What I do

I am part of the lighting crew who makes sure film and TV sets are lit correctly and safely, making relevant adjustments as filming progresses. I was what they call a ‘best boy’, which is a supervisor of the lighting department, on a show called The Pentaverate on Netflix. I worked on Beyonce’s Black is King music video and have worked on This Country too.

Hear more about Lauren's role by watching the video below...

How I became a technician

I did well at school but felt frustrated that I couldn’t do what I wanted to do. I went to college to do Media Studies because I love music and film, then I went to university in London at 18 to study TV Production but I dropped out in my second year. By chance I met someone that was starting a production company and said I was interested in lighting. I emailed them asking for their advice about getting in touch with someone who could help me find out more about the opportunities available.

I got the offer to attend a film set in Newcastle for a week, as unpaid work experience. It was totally different to what I was expecting but I loved it. I quit my job and for about a year I worked for this person on and off, on a voluntary basis. When that came to an end, I contacted all the relevant companies in Cardiff I could find on Facebook. I got taken on as a volunteer for two weeks and after that, someone gave me a list of gaffer contacts, also known as chief lighting electricians, so I got in touch with them all.

A gaffer got back to me and said they were working on the Sherlock TV drama and asked if I would like to come and help. The money I made from doing this allowed me to do my electrical qualifications and from there I kept meeting people and gaining more contacts. I went to a college in Cardiff to do a three-month intensive course and get my domestic electrical installation and building regulations qualifications. The course was all men looking to become house electricians. I very much stood out. My whole career I have been the odd one out, but it didn’t bother me!

A typical day in my
working life

It varies so much. A general formula would be that the first thing you do is unload the trucks if you are at a new location to familiarise yourself with the kit. You need to look at everything you have got and find out where to go if you need anything. You then prep for the day as much as you can – such as building a few lights ready to go.

Once the directors and actors have finished blocking, it is time to light the scene. The gaffer, who is in charge of the lighting department, lets his or her team know what the lighting is going to be and then we get to work. If a location is huge and they need massive rigs, they get installed in the days prior. As we shoot throughout the day, we follow that same formula. The sparks naturally divide themselves out – it changes each time as to who is doing what.

Now I have been doing this job for nearly 10 years, I regularly see familiar faces but there are still times when I go to work and I don’t know a single person there. It’s like starting a new job every time. It can be quite scary turning up to a studio and there are all these trucks and people, but everyone starts out like that - you have to keep going.

I have had moments of meeting famous actors or seeing my name up in the cinema, but the sense of achievement comes from the human connection element.

When you get a team you like, it is fun, like working with your mates.

A little more about
my everyday role

What I love most about my job

I love that it is very stimulating and I get to visit a lot of different locations and places inaccessible to the public. I got to go to the hangars in Heathrow Airport when filming a British Airways commercial. There is a place in Pall Mall which is a club where women can only enter through the back door but because I was working there, I came straight through the front door with all the kit which was very empowering! You meet so many people and get to try so many different things.

The best bits about working in a team

When you work in a team in an industry like this there is always someone to learn from because you need so many skills. When you get a team you like, it is fun, like working with your mates.

The most exciting thing I’ve achieved so far in my job

I have had moments of meeting famous actors or seeing my name up in the cinema, but the sense of achievement comes from the human connection element. I have been part of bringing some really important stories to life that, I think, need to be told. I have also been fortunate enough to mentor some young women joining the department through the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph & Theatre Union (BECTU) mentorship programme. To be able to pass on support to someone who was in a position where I once was, is a wonderful achievement.

The next steps in my career journey

I really enjoy supervising so would like to do more of that. On top of your daily sparking, you have the added responsibility of all the logistics. I would like to give gaffering a go too.

Find out more about this role

Discover what qualifications you’ll need, how much you can earn, and what the next steps are.

Nine apprentices sitting on sofas socialising

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