I work as a Gaffer / Spark / Desk Op. for films, TV shows, music videos, commercials etc, just that general industry as a whole as a freelancer with my own company.
This in essence means that when I'm on set, I manage and set up everything lighting wise from lamps, spotlights, LEDs, blackouts etc and everything electrical too, managing power, loads, rings and mains, wrapping hundreds of feet of cable around a location just to have every other department including my own satisfied for electricity.
Some of this shit gets ridiculously heavy, some lamps are fucking gigantic and some stands and cables you need to feed these things even moreso. My average shift for a day-long shoot is typically waking up at 5am and getting home around 8pm, though there have been cases before where the Production has seen me wake at 4am and come home at 12am.
For folk looking for work, trying to be a runner on a shoot is a great way to get your foot in the door to an incredible industry that has hundreds of different avenues to go down, from rolling the camera to grips, hair and makeup, props, art, etc.
I've personally worked on some amazing shoots, with my name written in the credits for stuff on youtube that has over fifteen million views or next to some infamous products and brands like KFC, Samsung, BT, I've got to shake hands (we're all COVID tested every single day) with some incredibly talented people and of course celebrities. Seeing commercials that I've personally helped bring to life on TV when I'm lazing on the sofa, or seeing snapshots on billboards on the motorway that I've worked for, it's an amazing feeling.
Gone pretty far since the days of working in Starbucks x