Lighting Technicians
Set up, maintain, and dismantle light fixtures, lighting control devices, and the associated lighting electrical and rigging equipment used for photography, television, film, video, and live productions. May focus or operate light fixtures, or attach color filters or other lighting accessories.
8,900 people do this job in the US. $68,060 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 12%
- 4%
- 84%
Anthropic's data does not cover this job.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 7%. Today's estimate: 8%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operate manual or automated systems to control lighting throughout productions. | 11% | 1.7 h38 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Program lighting consoles or load automated lighting control systems onto consoles. | 11% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | 66%Half by now | |
| Set up and focus light fixtures to meet requirements of television, theater, concerts, or other productions. | 11% | 1.7 h50 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Set up scaffolding or cranes to assist with setting up of lighting equipment. | 11% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Disassemble and store equipment after performances. | 8% | 1.3 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Visit and assess structural and electrical layout of locations before setting up lighting equipment. | 8% | 1.3 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Install electrical cables or wire fixtures. | 7% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Match light fixture settings, such as brightness and color, to lighting design plans. | 5% | 50 min17 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Patch or wire lights to dimmers or other electronic consoles. | 5% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Test lighting equipment function and desired lighting effects. | 5% | 50 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Consult with lighting director or production staff to determine lighting requirements. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Load, unload, or position lighting equipment. | 4% | 38 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Electricians13% now, 17% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment8% now, 8% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians17% now, 49% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers17% now, 17% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment14% now, 20% by 2028
- Helpers--Electricians1% now, 1% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).