Q&A with Lighting Programmer Elton James, ICLS

Elton James, ICLS, an accomplished Lighting Programmer, has worked on some of the biggest and most visually stunning films in recent years. A master at his craft, he is known for using cutting-edge technology that allows fast and flexible creative control to DPs and Gaffers at their fingertips. One of his notable projects of 2023 is “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and “Avatar: The Way of Water.” To control the lighting, James and his team relied on Ratpac Controls dimmers and PDB data and powerboxes. This combination created a seamless and dynamic lighting setup that brought the film’s otherworldly scenes to life.

How did you get started as a Lighting Programmer on some of the biggest film sets?
I left Boston in 2008 to pursue my dream of working in film in Los Angeles. Initially, I wanted to be a Cinematographer, but soon realized that the role wasn’t for me. Instead, I found my passion in the lighting department.

After joining the IATSE 728 Union about a year later, I discovered the role of Lighting Programmers in film. I had prior experience in theatrical lighting, having worked on it throughout college. Alongside this, I worked as an IT guy at Harvard University in Boston. As I learned more about the role of a Lighting Programmer, I realized that my combined skill set made me uniquely qualified for this job, with proficiencies in computer and network infrastructure, theatrical lighting, and understanding DMX and how a lighting console works on a film set.

I worked on a few commercials as a Lighting Programmer, before getting an offer to work on a feature film, “The Campaign,” with Gaffer Lou DiCesare. Their Lighting Programmer had dropped out at the last minute, so they took a risk and flew me out to New Orleans with a week before shooting began. It was perfect timing, and the feature turned out well. Lou asked me to work on the next few TV shows with him, which helped me gain more experience. I worked with Lou for about two and a half years, before I started getting other opportunities.

I was invited to work on larger features, serving as a second unit programmer for Gaffer Dan Riffel and Lighting Programmer Scott Barnes. It was during my work on the second unit of “Fantastic Four” that I got the breakthrough I had been looking for and was launched into doing larger-scale features. One of the requirements for that job was to learn the Hog 4 console, which I picked up efficiently.

Movie: Venom, Main Unit, ATL, GA, Gaffer: Dan Cornwall, DP Matthew Libatique) Photo credit: Elton James

Movie: Venom, Main Unit, ATL, GA, Gaffer: Dan Cornwall, DP Matthew Libatique) Photo credit: Elton James

Scott Barnes then recommended me to Dan Cornwall, an Atlanta-based Gaffer, and we worked together on “Black Panther” and “The Guardians of the Galaxy” movies. Collaborating with Dan for the past several years and working closely with Dan Riffel has been incredible. It’s funny to note that I only work with gaffers named Dan, making communication on walkie-talkies much smoother.

What is your experience working with Gaffer Dan Cornwall?
Dan Cornwall is an exceptional Gaffer who strives for perfection in his work. He is known for his meticulous planning and always ensures that his team is involved as early as possible when prepping for a large-scale feature. He usually brings in his team, including me, within a week of starting the job.

During the five to eight weeks of prep before the feature starts, Dan’s main goal is to have fully drafted 3D models of the light plots for every set. He does this to present them to the production team, along with an estimate of the required budget. Although there is some guesswork involved based on his extensive experience, there are always some details that are yet to be finalized. Therefore, Dan ensures that placeholders are in place to avoid any surprises later on. Dan is always proactive in his approach and brings me in early to start drafting and creating all the light plots for the show.

Describe the lighting requirements of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” sets.
Working on “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” was a massive and enjoyable task due to the vast sets we had. One of the most remarkable sets we worked on was the Bowie, the new ship of the Guardians. This set included the cockpit, the locker room, the engine room, and the hallways. The set was built as a three-story structure, enabling us to shoot scenes with actors walking through the entire ship.

The locker room set had several practical LED lights spread throughout. The entire set contained 11 universes of practical LED lights. There were huge glass windows in the cockpit, and we used two 40-foot by 20-foot LED screens to provide interactive lighting from space or the various environments.

We changed the plates through the media server based on the requirements of the VFX department or Director of Photography Henry Braham. Henry had a clear vision of what he wanted in each environment. It was fascinating because the traditional movie lights sets were all off, and we used only a few film lights and a bunch of practicals. The sets were mainly illuminated by the LED Volume. All the LED screens that we used throughout the movie were exclusively for interactive lighting.

