Best boy: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Film crew position overseeing lighting or grips}} | {{Short description|Film crew position overseeing lighting or grips}} | ||
{{ | {{other|Best Boy (disambiguation)}} | ||
{{More citations needed|date=October 2020}} | {{More citations needed|date=October 2020}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}} | ||
In a [[film crew]], there are two kinds of '''best boy''': '''best boy electric''' (also known as the assistant chief lighting technician) and '''best boy grip''' (also known as the 2nd company grip). They are assistants to their department heads, the [[Gaffer (filmmaking)|gaffer]] (in charge of electricals) and the [[key grip]] (lighting and rigging), respectively.<ref name="Taub153">{{cite book |title=Gaffers, Grips, and Best Boys |last=Taub |first=Eric |year=1994 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |location=New York |isbn=0-312-11276-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/gaffersgripsbest00taub_0/page/153 153] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/gaffersgripsbest00taub_0/page/153 }}</ref> In short, the best boy acts as the [[Construction foreman|foreman]] for the department. A woman who performs these duties may be called '''best girl'''.<ref>''[[Being Human (North American TV series)|Being Human]]'' end credits, for example</ref> <!--All are sometimes called '''best person'''.{{fact|date=September 2021}}-- | In a [[film crew]], there are two kinds of '''best boy''': '''best boy electric''' (also known as the assistant chief lighting technician) and '''best boy grip''' (also known as the 2nd company grip). They are assistants to their department heads, the [[Gaffer (filmmaking)|gaffer]] (in charge of electricals) and the [[key grip]] (lighting and rigging), respectively.<ref name="Taub153">{{cite book |title=Gaffers, Grips, and Best Boys |last=Taub |first=Eric |year=1994 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |location=New York |isbn=0-312-11276-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/gaffersgripsbest00taub_0/page/153 153] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/gaffersgripsbest00taub_0/page/153 }}</ref> In short, the best boy acts as the [[Construction foreman|foreman]] for the department. A woman who performs these duties may be called '''best girl'''.<ref>''[[Being Human (North American TV series)|Being Human]]'' end credits, for example</ref> <!--All are sometimes called '''best person'''.{{fact|date=September 2021}}--> | ||
==Job responsibilities== | ==Job responsibilities== | ||
Best boys are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the lighting or grip department. Their many responsibilities include the hiring, scheduling, and management of crew; the renting, ordering, inventory, and returning of equipment; workplace safety and maintaining discipline within their department; completing timecards and other paperwork; stocking of expendables; loading and unloading production trucks; planning and implementing the lighting or rigging of locations and/or sound stages; coordinating with rigging crews and additional photography units (if applicable); handling relations with the other production departments; overseeing the application of union rules (where relevant); and serving as the day-to-day representative of the department with the [[unit production manager]] and coordinator of their department.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.creativeskillset.org/film/jobs/lighting/article_3893_2.asp|title=Film job profiles/best boy|publisher=creativeskillset.org | Best boys are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the lighting or grip department. Their many responsibilities include the hiring, scheduling, and management of crew; the renting, ordering, inventory, and returning of equipment; workplace safety and maintaining discipline within their department; completing timecards and other paperwork; stocking of expendables; loading and unloading production trucks; planning and implementing the lighting or rigging of locations and/or sound stages; coordinating with rigging crews and additional photography units (if applicable); handling relations with the other production departments; overseeing the application of union rules (where relevant); and serving as the day-to-day representative of the department with the [[unit production manager]] and coordinator of their department.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.creativeskillset.org/film/jobs/lighting/article_3893_2.asp|title=Film job profiles/best boy|publisher= | website= creativeskillset.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111051715/http://www.creativeskillset.org/film/jobs/lighting/article_3893_2.asp|archive-date=11 November 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=2 November 2015}}</ref> | ||
The best boy also commonly accompanies or stands in for the key grip or gaffer during technical scouts. During shooting, the best boy may also cover for the key grip or gaffer when he or she is on a break or otherwise away from the set. | The best boy also commonly accompanies or stands in for the key grip or gaffer during technical scouts. During shooting, the best boy may also cover for the key grip or gaffer when he or she is on a break or otherwise away from the set. | ||
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==Etymology== | ==Etymology== | ||
It is unclear why this term came to be used as a job title on film sets. According to the [[Oxford English Dictionary | It is unclear why this term came to be used as a job title on film sets. According to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', "It has been suggested that it originated as a term for a master's most able apprentice, or alternatively that it was transferred from earlier use for a member of a ship's crew, but confirmatory evidence for either of these theories appears to be lacking."{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} The earliest known appearance of the phrase in print is 1931 from the ''[[Albuquerque Journal]]'': "Among the electricians ... the department head is the gaffer, his first assistant is the best boy."{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} | ||
As the gaffer is sometimes credited as the chief lighting technician, the best boy electric is sometimes credited as the "assistant chief lighting technician". | As the gaffer is sometimes credited as the chief lighting technician, the best boy electric is sometimes credited as the "assistant chief lighting technician". | ||
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The title is accepted for use in credits by the BBC.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/tv/production/articles/credits-branding-trademarks|title=BBC – Credits and branding – Commissioning|publisher=BBC|access-date=2019-10-02}}</ref> | The title is accepted for use in credits by the BBC.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/tv/production/articles/credits-branding-trademarks|title=BBC – Credits and branding – Commissioning|publisher=BBC|access-date=2019-10-02}}</ref> | ||
