What Is a Best Boy Electric in Film?
The gaffer makes the creative call. The best boy electric makes sure the lights, the crew, and the truck are ready to execute it — every single shooting day.
A best boy electric is the second-in-command of the electrical department on a film, television, or commercial production. Officially titled assistant chief lighting technician under IATSE’s 2024 Area Standards Agreement, the best boy electric reports directly to the gaffer and acts as the department’s foreman: managing the crew, controlling the equipment, and keeping operations running while the gaffer focuses on the set.
The electrical department hierarchy runs: Director of Photography (DP) at the top, then the gaffer, then the best boy electric, followed by lamp operators (also called “juicers”), electricians, and generator operators. On large productions, a rigging best boy manages the rigging electricians separately.
What does a best boy electric do?
What Does a Best Boy Electric Do?
Where the gaffer lives on set next to the DP, the best boy electric runs the infrastructure that makes the entire electrical department function. It is a hybrid role — part crew manager, part logistics coordinator, part on-set technician.
Pre-production duties:
- Crewing up: hiring, contracting, and scheduling all electricians and lamp operators for the production
- Building and managing the equipment order — specifying fixtures, cable runs, distribution gear, generators, and expendables within the department budget
- Coordinating equipment rentals, pickups, and returns with the rental house
- Organizing the electric truck: load-in, positioning, and inventory checks
On-set duties:
- Directing electricians and lamp operators to set, move, and strike lights during each setup
- Monitoring power distribution and electrical safety across the set — cable routing, load calculations, tie-in points
- Handling department paperwork: timecards, purchase orders, rental agreements, and daily reports submitted to production
- Serving as the day-to-day liaison between the electrical department and the production office
- Covering for the gaffer when the gaffer is in creative discussions with the DP or director
Post-production / wrap duties:
- Overseeing the return of all rented equipment — checking inventory, logging damage, managing returns on time and within budget
- Processing final timecards and wrapping out the crew
Equipment the best boy electric works with: distribution boxes (distros), feeder cable, dimmers and DMX controllers, generator hookups, HMI ballasts, practical wiring, LED panels, and the full inventory of the electric truck. The best boy is responsible for all of it — not just operating it but knowing where every piece is at all times.
What is the best boy electric salary?
Best Boy Electric Salary & Day Rates
Best boy electric rates are set by IATSE union agreements and vary significantly by production scale, location, and contract type.
In the United States, IATSE Local 728 (Los Angeles) and Local 52 (New York) cover best boy electrics on studio productions. Under the IATSE Basic Agreement, best boy electrics earn a studio scale day rate that typically falls between $450–$650/day on union features and episodic television. Weekly guaranteed rates on large productions often put annual earnings for consistently working best boys in the $80,000–$120,000 range.
Non-union and independent productions vary widely — rates of $300–$450/day are common on lower-budget projects in major markets.
In the UK, BECTU-represented best boy electrics on PACT agreement productions earn rates set in the PACT/BECTU Drama Agreement, currently around £300–£450/day for feature film work.
Key factors that affect rate:
- Union vs. non-union production
- Production budget tier (low-budget indie vs. studio tentpole)
- Market (LA and NY command higher rates than regional markets)
- Length of run and guaranteed weeks
Where does the best boy electric appear in film credits?
Credits Placement for the Best Boy Electric
No competitor goes here. Here is exactly where the best boy electric lands.
Opening Credits
The best boy electric does not appear in opening credits. Opening title cards are reserved for above-the-line talent — the studio, production company, lead cast, director, writer, and producers. No below-the-line crew from the electrical department receives an opening card.
End Credits
The best boy electric appears in the electrical department section of the end credit crawl, listed immediately below the gaffer. The credit order within the electrical department block is consistent across union productions:
| Position | Credit Order |
|---|---|
| Gaffer | 1st (department head) |
| Additional Gaffer | 2nd (if applicable) |
| Best Boy Electric | 3rd |
| Key Rigging Gaffer | 4th (if applicable) |
| Rigging Best Boy | 5th (if applicable) |
| Lamp Operators / Electricians | After department heads |
| Generator Operator | Near end of department block |
| Basecamp Generator Operator | Last |
The electrical department block appears in the below-the-line crew section of the crawl, positioned near the grip department and camera department. The best boy electric’s position — third in the block, immediately after the gaffer — is consistent across union and most non-union productions.
Single Card vs. Scroll
On virtually all productions, the best boy electric receives a shared scroll credit within the electrical department block — not a solo card. The credit is part of the department crawl, not separated for individual prominence.
