David Black interviews Glen Cook for the Australian Short Film Network
Most of my shoots over the last few years have had Glen Cook as the gaffer, and often also as
an actor.
I last interviewed Glen for my own blog in November 2017, https://
I’ve since chatted to him about the lock downs in a group interview just as we went into lockdown
https://aushortfilmnetwork.wixsite.com/website/post/the-plagues-of-oz , and more recently in
an updated interview to see how things had changed since November 2017 https://
Today, I really want to get into the nitty gritty about what a gaffer actually does on set, and
how one goes about becoming one.
DB – Hi Glen, thanks for taking the time again to chat to me. I’ve been interviewing various
people in the indie film industry while we are in lock down once again. I’m hoping to create
a snap shot of who makes up our local indie film industry, but haven’t really zeroed in much
on what they do.
Can I ask you what a gaffer does on set?
GC – G’day Dave, thanks for taking he time to interview me again.
Basically, the Gaffer is in charge of lighting and electrical on a film shoot. They are the
Cinematographers right hand, and slightly lower in the chain of command than the
Cinematographer, and is a department head in their own right.
So they collaborate with the cinematographer in bringing the Directors vision to life in terms of look of the film through lighting. Depending what the shoot requires, it can be as simple as one light places in the right position, to having a full set up of lights set up inside and out. The gaffer also can offer solutions to a lighting problem of create an effect that may be sought for a particular shot.
You could go as far as saying the gaffer makes the cinematographer look good, or better.
DB – Can you describe a typical day on set for a gaffer, from loading in to packing up?
GC – A typical day can vary depending on the shoot. If the shoot is organised well, I will be
invited for a location recce, and this will allow me a chance to see what power is available,
the layout of the area we will be filming in, what natural light there will be, what windows to
block out, and start the planning process with the cinematographer in terms of what lights will
be required, and where, and if additional power is needed for the location.
From that you can make up a lighting plan and load up with equipment that might be needed, or hire out additional lights and equipment. In less organised shoots, its typically a case of loading
everything up in the van, arrive on set, converse with the Cinematographer on where we may
be filming, and what they are hoping to try and achieve. Its more a case of filming on the fly
in these situations and being flexible enough and hopefully having the equipment or at least a
solution to achieve the look they are after.
DB – What are some of the common mistakes that new gaffers make, and how can they be
rectified?
GC – I honestly believe there are few mistakes that anyone can make on set and they are all
learning experiences, but the first primary mistake, and it really belongs to those just out of
film school is that you know everything there is to know. All roles on a film set involve a
lifetime of learning, and lighting is no different. There is a vast number of different lights out
there, and they all work differently in terms of operation, quality of light etc.
The assumption of “knowing it all” ties in hand in hand with the general poor attitude towards
lighting on film sets. This is partly due to situations at film schools of what do you
do with the students who are just making up the numbers or have no skills etc… well you put
them on lighting. Lighting isn’t glamorous and at film school treated as a secondary no one
type job. This honestly couldn’t be further from the truth.
There are some great and experienced film makers out there who honestly couldn’t light a
candle, so it is an important job and not every one can do it. Filling your head with that
knowledge, either through experience, or “making mistakes” can be invaluable for those who
wish to actually have a career in lighting.
DB - How has the job changed over the years from when you started to now?
GC - Well Ive been in the industry for a relatively short time, but in therms of the industry Im
a veteran now, but there have been considerable changes even in the past decade. Led
technology has come forward in leaps and bounds providing not only good colour balance,
but intensity as well. You have soft panels and led tubes taking over from keno flo lights, and
there are now led lights that are 1200watts and have the brightness of an M18, but using
much less power. These are some of the technical advances.
With such quality lighting being cheaper, its becoming more and more a case of having
lighting/ cinematographers. There are DOP's who have their own kit and are able to light a
shoot to a certain degree based on budget.
