FCE Interview 10

Fail

I suppose the first question I have to ask you, Alan, is one you get fed up answering, but here goes: what is a Best Boy?

Well, I’m not sure why I’m called a Best Boy exactly, but I like to think it’s because I’m the best at what I do. But the title is an American term used to describe the assistant to the man who works with the cameramen and the electricians on a film to make sure that the film is properly lit.

So how do you spend your time?

Basically what I do is work between the electrical department and production. I deal with the companies where the lights come from. And I’m also there on the film set, making sure that everything runs smoothly, that the lighting is set up when the camera crew arrives to shoot the film, and then I also help with the budget – we have to do timesheets, things like that. It’s mostly paperwork really.

When did you start working in the industry?

About fifteen years ago. I’d been an electrician and my first few film jobs were basic electrical ones, then I moved over to this.

It sounds a rather complicated job to me.

No, not really. I’ve never had to do anything out of the ordinary. But filming on location does make things more intense – there’s less control than in the studio and you can have problems with the weather. On my latest film, we were working in the hills and it would take us ages to get the equipment up there. But I enjoyed it. It was a challenge.

Is working on location a plus for you?

Well, you see some great places, but long working days and problems with production are far more common. There’s a lot of responsibility with the job, because there’s so much money involved. If all the lighting goes wrong on one day, then obviously there’ll be trouble. The long hours are very unsociable, which is OK if you’re single, but there’s quite a lot of work abroad, which puts lot of pressure on the family. I went away for five months once. When I left, my son wasn’t talking, and when I came back, he was. It varies though. Some years you don’t go away at all.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to give it a try?

You need a good head for mathematics, plus knowing how to mend a fuse. So training as an electrician is the first step, then you need some experience on the production floor.

Where do you see yourself in the future? What would promotion be for you?

I like it where I am. I like working behind the scenes and seeing how the production works. There are enough challenges in the present job for me. The more experience you get, the more you worry whether you’ve got things to the right stage at the right time or not. You can’t just go home and switch off. But getting things right is a big satisfaction.

I suppose the first question I have to ask you, Alan, is one you get fed up answering, but here goes: what is a Best Boy?

Well, I’m not sure why I’m called a Best Boy exactly, but I like to think it’s because I’m the best at what I do. But the title is an American term used to describe the assistant to the man who works with the cameramen and the electricians on a film to make sure that the film is properly lit.

So how do you spend your time?

Basically what I do is work between the electrical department and production. I deal with the companies where the lights come from. And I’m also there on the film set, making sure that everything runs smoothly, that the lighting is set up when the camera crew arrives to shoot the film, and then I also help with the budget – we have to do timesheets, things like that. It’s mostly paperwork really.

When did you start working in the industry?

About fifteen years ago. I’d been an electrician and my first few film jobs were basic electrical ones, then I moved over to this.

It sounds a rather complicated job to me.

No, not really. I’ve never had to do anything out of the ordinary. But filming on location does make things more intense – there’s less control than in the studio and you can have problems with the weather. On my latest film, we were working in the hills and it would take us ages to get the equipment up there. But I enjoyed it. It was a challenge.

Is working on location a plus for you?

Well, you see some great places, but long working days and problems with production are far more common. There’s a lot of responsibility with the job, because there’s so much money involved. If all the lighting goes wrong on one day, then obviously there’ll be trouble. The long hours are very unsociable, which is OK if you’re single, but there’s quite a lot of work abroad, which puts lot of pressure on the family. I went away for five months once. When I left, my son wasn’t talking, and when I came back, he was. It varies though. Some years you don’t go away at all.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to give it a try?

You need a good head for mathematics, plus knowing how to mend a fuse. So training as an electrician is the first step, then you need some experience on the production floor.

Where do you see yourself in the future? What would promotion be for you?

I like it where I am. I like working behind the scenes and seeing how the production works. There are enough challenges in the present job for me. The more experience you get, the more you worry whether you’ve got things to the right stage at the right time or not. You can’t just go home and switch off. But getting things right is a big satisfaction.

