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64 E L EC TR I C AL CONNEC T I ON
S PR I NG 20 1 6
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
C
reating lighting for the film
industry can be a thankless job.
Get it perfect and no one bats
an eyelid; get it wrong and you will have
a whole crew of people breathing down
your neck.
Despite the high pressure and long
hours, gaffers perform a role many
electricians are envious of due to the
excitement the industry generates.
The gaffer, sometimes going by the
fancier title of chief lighting technician,
is responsible for taking a lighting
plan, as envisioned by the director of
photography (DOP), and bringing it to
life. This means managing a truckload
of lighting and power equipment,
understanding electrical devices,
overseeing a team and often using a bit
of creativity.
Con Mansuco grew up down the road
from an independent theatre in Coburg,
a suburb in Melbourne’s inner north.
“I used to go there all the time
to watch movies and I developed a
fascination for the making of film – from
lighting and sound production to how
the projector worked,” he says.
When Con was 14 he followed his
brother’s rock ‘n’ roll band on tour and
helped out where he could. It’s how he
initially got into lighting. This led to him
setting up and operating lighting for a
number of rock bands on tour.
Then in 1986 he stumbled upon a
newspaper ad for a job as a technical
assistant at Channel 7.
After some time at Channel 7, the
then 18-year-old Con was asked to go to
Queensland to work on the US TV series
Mission Impossible
.
He found the prospect daunting
but exciting.
Now, after 30 years in the industry,
Con has built an impressive CV. His
freelance business, Film Electrix, is well
respected in the Australian film industry.
At 24 he tried to get his electrical
licence, but at the time he was considered
too old for the apprenticeship scheme.
“A strong understanding of electrical
power and of how to balance a generator
is highly beneficial. A big advantage of
having electricians on set is that you can
have things repaired on site.”
Con says a good eye for lighting is
crucial when creating the environment
the DOP is after.
“It’s one thing for DOPs to know what
they want, but it’s another thing to
achieve it. That’s where we come in, and
it’s where a gaffer needs to be creative.
“When I was young my dad bought
YOU NEEDN’T BE A SPARKY
TOWORK AS A GAFFER, BUT A
STRONG UNDERSTANDING OF
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT IS VITAL.
JOEYOUNG
FINDS OUT MORE
ABOUT THE FILM INDUSTRY FROM
TWO GAFFERS.
A good eye for lighting is crucial when creating the environment the director of photography is after.
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