Natural speed, please. Try to pronounce properly and avoid noise in the background.
- Well, I'm not sure why they exactly call me like that, but I like to think it's because I'm the best at what I do. That title is just a term used to describe the assistant to the man who works with the camera team and the electricians on a film to make sure that the film is properly lit.
- Basically, what I do is work between the electrical department and production. I deal with the companies where the lights come from. And I'm also there on the film set, making sure that everything runs smoothly, that the lighting is set up when the camera crew arrives to shoot the film, and then I also help with the budget - we have to do timesheets, things like that. It's mostly paperwork.
- About fifteen years ago. I'd been an electrician and my first few film jobs were basic electrical ones, then I moved over to this.
- No, not really. I've never had to do anything out of the ordinary. But filming on location does make things more intense - there's less control than in the studio and you can have problems with the weather. On my latest film, we were working in the hills and it would take us ages to get the equipment up there. But I enjoyed it. It was a challenge.
- Well, you see some great places, but long working days and problems with production are far more common. There's a lot of responsibility with the job, because there's so much money involved. If all the lighting goes wrong on one day, then obviously there'll be trouble. The long hours are very unsociable, which is OK if you're single, but there's quite a lot of work abroad, which puts a lot pressure on the family. I went away for five months once. When I left, my son wasn't talking, and when I came back, he was. It varies though. Some years you don't go away at all.
- You need a good head for mathematics, plus knowing how to mend a fuse. So training as an electrician is the first step, then you need some experience on the production floor.
- I like it where I am. I like working behind the scenes and seeing how the production works. There are enough challenges in the present job for me. The more experience you get, the more you worry whether you've got things to the right stage at the right time or not. You can't just go home and switch off. But getting things right is a big satisfaction.
Excellent! Thank you!