The end credits of the 1982 comedy film ''[[Airplane II: The Sequel]]'' named the Best Boy, then the next line was "Worst Boy", naming [[Adolf Hitler]] in that position.<ref>{{ | The end credits of the 1982 comedy film ''[[Airplane II: The Sequel]]'' named the Best Boy, then the next line was "Worst Boy", naming [[Adolf Hitler]] in that position.<ref>{{cite web |title=Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) |website= [[IMDb]] |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083530/crazycredits|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref> | ||
Recently, some film crews have begun adopting gender-neutral terms for job titles, with one example being '''lead electric''' as a replacement for the term "best boy" in the electrical department.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108709/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm | title=Blue Heelers (TV Series 1994–2006) | website= IMDb |access-date= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379725/fullcredits/?mode=desktop&ref_=m_ft_dsk | title=Capote (2005) |website= IMDb| access-date= }}</ref> In 2024, the [[International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees]] has most recently adopted the terms '''assistant chief lighting technician''' and '''2nd company grip''' for the electric and grip departments, respectively.<ref name="l925">{{cite web | title=2024 IATSE Area Standards Agreement MOA |website= iatse.net| publisher= International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada| url=https://iatse.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-IATSE-Area-Standards-Agreement-MOA-FINAL.pdf | access-date=2024-07-24}}</ref> | |||
==Usage outside English== | ==Usage outside English== | ||
Many [[French language]] films made in [[Canada]] use ''Best Boy'' in the credits. The term has been known to appear in the credits of some French films made in [[France]], but it has not been known to appear in [[Belgium|Belgian]] or [[Switzerland|Swiss]] films.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}} | Many [[French-language]] films made in [[Canada]] use ''Best Boy'' in the credits. The term has been known to appear in the credits of some French films made in [[France]], but it has not been known to appear in [[Belgium|Belgian]] or [[Switzerland|Swiss]] films.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}} | ||
[[Germany|German]] TV and film crews regularly use the term, because no equivalent phrase exists in German. | [[Germany|German]] TV and film crews regularly use the term, because no equivalent phrase exists in German. | ||
In | In [[Icelandic cinema]] credits, a best boy is occasionally called ''besti drengurinn'' ("the best boy").<ref>{{cite web|title=Kvikmyndaréttarverkefni – Hvað gerðu fólkið í kvikmyndaverkefni?|author=Rebecca Murray|url=https://is.eferrit.com/kvikmyndarettarverkefni-hvad-gerdu-folkid-i-kvikmyndaverkefni/| access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 01:56, 29 December 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "other uses". Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use dmy dates In a film crew, there are two kinds of best boy: best boy electric (also known as the assistant chief lighting technician) and best boy grip (also known as the 2nd company grip). They are assistants to their department heads, the gaffer (in charge of electricals) and the key grip (lighting and rigging), respectively.[1] In short, the best boy acts as the foreman for the department. A woman who performs these duties may be called best girl.[2]
Job responsibilities
Best boys are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the lighting or grip department. Their many responsibilities include the hiring, scheduling, and management of crew; the renting, ordering, inventory, and returning of equipment; workplace safety and maintaining discipline within their department; completing timecards and other paperwork; stocking of expendables; loading and unloading production trucks; planning and implementing the lighting or rigging of locations and/or sound stages; coordinating with rigging crews and additional photography units (if applicable); handling relations with the other production departments; overseeing the application of union rules (where relevant); and serving as the day-to-day representative of the department with the unit production manager and coordinator of their department.[3]
The best boy also commonly accompanies or stands in for the key grip or gaffer during technical scouts. During shooting, the best boy may also cover for the key grip or gaffer when he or she is on a break or otherwise away from the set.
On films with very small crews, the electricals (lighting) department often consists of only a gaffer, a best boy, and a few electricians. The grip department may include only a key grip, a best boy, and a few grips. Large-scale productions such as major films commonly include full-time rigging and second unit crews, and in total may hire many dozens of grips or electricians at one time.
Etymology
It is unclear why this term came to be used as a job title on film sets. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "It has been suggested that it originated as a term for a master's most able apprentice, or alternatively that it was transferred from earlier use for a member of a ship's crew, but confirmatory evidence for either of these theories appears to be lacking."Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The earliest known appearance of the phrase in print is 1931 from the Albuquerque Journal: "Among the electricians ... the department head is the gaffer, his first assistant is the best boy."Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
As the gaffer is sometimes credited as the chief lighting technician, the best boy electric is sometimes credited as the "assistant chief lighting technician".
The title is accepted for use in credits by the BBC.[4]
The end credits of the 1982 comedy film Airplane II: The Sequel named the Best Boy, then the next line was "Worst Boy", naming Adolf Hitler in that position.[5]
Recently, some film crews have begun adopting gender-neutral terms for job titles, with one example being lead electric as a replacement for the term "best boy" in the electrical department.[6][7] In 2024, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees has most recently adopted the terms assistant chief lighting technician and 2nd company grip for the electric and grip departments, respectively.[8]
Usage outside English
Many French-language films made in Canada use Best Boy in the credits. The term has been known to appear in the credits of some French films made in France, but it has not been known to appear in Belgian or Swiss films.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
German TV and film crews regularly use the term, because no equivalent phrase exists in German.
In Icelandic cinema credits, a best boy is occasionally called besti drengurinn ("the best boy").[9]
References
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- ↑ Being Human end credits, for example
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