How to credit a best boy electric correctly
Exact Format, Variations, and Guild Rules
The standard screen credit format for a best boy electric is:
Best Boy Electric .............. JANE SMITHOr in a department block layout:
ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT
Gaffer
JOHN DOE
Best Boy Electric
JANE SMITH
Lamp Operator
CARLOS REYESAccepted title variations:
- Best Boy Electric — the industry-standard title on most US productions
- Assistant Chief Lighting Technician — the official IATSE term since the 2024 Area Standards Agreement; rarely appears on screen but is increasingly used in contracts
- Best Girl — used historically when a woman holds the role; considered dated by many in the industry today
- Lead Electric — a gender-neutral alternative gaining traction on some productions
Avoid “Assistant Gaffer” — this is not a standard industry credit and can cause confusion with the gaffer’s role.
Guild requirements: Best boy electrics on IATSE-signatory productions in Los Angeles fall under Local 728 (Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians). The credit is a contractual obligation — the production must include the best boy electric in the end crawl. IATSE does not mandate a specific on-screen title format, but “Best Boy Electric” remains the overwhelmingly standard usage.
If one person served as both gaffer and best boy electric (common on very small productions):
Gaffer / Best Boy Electric
JOHN DOECredit both roles explicitly. For comprehensive guidance on department ordering and formatting across all crew positions, see the film credits format and order guide.
Best boy electric vs best boy grip
Two Different Departments, One Confusing Title
The title “best boy” applies to two completely different departments, which confuses everyone outside the industry — and some people inside it.
| Best Boy Electric | Best Boy Grip | |
|---|---|---|
| Department | Electrical | Grip |
| Reports to | Gaffer | Key Grip |
| Manages | Electricians, lamp operators | Grips, dolly grips, rigging grips |
| Primary focus | Lighting equipment, power distribution, crew logistics | Camera support equipment, rigging hardware, grip truck |
| IATSE local (LA) | Local 728 | Local 80 |
| Credit block | Electrical department | Grip department |
The two best boys work in parallel, managing their respective departments’ operations while their department heads — the gaffer and the key grip — stay focused on set. Both are foremen; neither outranks the other. Their credits appear in separate department blocks in the end crawl.
Why is it called best boy?
The Etymology Nobody Can Fully Explain
The Oxford English Dictionary traces the earliest film-industry usage to a 1931 Albuquerque Journal reference, but the origin of the term itself is genuinely uncertain. Two competing theories exist: one traces it to apprenticeship culture, where the senior apprentice was the “best boy” of the group; another connects it to maritime crew terminology. The OED notes that “confirmatory evidence for either of these theories appears to be lacking.”
What is clear: by the early sound era, “best boy” was already established Hollywood shorthand for the first assistant to both the gaffer and the key grip. IATSE’s 2024 decision to standardize “assistant chief lighting technician” as the official title may signal the beginning of the end for the informal term — though industry habit dies hard, and “best boy electric” still appears in virtually every end credit crawl today.
Notable Best Boy Electrics in Film History
The Professionals Behind Major Productions
Best boy electrics rarely receive press, but on large productions they run departments of 20 or more crew members. Several have gone on to become major gaffers or DPs.
- Randy Nolen — Best boy electric on The Dark Knight (2008) before progressing to gaffer credits; his early career illustrates the standard path from best boy to department head on large studio productions.
- Pat Sweeney — Best boy electric on multiple HBO prestige productions; known for operational efficiency on long-running episodic schedules where crew management and equipment logistics are as demanding as any feature.
- Sherry Abel — One of the first women to work as best boy electric on major studio productions, her career helped establish that the role’s demands are professional and organizational, not physical.
Sources and Further Reading
Official resources:
- IATSE Local 728 — Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians — the union representing best boy electrics in Los Angeles
- IATSE — Area Standards Agreement — 2024 agreement that formalized “assistant chief lighting technician”
- ScreenSkills — Electrical Department — UK industry perspective on lighting crew roles
Related EndCreditsPro guides:
- Film Credits Format and Order Guide
- Complete Guide to Film Credits
- All Film Crew Roles
- IATSE Compliance Guide
Create Professional Credits with EndCreditsPro
Putting the best boy electric in the right position — third in the electrical block, below the gaffer, above lamp operators — matters for guild compliance and professional credibility. EndCreditsPro auto-formats your end credits with the correct role hierarchy, department ordering, and industry-standard layouts.