What Is a Best Boy Electric? A Producer’s Guide to the Role
You're reading a call sheet, you see "Best Boy Electric," and you're not totally sure what that person does or why they're on your budget. If you're a producer or director hiring crew — not someone trying to become one — and you're wondering what is a best boy electric and whether you even need one, that's exactly what I'll answer. I'm a working DP and gaffer in Central Florida, I've written the call and hired the best boy plenty of times, so here's the plain-English version from the guy who does the hiring.
What Is a Best Boy Electric?
Quick answer: the best boy electric is the second-in-command of the electric (lighting) department, reporting to the gaffer. The gaffer runs the lighting; the best boy is their right hand, managing the rest of the electric crew and the logistics so the gaffer can stay focused on the light itself.
The name is a historical quirk — it has nothing to do with age or gender, and plenty of "best boys" today are women. Ignore the title and think "lighting department manager, second-in-charge." Note there's also a best boy grip on bigger crews — that's the same second-in-command role but for the grip department, under the key grip. Two different departments. If the word "gaffer" is also a little fuzzy, here's what a gaffer actually does.
What a Best Boy Electric Actually Does on Set
Here's the practical version, because that's what matters when you're paying for it. On a shoot day, the best boy runs the parts of the lighting department the gaffer doesn't have time to run while they're actually lighting:
- Managing the electric crew — the lamp operators and set lighting techs take their direction from the best boy.
- Gear and truck — pulling the order, keeping the truck organized, tracking what's rigged where, handling returns.
- Power distribution — running and managing the cable and distro that feeds every light, safely.
- Paperwork and logistics — crew timecards, ordering, coordinating with the rest of production.
- Staying ahead of the day — staging gear for the next setup so the shoot doesn't stall waiting on lighting.
Think of it this way: the gaffer decides what the light should be; the best boy makes sure the department can actually deliver it, on time and safely. On a well-run set you barely notice the best boy — which is exactly the point.
Best Boy vs. Gaffer: What's the Difference, and When You Need Both
This is the part producers actually care about, so let's be clear about it.
The gaffer is the head of the lighting department. They work with the DP to design the look, then make it happen. If you're hiring one person for lighting, it's a gaffer.
The best boy electric is the gaffer's second — a force multiplier, not a replacement. They let the gaffer run a bigger, faster operation without getting buried in logistics.
So when do you need both? It really comes down to the size and pace of the day:
- Bigger package, more crew, more setups. Once there's enough gear and enough electricians that one person can't both design the light and manage the floor, you add a best boy. The gaffer stays creative; the best boy runs the department.
- A tight schedule. If you're moving fast through a lot of setups, a best boy is what keeps the day from bottlenecking on the gaffer.
- Real power needs. More distribution and electrical load means you want someone dedicated to running it safely.
If you want a feel for what the gaffer alone brings before you scale up, what it costs to hire a gaffer in Florida shows how the crew and package grow with the job. The sheer amount of gear a gaffer's lighting package contains on a real commercial is the whole reason the best boy role exists — and once that package gets large enough, one person cannot wrangle it and light at the same time.
Do You Actually Need a Best Boy on a Smaller Production?
Honest answer to the "is this overkill for my shoot?" question: often, no.
On a small commercial, a corporate interview, or a one- or two-light branded piece, a gaffer with their own kit can handle it solo — or with a single general crew member. You don't need a dedicated department second when there isn't much department to manage. Paying for a best boy on a two-light shoot is spending money you don't need to spend.
Here's where it flips: when the lighting package and crew grow to the point that the gaffer is spending more time managing gear and people than lighting, you're losing the exact thing you hired them for. That's the signal to add a best boy — not shoot size for its own sake, but the moment logistics start stealing the gaffer's attention from the light.
And the good news for a smaller production: you don't have to figure this out yourself. Tell your gaffer the scope — locations, number of setups, schedule — and a good one will tell you straight whether the day needs a best boy. On my own bookings I'll flag it plainly: "this one I can run solo," or "for this we're going to want a second." You're not expected to size the crew. That's the gaffer's job.
How to Find and Hire a Best Boy in Florida
The simplest path, and the one I'd point any producer to: you usually don't hire the best boy directly — you hire the gaffer, and the gaffer brings or calls the best boy they trust.
That's how it works in a non-union market like Central Florida. The crew runs on relationships and day rates, and the gaffer already knows the best boys who show up sharp and make the department run. When you book a gaffer with their own crew, the right second comes with them — you get a team that's actually worked together, not a stranger pulled off a list.
So if you're staffing a Florida shoot and wondering about the electric department, don't start by sourcing a best boy. Start by hiring a gaffer who fits the project, hand them the scope, and let them build the crew the day needs. If you're still assembling the above-the-line side too, how to hire a DP for your commercial walks through the camera lead the same way.
The Short Version
A best boy electric is the gaffer's right hand — the lighting department's manager and second-in-command. On a big, fast, gear-heavy day, they're what keeps the gaffer free to actually light. On a small shoot you often don't need one, and a good gaffer will tell you so. Either way, you don't have to solve it alone: hire the gaffer, give them the scope, and let them tell you what the electric department should look like.
That's exactly the conversation I have with producers across Central Florida every week. Tell me about your shoot and I'll tell you straight what crew it actually needs — no upsell, no overkill. Start with hiring a gaffer in Central Florida.