Film Word Of The Week: Best Boy

By Kierston Drier

Have you ever watched credits at the end of the film and been perplexed by the acknowledgement of the “Best Boy”? You’re not alone. Occasionally even people in the industry have the think for a few moments before the title and the associated job link up.

A Best Boy is a position held in the actual production of the film or television piece. Unlike Post or administrative-based production work (which tend to take place in offices and involve the planning, coordinating or finalizing the product) production work often takes place at ground zero- on the floor or location where the film is being shot.

The Best Boy is a member of the Lighting, Electric or Camera department. These are incredibly important departments and are critical to creating the ‘movie magic’ that makes everything on screen looks so highly polished and beautiful. The Best Boy position is essentially…