Grip (job)
Encyclopedia
In the U.S.
and Canada
, grips are lighting and rigging technicians in the filmmaking
and video production
industries. They constitute their own department on a film set and are directed by a key grip
. Grips have two main functions. The first is to work closely with the camera department to provide camera support, especially if the camera is mounted to a dolly
, crane, or in an unusual position, such as the top of a ladder. Some grips may specialize in operating camera doll
ies or camera cranes. The second main function of grips is to work closely with the electrical department to create lighting set-ups necessary for a shot
under the direction of the Director of Photography.
"Grips' responsibility is to build and maintain all the equipment that supports cameras. This equipment, which includes tripods, dollies, tracks, jibs, cranes, and static rigs, is constructed of delicate yet heavy duty parts requiring a high level of experience to operate and move. Every scene in a feature film is shot using one or more cameras, each mounted on highly complex, extremely expensive, heavy duty equipment. Grips assemble this equipment according to meticulous specifications and push, pull, mount or hang it from a variety of settings. The equipment can be as basic as a tripod standing on a studio floor, to hazardous operations such as mounting a camera on a 100 ft crane, or hanging it from a helicopter swooping above a mountain range."
"Good Grips perform a crucial role in ensuring that the artifice of film is maintained, and that camera moves are as seamless as possible. Grips are usually requested by the DoP or the camera operator. Although the work is physically demanding and the hours are long, the work can be very rewarding. Many Grips work on both commercials and features."
In the UK
, Australia
and most parts of Europe
, grips are not involved in lighting. In the "British System", adopted throughout Europe and the British Commonwealth
(excluding Canada), a grip is solely responsible for camera mounting and support.
The term 'grip' dates back to the early era of the circus. From there it was used in vaudeville
and then in today's film sound stage
s and sets. Some have suggested the name comes from the 1930s-40s slang term for a tool bag or "grip" that these technicians use to carry their tools to work. Another popular theory states that in the days of hand-cranked cameras, it would be necessary for a few burly men to hang on to the tripod legs to stop excessive movement of the camera. These men became known as the 'good grips'- as they were constantly being instructed to 'keep a good grip on the tripod'.
U.S. grips typically belong to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Canadian grips may also belong to IATSE or to Canada's other professional trade unions including Toronto's Nabet 700, or Vancouver's ACFC. British grips usually belong to BECTU
(Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph & Theatre Union).
jobs, grips do not touch the lights themselves. The placement of lighting instruments and the power distribution to deliver electricity is handled by the electrician
s who work under a gaffer
. Grips handle all of the non-electrical equipment that modifies the light. This work is done by setting stands that hold flags, nets, diffusing materials or other gobos
that control the quality, intensity, or shape of the light.
Grips also set "passive fill" which is a term for the reflected light that is "bounced" back onto a subject on the fill
or non key light
side. The first choice for most film-makers' fill is a product known in the US as beadboard and called "poly", short for polystyrene, in Europe. It is actually rigid insulation made for the construction trade, but was adopted to the film trade because of its "true-white" color and "soft" bounce.
Grips may also be called on to set "negative fill", which is the reduction of ambient or non-directional light, such as ambient sunlight, to raise contrast on the subject. This is achieved by setting "solids", made of black fabric, either flags (up to 4'x4') or rags (6'x6' or larger) on the non key light side or wherever the negative fill is desired.
When shooting day exteriors, grips perform similar functions, but with the sun as the primary light source. Grips use overhead frames up to 20'x20' or larger for the shaping or filtering of sunlight. The lighting set-ups for these exterior shots can become quite extensive, and the use of boom lift
s known as "condors" is common. Condors are especially useful at night when they are rigged to raise lights or diffusing material up to 120 feet in the air to create moon-effect lighting.
s, steel cable or truss
es. Grips are also called on to rig picture cars on process trailer
s, placing camera and lights all around the vehicle for driving shots. This often includes the use of hood mounts, side mounts, suction cup mounts and other proprietary clamps to attach film equipment to vehicles, without causing damage to the vehicle.
Grips are also called on for "blackouts" and "tenting-out" windows and doors. When shooting interiors day-for-night on location, grips need to cut all the daylight entering onto set. If windows or other openings are not visible in shot, the light may be simply blacked out with a cloth known as duvetyne
or rags, and in rare cases, plastic sheeting. However, when windows or doors are seen from camera, black out tents must be created outside of windows to allow lights to be placed outside, or green screens to be seen through the window, lit only by lights placed by electricians.
s, scaffolds, and overhead rigs are properly installed, grips are charged with making them safe because the other crew members will invariably have to climb on, walk around, or otherwise negotiate the different grip set-ups. The key grip may even be held responsible for injuries that happen on set, especially if the injury is caused by a lighting instrument falling down onto somebody.
