of all lighting instruments, cables, generators, and accessories is directed by the gaffer, supervised by the best boy, and carried out by the crew of electricians. During the filming of the scene the gaffer monitors the lighting conditions, while the electricians and grips are tasked with holding flags or reflectors and operating other lighting effects for complex shots such as action sequences. After the shot, the electricians tear down the gear and move on to set up the next one. As a department, the gaffer and electricians are responsible for the operation, maintenance, and repair of all electrical (not audio or camera) equipment on set. A gaffer will typically have his or her own truck stocked with a basic lighting kit, and will rent additional gear as needed.

Skills & Education

You are not expected to have a specific degree to become an electrician or gaffer, but you will need experience and training in film/TV production. A college education in this field is a great place to start to build your résumé and compile a demo reel of your work. Student films and independents are the best way to start learning the trade. Work in the electrical department requires knowledge of lighting equipment, electricity, and color theory. Courses in art, photography, and electrical engineering are helpful. Most electricians at all levels must become members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union that represents technicians in film, TV, and theater. IATSE offers an apprenticeship program to learn the craft, and requires members to complete specific training and safety courses.

What to Expect

To become a gaffer you will have to spend years working your way up the ladder. To get your foot in the door, look for opportunities as an intern with a production company or jobs as an on-set production assistant or PA. You will have to do a lot of grunt work before you land a slot in the electrical department, but once you prove that you are a hard worker and reliable, you will be given the chance to take on more responsibility. A good attitude and willingness to learn is key, and a sense of humor and lack of ego will help you fit in with the crew. Stress and long hours are part of the package. Cultivating a successful career in film/TV production takes commitment; results rarely come quickly, but a comfortable living can be made as a gaffer.