Gaffer for hire in the UK
The gaffer leads the lighting department, turning the DoP's plan into rigged, powered light on set and running the electrical team.
Are you a gaffer? Get listed and take work near you
Post the role, your postcode and your rate. The nearest gaffer is asked first — within 19 miles, or further for anyone who has said they travel — and if they pass it moves to the next nearest. Nothing is charged unless someone accepts.
Gaffer on Picturental
What a gaffer does on a shoot
- Turns the DoP's lighting plan into a rig — which fixtures, where, on what power.
- Runs the sparks and the lighting truck and keeps setups moving between shots.
- Owns the electrical side: distribution, generators, cable runs and load.
Gear a gaffer usually needs
Crew and kit are hired separately on Picturental. If the production is supplying the package, these are the categories this role tends to work from.
How hiring a gaffer works
- 1
Post the role
Say you need a gaffer, where the shoot is, the dates and the rate you're offering.
- 2
The nearest is asked first
The closest gaffer gets it alone, and it widens to the next nearest every 60 seconds until someone accepts.
- 3
First to accept takes it
The job locks to them, you swap details, and you rate each other afterwards.
Hiring a gaffer
- What is the difference between a gaffer and an electrician?
- The gaffer leads the department and decides the rig; sparks build and power it. A small shoot may only need a gaffer with a few lights — anything with a generator or large fixtures needs sparks too.
- Does a gaffer bring lights?
- Some own a small package, most do not — lighting is normally hired. Say in the request whether lighting is supplied, and hire the fixtures separately if it is not.