Lighting Technician

Typical Salary

£15,000 To £40,000

Typical Hours

42 to 44 variable

evenings / weekends / bank holidays away from home

How To Become a Lighting Technician

You can get into this job through:

a university course
a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
volunteering
broadcasters' training schemes

College / University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:

performing arts (production)
lighting design
lighting and performance technology
technical theatre

1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma

2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

You could complete a college course like:

Level 3 Certificate or Diploma in Production Arts
Level 3 Certificate in Technical Theatre: Sound, Light and Stage

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You may be able to start in this job through the following advanced apprenticeships:

Live event rigger
Live venue technician
Creative venue technician

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could qualify as an electrician first and then get practical experience in production lighting.

Other Routes

You may be able to get training through one of the new entrant training schemes that broadcasters offer. For example:

You could also take short courses in production skills run by film schools, regional screen agencies and private training providers.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

knowledge of building and construction
the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
maths knowledge
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
analytical thinking skills
the ability to use your initiative
leadership skills
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day To Day Tasks

You could:

interpret a lighting designer's plan
carry out risk assessments for health and safety purposes
plan where to run cables and place lights at film locations
help to rig and check the equipment
take cues from the stage manager in theatre or the floor manager in TV
programme and operate manual and computer-controlled lighting systems
take down equipment after shows or filming

Working Environment

You could work at a film studio, on a film set, at events, in a theatre or at a TV studio.

Your working environment may be hot, outdoors some of the time, at height and you may spend nights away from home.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career Path & Progression

Career Path & Progression are not listed for this job.

Volunteering Opportunities

You will need relevant practical experience. You may be able to find a traineeship with a specialist lighting company. You could also look for experience in the following settings:

lighting equipment hire companies
theatres or concert venues
amateur theatre
student or community film projects

You can search for film and TV companies to approach for experience through media business listing services like PACT and The Knowledge.

Tips & Information

Career tips

It's a good idea to build up a portfolio of your work. This could be a showreel DVD or online profile of productions you've worked on, which you can show to potential employers.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in production lighting from ScreenSkills.

You can get more information on working in creative careers from Discover Creative Careers.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.