I suppose the first question I have to ask you, Alan, is one you get fed up answering, but here goes: what is a Best Boy?

Well, I’m not sure why I’m called a Best Boy exactly, but I like to think it’s because I’m the best at what I do. But the title is an American term used to describe the assistant to the man who works with the cameramen and the electricians on a film to make sure that the film is properly lit.

So how do you spend your time?

Basically what I do is work between the electrical department and production. I deal with the companies where the lights come from. And I’m also there on the film set, making sure that everything runs smoothly, that the lighting is set up when the camera crew arrives to shoot the film, and then I also help with the budget – we have to do timesheets, things like that. It’s mostly paperwork really.

When did you start working in the industry?

About fifteen years ago. I’d been an electrician and my first few film jobs were basic electrical ones, then I moved over to this.

It sounds a rather complicated job to me.

No, not really. I’ve never had to do anything out of the ordinary. But filming on location does make things more intense – there’s less control than in the studio and you can have problems with the weather. On my latest film, we were working in the hills and it would take us ages to get the equipment up there. But I enjoyed it. It was a challenge.

Is working on location a plus for you?

Well, you see some great places, but long working days and problems with production are far more common. There’s a lot of responsibility with the job, because there’s so much money involved. If all the lighting goes wrong on one day, then obviously there’ll be trouble. The long hours are very unsociable, which is OK if you’re single, but there’s quite a lot of work abroad, which puts lot of pressure on the family. I went away for five months once. When I left, my son wasn’t talking, and when I came back, he was. It varies though. Some years you don’t go away at all.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to give it a try?

You need a good head for mathematics, plus knowing how to mend a fuse. So training as an electrician is the first step, then you need some experience on the production floor.

Where do you see yourself in the future? What would promotion be for you?

I like it where I am. I like working behind the scenes and seeing how the production works. There are enough challenges in the present job for me. The more experience you get, the more you worry whether you’ve got things to the right stage at the right time or not. You can’t just go home and switch off. But getting things right is a big satisfaction.

I suppose the first question I have to ask you, Alan, is one you get fed up answering, but here goes: what is a Best Boy?

Well, I’m not sure why I’m called a Best Boy exactly, but I like to think it’s because I’m the best at what I do. But the title is an American term used to describe the assistant to the man who works with the cameramen and the electricians on a film to make sure that the film is properly lit.

So how do you spend your time?

Basically what I do is work between the electrical department and production. I deal with the companies where the lights come from. And I’m also there on the film set, making sure that everything runs smoothly, that the lighting is set up when the camera crew arrives to shoot the film, and then I also help with the budget – we have to do timesheets, things like that. It’s mostly paperwork really.

When did you start working in the industry?

About fifteen years ago. I’d been an electrician and my first few film jobs were basic electrical ones, then I moved over to this.

It sounds a rather complicated job to me.

No, not really. I’ve never had to do anything out of the ordinary. But filming on location does make things more intense – there’s less control than in the studio and you can have problems with the weather. On my latest film, we were working in the hills and it would take us ages to get the equipment up there. But I enjoyed it. It was a challenge.

Is working on location a plus for you?

Well, you see some great places, but long working days and problems with production are far more common. There’s a lot of responsibility with the job, because there’s so much money involved. If all the lighting goes wrong on one day, then obviously there’ll be trouble. The long hours are very unsociable, which is OK if you’re single, but there’s quite a lot of work abroad, which puts lot of pressure on the family. I went away for five months once. When I left, my son wasn’t talking, and when I came back, he was. It varies though. Some years you don’t go away at all.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to give it a try?

You need a good head for mathematics, plus knowing how to mend a fuse. So training as an electrician is the first step, then you need some experience on the production floor.

Where do you see yourself in the future? What would promotion be for you?

I like it where I am. I like working behind the scenes and seeing how the production works. There are enough challenges in the present job for me. The more experience you get, the more you worry whether you’ve got things to the right stage at the right time or not. You can’t just go home and switch off. But getting things right is a big satisfaction.