, a 25-foot tape measure, a 3/16" hex speed-wrench, a multitool, a small flashlight, a permanent ink marker, and work gloves. Additionally, a grip will also carry a torpedo level, spring clamps, and a roll of 2" black paper tape or gaffer's tape on his or her belt.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, grips are lighting and rigging technicians in the filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
and video production
Video production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
industries. They constitute their own department on a film set and are directed by a key grip
Key grip
In the United States and many parts of the world in film-making, the key grip is the head of the grip department and chief rigging technician on the set. Using light, he or she is in charge of the shadows of light, the movement of the camera, the placing of cameras on any stationary, moving,...
. Grips have two main functions. The first is to work closely with the camera department to provide camera support, especially if the camera is mounted to a dolly
Camera dolly
A camera dolly is a specialized piece of filmmaking and television production equipment designed to create smooth camera movements . The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller or camera assistant, usually ride on the dolly to operate the camera...
, crane, or in an unusual position, such as the top of a ladder. Some grips may specialize in operating camera doll
Camera dolly
A camera dolly is a specialized piece of filmmaking and television production equipment designed to create smooth camera movements . The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller or camera assistant, usually ride on the dolly to operate the camera...
ies or camera cranes. The second main function of grips is to work closely with the electrical department to create lighting set-ups necessary for a shot
Shot (film)
In film, a shot is a continuous strip of motion picture film, created of a series of frames, that runs for an uninterrupted period of time. Shots are generally filmed with a single camera and can be of any duration. A shot in production, defined by the beginning and end of a capturing process, is...
under the direction of the Director of Photography.
"Grips' responsibility is to build and maintain all the equipment that supports cameras. This equipment, which includes tripods, dollies, tracks, jibs, cranes, and static rigs, is constructed of delicate yet heavy duty parts requiring a high level of experience to operate and move. Every scene in a feature film is shot using one or more cameras, each mounted on highly complex, extremely expensive, heavy duty equipment. Grips assemble this equipment according to meticulous specifications and push, pull, mount or hang it from a variety of settings. The equipment can be as basic as a tripod standing on a studio floor, to hazardous operations such as mounting a camera on a 100 ft crane, or hanging it from a helicopter swooping above a mountain range."
"Good Grips perform a crucial role in ensuring that the artifice of film is maintained, and that camera moves are as seamless as possible. Grips are usually requested by the DoP or the camera operator. Although the work is physically demanding and the hours are long, the work can be very rewarding. Many Grips work on both commercials and features."
In the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and most parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, grips are not involved in lighting. In the "British System", adopted throughout Europe and the British Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
(excluding Canada), a grip is solely responsible for camera mounting and support.
The term 'grip' dates back to the early era of the circus. From there it was used in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and then in today's film sound stage
Sound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
s and sets. Some have suggested the name comes from the 1930s-40s slang term for a tool bag or "grip" that these technicians use to carry their tools to work. Another popular theory states that in the days of hand-cranked cameras, it would be necessary for a few burly men to hang on to the tripod legs to stop excessive movement of the camera. These men became known as the 'good grips'- as they were constantly being instructed to 'keep a good grip on the tripod'.
U.S. grips typically belong to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Canadian grips may also belong to IATSE or to Canada's other professional trade unions including Toronto's Nabet 700, or Vancouver's ACFC. British grips usually belong to BECTU
Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union
The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union is a trade union in the United Kingdom. It has around 26,500 members who work in broadcasting, film, theatre, entertainment, leisure and interactive media....
(Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph & Theatre Union).
Lighting
On all unionInternational Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, or I.A.T.S.E., is a labor union representing technicians, artisans and craftspersons in the entertainment industry, including live theatre, motion...
jobs, grips do not touch the lights themselves. The placement of lighting instruments and the power distribution to deliver electricity is handled by the electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
s who work under a gaffer
Gaffer (filmmaking)
A gaffer in the motion picture industry and on a television crew is an electrician that can be head of the electrical department, responsible for the execution of the lighting plan for a production. Gaffer, outside of the motion picture industry, is a traditional British English word for an older...
