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Dragos Czinjepolschi

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About Dragos Czinjepolschi

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  • Birthday 12/20/1989

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    Lighting Dragon

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  1. Hello gents and ladies, Question above is still available if you were wondering, hahah. ^__^ I'm back with info regarding the minimum legal requirements to start one's journey. After a couple of e-mails to BECTU I had the pleasure to chat with James Eade (C&G 7909 trainer) and Mark Thornton (branch secretary for the Lighting Dpt) who have both confirmed that the recommended minimum requirement for the electric department is a C&G 2365 Level 2 qualification (which is around 4.3k Pounds). I will be back with more in the near future. x, Dragos
  2. 15 years, wos that sounds like quite a ride. Where would be the best place to look for apprenticeship opportunities? It's a pretty closed industry and most of the times you have to dig deep in order to find people willing to train rookies. Also, as a cinematographer, to what extent would you outsource the lighting design to the gaffer? Would you rather concentrate at the scene and movement and trust the gaffer to handle the mood or just leave the technical side to him? X, D
  3. Phil, Brian, thank you both for giving me some insight on this matter. Although I'm very eager to pursue this path (and I'm not getting any younger hahah) I understand and agree that it takes time and things need to be done properly and in a safe manner. I have to admit that I feel a bit discouraged. Becoming a domestic installer first takes quite s some time and quite some cash. Do you think it is possible to do an electrical apprenticeship while still working on small projects which don't require a qualification but pay the bills? I will do some more research and try to find the exact C&G courses needed for domestic installers in the meantime. Stay tuned. For people leaning towards the creative side of lighting would you rather advice them to follow the camera department and aim for the DoP position? Thanks once again for your time! X, theDragon
  4. So I understand there is no other way to get in than through the militaristic way? According to Creative Skillset you need to have spent 2 years as an apprentice/trainee before becoming a technician. When can you even dream of becoming a gaffer? What about people who decide to join the industry at 35 with no qualifications? How long would it take them to become a gaffer? Would it be better then to join the Camera department? I've seen DoPs who are 20 something years old and already made big budget films, without any legal impediments. Returning to the main topic, does anybody know the specific c&g levels required to pursue this gaffer way?
  5. Hi Brian, Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question. Level wise I would say beginner-ish? Let me give you my example. I have 1 and a half years of working in a kit rental house and 1 year and 1 and a half of designing lighting on still sets*, stills and motion commercial shoots and full length films, shorts and student films**. Even though I am not fully certified, I can advise my DP on what lights to use, how much power they draw, line loss, what kind of genny we might need and prevent the house fron catching fire :). Is there a way to avoid the constructions path or owning a HGV license? It's not that I don't have respect for those jobs but I am interested more in the creative side rather than ripping cables out of walls to power up the set, hahah. *which does not require any certification even if I was working with big continuous lights **expenses only projects I joined for credits, no matter what kit we used x, theDragon
  6. Good evening ladies and gents, I just came back from my C&G BS:7671 18th Edition exam and realised that I'm still missing some information regarding the legal requirements to call oneself a lighting designer/gaffer/spark in the UK. I thought maybe it would be a good idea to open a thread about these details especially here where(UK) you cannot just decide overnight that you want to be a gaffer but actually need to get qualified. My questions are What are the minimum requirements to call yourself a Spark or taken seriously as one? (besides BS:7671, I heard that also NA7909(3) is recommended to get things started) Do you need to get certified as an electrician to even begin your journey towards becoming a gaffer? In your experience as a gaffer, which qualifications/courses you absolutely had to get to be part of larger productions? Can you be part of an union if you are not fully certified as an electrician? (e.g. BECTU) How far can you wing it as an unofficial gaffer? (uncertified) Which is the point where the law prevents you from working on set no matter your experience? Thank you for your time and hope other users will find this helpful ^__^ Best, TheDragon
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