No One Talks About Lighting the Elephant in the Room: The Business of Grip and Lighting

By Craig Burns

Finally... a tell-all guide to how you can get into the grip and lighting profession! Whether you are a newbie in the media world or a seasoned video production professional you can gain a lot by reading this book. It gives a step-by-step roadmap to success in the industry as shared with you by one of the top lighting professionals in Orange County, California.

Getting into the profession later in life than most, Burns seized the opportunity with both hands and never let go. Over the next decade, he worked his way up from the lowest position on the totem pole as a go-fer to one of the busiest grip and lighting pros in the industry. He now shares all of his knowledge with readers everywhere, taking them through each step and what they have to do to get to where he is now. He also covers what's next for the media profession, one of the most-sought careers in universities today.

What does Burns see for the future? In short, we are becoming a society of self-producers, but what that means is of interest to us all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Craig Burns
• Release date: Dec 16, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301832408

Craig Burns

Meet Craig “Burnie” Burns... Craig Burns – Burnie, as he’s known on set – didn’t become the go-to lighting guy in Orange County, Calif., overnight. His journey in the industry started at age 50. After putting in a decade of hard work, climbing every rung of his profession’s ladder and learning everything he could about working on set, he started collecting lighting gear piece by piece until he had enough to fill several trucks. With five large lighting trucks of his own, Burnie is now a premier lighting professional in southern California who is hired to work on commercial sets large and small across the country and internationally. His work can be seen in a variety of documentaries for channels such as Animal Planet, the History Channel and others. Burnie is now ready to share his knowledge and tell you how to get into the media business... specifically as a lighting professional. His book, No One Talks About LIGHTING the Elephant in the Room, is a tell-all tale that lays out the steps and pathway to success in his industry. There is no other book like this on the market today and likely will never be another. Burnie wants you to be as successful in your career in lighting as he is; he wants you to be the best “self-producer” you can be. Armed with the extensive information he provides in this book, you can go as far as you want in media, one of the most-sought professions in universities today. Learn more about Burnie at www.burniesgripandlighting.com.

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No One Talks About Lighting the Elephant in the Room:

The business of grip and lighting

By Craig Burnie Burns

SMASHWORDS EDITION

*****

PUBLISHED BY:

Craig Burnie Burns on Smashwords

No One Talks About Lighting the Elephant in the Room:

The business of grip and lighting

©2012 / Craig Burns, Burnie’s Grip & Lighting, Orange County, Calif.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

DEDICATION

Thanking people for all they’ve done for me in my life and in helping get where I am in my business today would take pages. However, there are a few people recently who supported me in writing this book. Without their support I wouldn’t have the life I live now. Thank you a million times!

And to my new wife. You are my light. Thank you for coming into my life!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forward

Demystifying the Grip and Lighting Business

Business Type: What’s Legal, What’s Not … and What’s Needed

Marketing Your Grip and Lighting Business (Aligning with the Right People in Your Industry)

Where We Are and Where We’re Headed: Using Technology to Your Advantage

Afterward … Our Future of Media

Helpful Forms

FORWARD

When I was just getting into the business of grip and lighting I didn’t know much. I knew what a sand bag was and that lights were necessary to light a scene. I knew that production days were pretty long and that a lot of bodies are needed for big shoots. That was about it.

The thing I knew for certain after working on just a couple of shoots as a go-fer is that this business is something very interesting and special. It was most definitely something I wanted to be a part of, but there was no one to actually teach me how to get into the business and what to do once I got there. That’s why I wrote this book.

I want to take the mystery out of getting into the business of grip and lighting. I want to take the know-how out of the shadows and bring it into the light so you have an easier time of it than I did those first few years. If this area of media is of interest to you, sit back and read this book. Take notes along the way. Then reach out to me with questions. I’ll be starting webinars soon that you can sign up for so you can keep learning. But that’s not the purpose of this book. There is no upselling here. It’s just straight talk about how you get into the business and what to do once you get there, including what type of business you want to run. And don’t fool yourself. This is a business. To be successful you will run it as such.

On a side note, your business will be more successful if you are not a hot head, if you act with dignity and treat others with respect both on and off set. On set you will see leaders who yell and act miserably toward their fellow set preppers and crew. While you may be forced to work with them from time to time, you will gravitate toward those with whom you can enjoy your time on set. We get into that later in the book. The typical day is 10 hours on set for a fair-sized shoot. Even small shoots can run long. It’s better to spend that time with people you respect and with those who respect you. It’s just better that way.

I didn’t really know this going into the business. In fact, at that time I was a bit of a hot head myself. Fortunately, I changed my ways. But first I had to change my way of thinking about the world around me and my role in that world, no matter where I happen to be standing at the time. This didn’t happen overnight; the start was rather instantaneous, however. I went from being a close-minded person to one who is open to new experiences. I went from being a bit negative in my thinking to someone who has a positive attitude. What made me change? Listening to someone on the radio and realizing he was right, and then putting his words into action. This man spoke about how our behaviors, good and bad, had a trickle-down effect not just on those individuals immediately around us, but on everyone. Like the butterfly effect, even the smallest of actions can have enormous effect on the world. I hadn’t really thought about this before hearing this man. I decided that night that I would act differently, not just in business but in life.

