But it's more than that, unfortunately. It's getting along with the 30-40 people on set, it's being able to relate to the dp's style of lighting, it's the ability to think ahead to the next set up and the next scene and it's the skill required to manage up and down the hierarchical chain. Hence, personality goes a long way in this business. We collaborate constantly and that is a lot of communication and a need for an ability to stay focused and calm. Making people laugh is an added bonus.
Our current gaffer is a nicest guy in the world. He's always polite and never gets angry even under duress of time pressures (believe you me, although we work 14 hours a day, it is a time crunch) and he's intelligent and extremely competent technically. Unfortunately he's just always so stressed and he doesnt handle it very well. It emanates from him and transfers to everyone on set making it very uncomfortable. He constantly second guesses himself and has no confidence in his decisions which makes for a lot of back & forth. Coupled with a dp who gets very impatient and is an extremely quick decision maker, it is a total disaster.
Every tv show is different, on Betty when it is time to scout for the next episode, the dp and the gaffer go and the A Camera (we have 2 cameras) operator steps up to dp the day. On this show, the dp doesnt go on scouts and the gaffer is left to scout with no real idea of what the shots are going to be. It has totally set the gaffer up for failure. On those days, the 2nd (the best boy electric) steps up to gaff.
That is the upshot. The dp now prefers the best boy electric as a gaffer and has offered him the position. It is a quandary for the bb electric as he now basically has taken over his boss' position and it makes for a very awkward situation for everyone involved. Without getting too much into it, usually when the gaffer walks (or is fired) the entire lighting department walks. We stand together. BUT the extenuating circumstances dictate that our current gaffer wasnt the original gaffer and left to do a movie and his bb electric was promoted to being the current gaffer. Clearly he is in over his head and now, they want to promote the next guy. It isn't quite the same as being in one crew as we are not technically a crew...I mean, I just met this gaffer 4 weeks ago. He doesnt really have a crew since he wasn't an experienced gaffer to begin with.
What does this mean for me personally? Well, it means now at 6 months pregnant I am best boy electric for a tv show that goes until Dec 18. I've never bested a tv show before and now to inherit one and be the 3rd bb electric makes me uneasy. But the new gaffer is a good friend (and the one who originally brought me on the show) and I want him to make the most of this new opportunity. They were going to fire the gaffer anyway, if someone has to get the job why not a friend of mine?
I foresee a few issues they currently have: a weak rigging department (the head is quite lazy and tends to drink) and I also dont trust that this dp is not going to just fire the new gaffer once again. I don't really want to step up and be best boy and risk losing a position on this show. It's a nice cushy gig for me and I don't necessarily need the "promotion", i just want to be on this show until I am 32 weeks. But he asked me as a favour and I couldn't really say no. I am the most qualified on this crew and i probably have the best chance of success at dodging the bullets that are now coming his way as a new head of department.
My emotions are in turmoil cos I feel a lot for the soon to be ex gaffer. He is trying his best and it's just not working out. I wish I hadnt known before him that he was going to be fired, I could barely look at him yesterday. Of course, I will never tell him I knew, I told the new gaffer that. It's one thing to take this job and it's another to be made known I had any knowledge of this beforehand. It makes me feel like this is a coup d'etat instead of what it is: a dp has a right to be happy with his crew and he wasn't - plain & simple.
I didnt want to get a job with 'homework' as Mike calls besting. It is so much management and logistics and thinking ahead that you don't just leave the job when you go home. I really just wanted to think about tiles and my new bathroom and coast through this last job before Christmas. it's been a really easy 4 weeks, i get along with just about the entire crew and I dont really want to have to deal with the back end of things (when you best, you deal with a different set of departments - transpo, production and vendors. when you are on set, you deal with grips, camera, art department and asst. directors) i could have said no but it would have been terrible to be the most qualified and stay as a set technician and watch someone else flounder. as a new gaffer, he would want a strong best boy on his side and i present the best chance for him. i understand that. he didnt push me into it, he asked me if i was up for it at 6 months pregnant and i just couldnt say no.
i presented to him my observations of what needed to be addressed (that i had glimpsed in the past 4 wks) he was appreciative and i think we will have a good working relationship. now i just have to take responsibility for all those issues which kinda sucks...
anyway sorry for the boring post for those who aren't into my work life - i am deeply grateful this baby is so placid. he doesnt really cause me any inconvenience at all and at 6 months, i usually forget i am pregnant till i sit down to pee in the morning and see my belly. i dont suffer any physical ailments that I should expect and even if i get them later, I am relieved that i have avoided them until now. the guys on set always ask if i am feeling ok and most of them hate it when i climb a ladder or do other 'lighting' things - i think a majority will probably prefer me to be best boy and be off set managing things rather than being on set and doing hands on lighting...
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