The down side of this is it takes away a job from a gaffer, and usually you end up with someone filling the role of “gaffer” while really being just a helper to the cinematographer. This ties in again with the above answer, in that, its assumed that anyone can be a gaffer, that most who fill the role are not able to make films or were the “dunce” of the class. Interesting that such assumptions and discrimination still exist in our age.
DB - Can you see these issues that you highlight having an effect on the industry overall?
GC - Yes absolutely. I mean from an industry standpoint, I feel the Australian film industry is
a mess. There are no career paths and industry supported career training of any kind. You
come out of film school, if indeed you went to one, and you’re on your own.
Over seas you do have unionised crews and they do have options, and training and support to
form a proper career. If you want to be on camera, the common starting point is on lighting,
so that when you finally get on camera, you know what you are wanting to do.
Here it seems the crews are based on popularity of status. If you hold a clip board, direct, or
do camera, then you are important, and if you don’t then you are at the bottom of the pecking
order. The result being that you have a set that has a lot of people standing around with clip
boards looking important, and only five people doing any work. It can be quite frustrating,
and you can end up with situations like what I experienced a few years back on a feature film,
where I was given “help” who had no clue of what a film set was, and an intense schedule
that required a lot of lighting. It was an extremely challenging set to be on, I had several
thousand dollars worth of equipment damaged or destroyed, and ultimately I quit the film
because the whole situation was unprofessional, seeped heavily in ignorance and predjudice.
This was easily the worst film set I have been on, and the contempt for equipment wasn’t
limited to just lighting, as was the case of a carbon fiber tripod was used as a stool.
Its good to tell of these “war stories” because they are experiences to learn from for the future.
The bottom line of all this though is, if we want a viable and professional industry, we must
start treating all trades within the industry as important and having a place on set, and the
members within those trades to treat the respective role as important, and respect others with
equal respect.
DB – What should producers and directors know about lighting that would make your job
much easier?
GC – Putting on both my Producer and Director caps, Producers are mainly concerned with
saving money, and they will go to great lengths to save money, unless there is a lot of money
to go around, which in the lower levels of the Australian Industry, there is very little.
The producer needs to make sure there is big a bang for the buck as possible, so that a quality
product can sell. In smaller films this might mean having someone fill the role of “gaffer”. In
other cases it is recognised that full control of lighting is required, and not just in supplying
lights but scrims, neg fill, bounce as well. These things might be small in trams of what is
done, but can make a huge difference in terms of quality of shot.
For a Director, its always useful, and I guess the same goes for the Producer too, to have an
understanding of all the roles within making a film. You don’t have to be an expert at all the
roles, but at least have the knowledge of what goes on so you can have a conversation with
the various departments and ask the right questions so that the desired look of the film can be
achieved. Directors are all different and all have different strengths, be it character
performance etc. But it does help to know other aspects like mood, and this ties directly back
to lighting.
DB – Now that we have given an overview of the work of a gaffer, can you advice those that
are interested about what to study and how to get into the field?
GC – Well the study can start even before you go to film school. Observe how natural light
falls within a given space. Pick up a camera and photograph it. Look at what is bounced and
what is direct light or ambient light.
I mention film school a fair bit, and typically film schools do have lighting kits that you can
experiment with. they may be basic, such as a couple of red heads (800watt tungsten lights),
but you can play around with them and see how their placement affects the lighting. Replicate
a scene from a movie. Study the scene, think about where the light might have been placed
and the quality of the light.
Actually watching films and lots of different types of films from all over the world will assist
in getting a broader knowledge and appreciation for lighting. Reading magazines such as
American cinematographer also gives some insight into the lighting used on much bigger
productions, and its surprising in some cases how little is needed to achieve great results.
DB – Thanks for taking the time to chat to me today Glen and to let us know about such a
vital job within the film industry. Do you have any links to your work that you can share so
that people can follow you, or contact you if they need to hire your services?
GC – Once again Dave, thank you for your questions.
Some of my work can be found here: http://www.lone-viking.com/lighting.html