Francis Butler is a Los Angeles based Chief Lighting Technician (Gaffer). He is a member of IATSE Local #728 in Hollywood, and an Associate Member of the International Cinema Lighting Society. He started working in the film industry while studying at the University of Texas at Austin. After graduating with a B.S. in Radio-Television-Film and a Business Foundations certificate, Francis relocated to Los Angeles, CA.

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Francis spent 2 1/2 years in the rental business before pursuing a full-time freelance career and joining IATSE Local #728. He started working as a lighting technician on films like Tenet, Nope, F9: The Fast Saga, and Oppenheimer while building his gaffer credits and equipment inventory. Now, he owns and operates two lighting packages; a 30' trailer and a 3-ton truck.

 

His CLT credits include feature films, national commercials, branded content, music videos, short films, and documentaries. His latest project, "All Fun & Games" from AGBO, was released September 1, 2023. "My Old Ass" from Indian Paintbrush/LuckyChap was acquired by Amazon/MGM after premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and will be released August 2, 2024. "Incoming" from Artists Road/Spyglass will be released in 2024 on Netflix, and "The Unholy Trinity" from MarVista is currently in post-production.