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Light technician vs video production assistant

The differences between light technicians and video production assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a light technician and a video production assistant. Additionally, a light technician has an average salary of $40,111, which is higher than the $33,779 average annual salary of a video production assistant.

The top three skills for a light technician include ladders, hand tools and light fixtures. The most important skills for a video production assistant are video production, audio equipment, and video content.

Light technician vs video production assistant overview

Light TechnicianVideo Production Assistant
Yearly salary$40,111$33,779
Hourly rate$19.28$16.24
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs31,53058,432
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

What does a light technician do?

A light technician is responsible for controlling and setting up all the needed lighting production equipment used in a show or concert. This person acts as an assistant to the lighting engineer or designer who controls and determines what needs to be developed and enhanced. They are the technicians who operate the visual effects, color lights, control switch, reflectors, and dim lights in a live or recorded show. A light technician always keeps the lighting equipment in good shape and condition.

What does a video production assistant do?

A video production assistant's job is to help the producer in any way possible. They are tasked with setting up meetings and auditions and may even be in charge of interns. They may be responsible for gathering reference materials and clips and determining which issues should be shown to a producer. They may also be in charge of shuffling crews or video recording and other equipment.

Light technician vs video production assistant salary

Light technicians and video production assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Light TechnicianVideo Production Assistant
Average salary$40,111$33,779
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $56,000Between $20,000 And $54,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CA-
Highest paying stateCalifornia-
Best paying companyBlackRock-
Best paying industryHospitality-

Differences between light technician and video production assistant education

There are a few differences between a light technician and a video production assistant in terms of educational background:

Light TechnicianVideo Production Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorPhotographyCommunication
Most common collegeNew Mexico State UniversityHarvard University

Light technician vs video production assistant demographics

Here are the differences between light technicians' and video production assistants' demographics:

Light TechnicianVideo Production Assistant
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 86.6% Female, 13.4%Male, 69.8% Female, 30.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between light technician and video production assistant duties and responsibilities

Light technician example responsibilities.

  • Maintain and manage multiple stages: FOH mix, monitor mix, and video presentation editing mix.
  • Provide support for the engineering, furnishing, and installation of classify and unclassify video teleconferencing systems and video distribution systems.
  • Communicate with other departments and coordinators to maintain order.

Video production assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage HD camerawork and calculating wireless mic levels.
  • Develop the companies YouTube page to improve the companies social media presents.
  • Advance lighting techniques and how to format videos for private websites and public ones such as YouTube.
  • Create the companies first hunting DVD for retail sales in coordination with the lead video producer and company graphic artist.
  • Assist the video coordinator with off-season opponent scouting, game tape digitizing, logging, DVD production, and duplication.
  • Monitor conference bridges, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and provide complete documentation on conferences.
  • Show more

Light technician vs video production assistant skills

Common light technician skills
  • Ladders, 14%
  • Hand Tools, 9%
  • Light Fixtures, 9%
  • OSHA, 9%
  • A/V, 6%
  • Video Equipment, 5%
Common video production assistant skills
  • Video Production, 20%
  • Audio Equipment, 6%
  • Video Content, 6%
  • Adobe Premiere Pro, 6%
  • Camera Operation, 5%
  • Video Projects, 3%

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