in movies what does the best boy do?

Answer 1

Check out this website for some answers on Best Boy responsibilities.

http://www.skillset.org/film/jobs/lighting/article_3893_2.asp

Answer 2

Best Boy means chief assistant. The best boy can be the second in charge of any team, but the term usually applies to the lighting/electrical and grip departments on a film set. The two most common types of best boy are therefore:

Best Boy Electric (chief assistant to the gaffer)
Best Boy Grip (chief assistant to the key grip)
Note: Best boy is a gender-neutral term, applying to males and females. Technically there is no "best girl", although some crews do use this term informally.

The role of best boy varies greatly depending on the size of the film production. In small sets it mostly involves helping set up equipment, etc. In large productions, where each team can consist of a dozen or more staff members, the best boy may be given more responsibility and help with some management duties.

Answer 3

The best boy is the assistant to the gaffer or the grip.
A gaffer is the chief electrician, and the grip is in charge of the set (US), and in Europe the grip is in charge of moving the cameras.

Hope this helps.