In the movie, there was a scene where the characters had to pass through multiple energy shields, each of which had a unique color. We had created various visual effects for this sequence, such as a purple screen that turned black as the characters broke through it. To achieve this effect, I placed a black card in the center of a purple screen and then increased its size until it covered the entire purple screen. This created the illusion that the characters had broken through the entire shield. The characters also had to pass through shields of other colors, such as yellow and cyan, and for each shield, I added a star field effect that showed stars, nebulae, and other gaseous materials moving around in an organic way. This effect was much more visually appealing than traditional lighting techniques.

How did you control and dim lights on “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?”
On “Guardians” there was a server console that controlled the entire stage with a capacity of 64 universes. From the console, the data went into Luminex, which sent out sACN data for the lights and console. It also sent video data for the media servers and communication data for the BOLERO wireless intercom system used on the show.

The team was running five VLANs, with one hidden internet throughout the managed network. These would go everywhere, and there was a distro box. The team would have a four-port node, a four or eight-port node plus opti-splitters and finally five-pin DMX for the last mile. After that, the team would go into Ratpac Controls’ PDBs to distribute data to the lights.

All incandescent dimming was done with Ratpac Controls’ boxes: 12×200, 6×2.4k, 12×1.2k, 12×2.4. They exclusively used Ratpac Controls dimmers for the whole show, mostly out of reliability because they’re the most convenient. After all, you can rig them on the set, and the standalone dimmers are the most reliable.

How many PDBs did you use on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
On one of the sets, we had a rig of over 200 SkyPanel S60s and ProLights EclPanel as a soft top light through magic cloth. On average, we have between 50-60 PDBs on a big stage. Smaller stages had 40 to 50 PDBs.

Movie: Avatar the way of Water, Wellington NZ, Gaffer Dan Riffel, DP: Russel Carpenter), Photo credit Elton James

What was it like working on the set of “Avatar: The Way of Water?”
Working on “Avatar: The Way of Water” was a unique and challenging experience. The movie is primarily computer-animated set in a digital world, with many human characters. When I joined the project, Director James Cameron had already created a rough edit of the movie, and we were shooting live-action parts to insert in the animation.

In a traditional movie, live-action parts are shot, sent to Post, where VFX animates them, and then the movie is edited together. However, in “Avatar,” the movie was already edited and animated to a finished quality. We had to match our live-action shots to the pre-existing animation. It was like forensic photography, figuring out what the actual movie was.

The project was massive, with three parts of the movie being worked on concurrently. I was not allowed to read the script, so I had to prepare by watching the footage. Gaffer Dan Riffel did an excellent job preparing each day and environment. Director of Photography Russell Carpenter would describe the scene, and we would adjust the flexible lighting rig accordingly to be in deep woods at 4 pm in the afternoon or nighttime.

What Ratpac Controls products did you use on “Avatar: The Way of Water?”
I own a fair amount of the original Cintennas that we used everywhere because they are simply the most reliable wireless receiver compared to other manufacturers.

Streaming Show: Hawkeye, Atl GA, Gaffer: Dan Cornwall, DPs: Eric Steelberg & James Whitaker), Photo credit: Elton James

How does a Gaffer transition from working on small independent films to large-scale productions?
In some ways, the job of a Gaffer and a prep lighting team require different sets of skills, but in other ways, they are similar. A Gaffer’s primary responsibility is to light the set and action, but they also have a significant political role in managing the lighting department and interfacing with production.

Whether it’s a large or small job, having the skills to identify available resources and to advocate for additional resources is important. For large-scale features with a budget of $150-250 million, there are more moving parts and a bigger crew is required. For example, on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy, we had 11 stages and 40-50 different sets.

At the end of the day, the job of a gaffer and a prep lighting team involves reviewing the schedule, determining what needs to be worked on first, and then breaking it down into manageable tasks. It’s a matter of breaking the job down into smaller components and solving each set-up with the Director of Photography and the rest of the lighting department.

How has technology revolutionized the way films are made?
Over the last 15 years, the world of lighting has undergone significant technical changes. Board ops were specialized day players brought in for stage work or events, but over time, they became full-time crew members. Lighting programmers were not required on location as they the lighting crew used primarily HMIs.

Since then, the role of the Lighting Programmer evolved into an integral and senior member of the set lighting department. The Gaffer, Rigging Gaffer, Best Boys, and Lighting Programmer are the first to be brought on board to plan a job.

LED technology has transformed the industry, and every light is now a computer. ARRI Orbiter, for example, has sensors all over it that can detect ambient color, and it has a color meter built into it to enable source matching. Every LED light has a different number of RGB chips, and the sets require massive orchestration, with every computer and light programmed for creative control. The DP and Gaffers can now easily access creative control at their fingertips.