Finding a Gaffer in Dallas, Texas
Hiring a lighting team in Texas
Get an experienced crew with the latest lighting equipment available.
Practical Steps for Producers and Filmmakers
Hiring the right gaffer can significantly impact the success of any production. In Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas, you’ll find experienced lighting professionals, but narrowing down your options and selecting the right person requires careful consideration. This guide provides practical steps to help you find, vet, and hire a gaffer in Dallas, Texas.
Define Your Needs and Budget
Consider the scale of your production—whether it’s a feature film, short film, commercial, corporate video, music video, or live event. Different production scales necessitate varying levels of experience and crew size.
Next, determine your equipment requirements. Will you need HMIs, tungsten, LED fixtures (Skypanels, Litemats), practicals, or a grip package? Also, decide whether you’ll need the gaffer to supply lights and power or if you’ll handle that yourself.
Start Local: Dallas–Fort Worth Resources
Utilize local resources to find potential gaffers. Check out Dallas production Facebook groups, local film commission listings, and bulletin boards for immediate leads.
Contact or visit local lighting and grip rental houses. Their long-term customers and technicians are often excellent referrals.
When searching for a gaffer, use relevant keywords like “gaffer,” “chief lighting technician,” “chief electrician,” “electric,” and “lighting tech,” along with “Dallas / Fort Worth.”
Indicate whether the gig is union or non-union and provide an estimate of the anticipated crew size, including electricians and riggers.
Evaluate Experience and Technical Skills
Ask for recent credits similar to your project, such as commercials, narrative films, live-action shoots, or LED-heavy productions. This will give you an idea of the gaffer’s experience and expertise.
Review equipment, van, and package options.
Supply vs. labor: Determine if the gaffer provides a lighting package and grip truck or if you’ll rent separately. Many gaffers in DFW operate out of sprinter grip trucks that come stocked with lights, stands, flags, and power gear.
Inventory: Request a standard kit list and a list of rental items required for your shoot. Verify the availability of essential items like a generator, distribution, dimmers, Skypanels, HMIs, Litemats, practicals, and a Hudson Spider if needed for remote power or specific setups.
Transportation/logistics: Confirm the gaffer’s van or truck capacity (1 ton sprinter or equivalent) and whether they handle load-in/load-out.
Check references and watch reel/work samples.
References: Speak with producers, directors of photography (DPs), or production managers who have recently worked with the gaffer. Ask about their timeliness, communication, set etiquette, and adaptability.
Important skills for a gaffer often overlooked
Communication and collaboration: Ensure the gaffer understands the Director and DP’s visual goals and can translate them into practical setups and lighting plans.
Preproduction prep: Ask how they approach lighting diagrams, pre-rig lists, power plans, and scheduling. A good gaffer contributes to the preproduction process, not just on-set execution.
Crew coordination: Confirm if they’ll bring additional electricians, best boy, or riggers, and how they’ll coordinate with grip, sound, and camera.
At Dallas Lighting and Grip, we have relationships with Dallas gaffers, grips and crew from all departments. We can help you production manage your shoot. Call DLG to get the support you’re looking for and make your job a success.
Lighting in the Texas Sun
Aputure’s STORM XT52 rental kit from DLG in Dallas, Texas
Lighting in the Texas sun can be challenging. Even around magic hour, the sun can be intense and overpowering. If you’re shooting outdoors, you probably need a source to compete with the intensity of the sun’s punch. The latest LED technology has made it possible to work in sunlight with ease. Aputure’s STORM XT52 has the brightness only previously available with costly HMI lighting fixtures. Unlike HMI, these new lights can be tuned to the precise color you need. Aputure’s lights are also efficient and dependable, something you couldn’t always say about HMI lights.
Dallas Lighting and Grip has created a package for these types of shoots. We start with our base one-ton grip package. Included is Aputure’s XT52 and CS15 and a Honda 7000-watt generator to power them both. We also throw in the Aputure F14 motorized Fresnel that works the CS15 light. The XT52 is comparable to a 9K HMI, like an ARRI M90, and it can be balanced to tungsten or daylight and fine-tuned with a magenta/green tint to match your settings. The CT15 is a full-color light with the brightness of an ARRI M18. It needs a 20-amp circuit, but has an optional 15-amp power cable that can run it off a household socket.
Gaffers love the power and flexibility of these lights. Producers love the all-in-one rate for the entire package. It all travels on our Mercedes full-size Sprinter van that makes parking and access simple. Call us today to discuss this for your next shoot and let us know how DLG can help support you.
