Michael Galbraith(I)

I grew up with the film business in my blood. My father who was an electrician started working at a local television station in Toronto. From there he joined the IATSE and became a successful gaffer in his own right, working in commercials, TV and features. When I was a child I would go into his room and always see all these clothes pegs on his dresser and I always wondered where they came from. He explained to me that they were used to clip gels to lights. He would often take me into work with him and I was amazed to see all the lights surrounded by grip stands, flags, nets and diffusion. I often wondered how do these guys know how to do all this? Years later I started to go with him and work on commercials and the hook was set as they say. I joined the union and started to work my way up from sweeping floors in the construction department to working as a grip and electrician. I took some time out to actually get my electrical license in case this movie thing did not work out. While on sets, I kept my mouth shut and my eyes and ears open. Eventually I started working as a best boy then a gaffer. I was fortunate to work with great crews and talented DP's. I took every opportunity to go to dailies and see the results of the work as I was involved in every lighting setup on every show I worked on. Eventually I was able to gain the trust of my DP's and they allowed me to go off to shoot 2nd units. This lead me to opportunities to shoot my own stuff. How lucky are we to work in this business and although it can be long hours in sometimes difficult conditions, I would not trade it for any other job in the world.