IamA (Studio Electrician/Special Lighting technician in Los Angeles) AMA!

What exactly is it that you do in relation to movies and why do we need what you do? (Not being an asshole, I just don’t know how else to word it) thanks in advance!

To add on to this, what are your daily duties for your job? Like whats a typical day of a studio lighting specialist

here you go!

what's the textbook or 'bible' for lighting?

this is what I started with.

this is what I use now.

Edit: thank you for the gold /u/dethswatch

Are you using 277/480V?

What’s the largest main circuit breaker?

Draw-out switchgear or switchboards?

Do you have to deal with permitting or city inspectors?

Do you design on the fly or use sealed drawings?

Do you use DLO cable with cable tray or just put the cable on the floor?

120/208 for most rigs

The gaffer and rigging gaffer get to design. If a second season of a tv show is going back to the same set, we will use the same design.

Usually right on the ground unless the ground is covered in blood/fecal mater.

I can’t answer the others because I was never involved in those choices because I didn’t go that route in my path.

How is the impending sea level rise going to affect your industry?

I have no idea if you’re serious or not. If you are, I’m sorry that I can’t answer you.

Your AMA appeared perfect for my last project!

Recently I changed the lighting of a manufacturing plant. Somehow our team managed to get much better lighting against the bosses belief, but at the very end the plant efficiency improved. Do you have stories of costumers where their daily work got better by just improving the lighting?? Does this have helped you sell more projects??

Absolutely. Light that looks good, doesn’t hurt your eyes/head, and gets rid of more shadows will improve almost any situation.