I got to test my newfound frame of mind the very next day in a parking lot at the beach. Parking at the beach is pretty bad, so when you find a space it’s a good thing. On this day, I saw a spot and I headed for it. So did someone else. That person got there first though he saw my blinker and knew I was waiting for the space. Before my changed mindset, I would have gotten really upset. I might have even jumped out of my vehicle and yelled at that guy. But I tried a new strategy. I smiled and waved, letting the man know I was fine with him having the space. I would find another. I even wished him a good day, and I meant it. I found another spot and went on with my life.

The truth is, I didn’t feel anger or hostility. I didn’t want to tell the person off. I realized that his actions were his actions; I am only in control of my reactions, and I chose to let my temporary upset pass. It was a parking space, for God’s sake. From that day on I have embraced a peaceful way of handling pressure. It’s not that my way of peaceful thinking isn’t tested from time to time, but for the most part I do pretty well in keeping my cool.

You may wonder why I share this little glimpse into my life with you. It is because I want you to embrace this calmer mindset, too, because it will serve you well on set, no matter what position you hold. This peaceful mindset works well for me on set, allowing me to handle the stresses and pressures involved much better. This is a learned self-management skill and it is necessary. There’s plenty of stress in any production. From talking to the client before you ever get to the set and landing the job, to gathering the gear, to set up and tear down, and then invoicing and keeping track of the money and the business overall, there are stresses. They come in all shapes and forms. Even dealing with all the personalities you will meet on set can cause stress. Best you learn to manage it.

I’m not saying that this isn’t a fun business. Being in video production, specifically in grip and lighting, is a lot of fun and extremely rewarding. Nothing in my work life before gave me so much satisfaction. I’ve learned a lot, I’ve met many interesting people, I am a success in my industry, and now I can help others get into the business a little more easily than what I went through. I am going to share my information with you. In fact, this book is about the passing down of information that any newbie or even some seasoned professionals in the video business could use to improve his/her skills and become a leader in this field.

I will lift the veil and show you the true face of the grip and lighting business. By demystifying the processes, showing you how to get into the business, what form your business should take, how to work with others to further your objectives and by discussing where we are now in media and where we are headed, I give you a clear path to success in this industry. Pay attention. I’ll give you plenty of examples along the way taken from real life.

Let’s begin…

SECTION ONE

Demystifying the Grip and Lighting Business

You may think that the grip and lighting industry – or the video production industry as a whole – is a magical entity that you could never understand or operate on your own. It’s not magical. It is a business, and I’m here to take the mystery out of it for you. First, understand this basic truth. When you enter the grip and lighting industry as a professional at any level, you are entering as you would any other business. My company, Burnie’s Grip & Lighting in Orange County, California, is a business. I am successful in the industry because I run my company well. I follow a set of rules.

Like any business, there are rules to the game of grip and lighting. Before you open your doors to let others in the industry know that you are in business, you have to get your ducks in a row and you have to be prepared for anything. It’s just the same with any business you might open. For example, you must have the right tools for your trade, and you must have insurance that covers anything unforeseen that could possibly happen to you, your gear, your trucks or your people.

You have to learn what you need to run your business intelligently. This is what will put you heads above your competition. Speaking of competition, you need to know who they are and you have to be open to thinking about them not so much as competition but rather as other professionals in your industry with whom you can work for mutual benefit, so you can all share in the wealth this industry has to offer. You can align yourself with these people instead of seeing them as the enemy. Co-opetition is your friend.

You have to master the art of salesmanship and let it be a natural part of your conversations, too. I don’t call this a sales strategy, but let’s face it… no matter what we do in life we are first and foremost selling ourselves and our skills.

On the phone it’s the same thing. You are selling yourself as a person who is good to work with, honest, reputable and dependable. In this business if you are not those things then you need to find another line of work. Your bottom line will depend on how well you can happily and satisfactorily serve your clients’ needs and how dependable you are.

The Art of Servicing Your Client

First, you want to make sure the client’s shoot goes well and that they have all the right items necessary to make their shoot run smoothly. I do this in a selfish sense because I know that if everything goes well and I provide my clients with what they need then I will have these clients for all of their production years. I am very careful in what I suggest, too. Honesty really is the best policy. It’s not numbers game; the grip and lighting business is subjective. You are usually interpreting your customers’ needs with vague information.

Let’s stop here. You need to understand that last statement.

As a grip and lighting professional, who is your client? I need you to understand this point. While on small shoots it can be the individual, company or corporation that needs the commercial or video of any type shot. But for the most part your client is the production company that THEIR CLIENT (the individual, company or corporation that needs the commercial shot) hired to get the production finished on time and on budget. Usually, a producer hires me and I hire my crew to provide the grip and lighting services necessary to get the production set up and lit correctly.

Directly above me are the director and director of photography (DP). They know that they have all that they will need when they hire me, because I’m going to listen to them carefully. I’m going to load my truck with literally every piece of gear