. Grips handle all of the non-electrical equipment that modifies the light. This work is done by setting stands that hold flags, nets, diffusing materials or other gobos
Gobo (lighting)
A gobo derived from "Go Between" or Goes Before Optics -originally used on film sets, is a physical template slotted inside, or placed in front of, a lighting source, used to control the shape of emitted light....
that control the quality, intensity, or shape of the light.
Grips also set "passive fill" which is a term for the reflected light that is "bounced" back onto a subject on the fill
Fill light
In television, film, stage, or photographic lighting, a fill light may be used to reduce the contrast of a scene and provide some illumination for the areas of the image that are in shadow...
or non key light
Key light
The key light is the first and usually most important light that a photographer, cinematographer, lighting cameraman, or other scene composer will use in a lighting setup. The purpose of the key light is to highlight the form and dimension of the subject. The key light is not a rigid requirement;...
side. The first choice for most film-makers' fill is a product known in the US as beadboard and called "poly", short for polystyrene, in Europe. It is actually rigid insulation made for the construction trade, but was adopted to the film trade because of its "true-white" color and "soft" bounce.
Grips may also be called on to set "negative fill", which is the reduction of ambient or non-directional light, such as ambient sunlight, to raise contrast on the subject. This is achieved by setting "solids", made of black fabric, either flags (up to 4'x4') or rags (6'x6' or larger) on the non key light side or wherever the negative fill is desired.
When shooting day exteriors, grips perform similar functions, but with the sun as the primary light source. Grips use overhead frames up to 20'x20' or larger for the shaping or filtering of sunlight. The lighting set-ups for these exterior shots can become quite extensive, and the use of boom lift
Cherry picker
A cherry picker , is a type of aerial work platform that consists of a platform or bucket at the end of a hydraulic lifting system.- Design :...
s known as "condors" is common. Condors are especially useful at night when they are rigged to raise lights or diffusing material up to 120 feet in the air to create moon-effect lighting.
Rigging
Grips also satisfy rigging needs on set. Examples of a simple rigs include the menace arm, which allows a light to be boomed over set using one stand, or a goalposts that span over top of set using two stands. More advanced rigs can include working with pulleyPulley
A pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
s, steel cable or truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
es. Grips are also called on to rig picture cars on process trailer
Process trailer
A Process Trailer, also known as Insert Trailer, or Low Loader is a trailer towed by a Film Tracking Vehicle for the purpose of being used as a moving Camera Platform...
s, placing camera and lights all around the vehicle for driving shots. This often includes the use of hood mounts, side mounts, suction cup mounts and other proprietary clamps to attach film equipment to vehicles, without causing damage to the vehicle.
Grips are also called on for "blackouts" and "tenting-out" windows and doors. When shooting interiors day-for-night on location, grips need to cut all the daylight entering onto set. If windows or other openings are not visible in shot, the light may be simply blacked out with a cloth known as duvetyne
Duvetyne
Duvetyne is a twill fabric with a velvet-like nap on one side. It may be woven from cotton, wool, or—in rare cases, mainly in the early 20th century—silk...
or rags, and in rare cases, plastic sheeting. However, when windows or doors are seen from camera, black out tents must be created outside of windows to allow lights to be placed outside, or green screens to be seen through the window, lit only by lights placed by electricians.
Safety
Grips are also responsible for safety on the set as it relates to the force of gravity. Insofar as stands, ladderLadder
A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rope ladders that are hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or stiles . Rigid ladders are usually...
s, scaffolds, and overhead rigs are properly installed, grips are charged with making them safe because the other crew members will invariably have to climb on, walk around, or otherwise negotiate the different grip set-ups. The key grip may even be held responsible for injuries that happen on set, especially if the injury is caused by a lighting instrument falling down onto somebody.
Tools
A grip uses some tools typically used by mechanics and construction workers. As in those vocations, grips need hand tools at the ready and most carry the following items: a razor knife, an eight-inch adjustable crescent wrenchWrench
A wrench or spanner is a tool used to provide grip and mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn objects—usually rotary fasteners, such as nuts and bolts—or keep them from turning....
, a 25-foot tape measure, a 3/16" hex speed-wrench, a multitool, a small flashlight, a permanent ink marker, and work gloves. Additionally, a grip will also carry a torpedo level, spring clamps, and a roll of 2" black paper tape or gaffer's tape on his or her belt.
Types of Grips
- key gripKey gripIn the United States and many parts of the world in film-making, the key grip is the head of the grip department and chief rigging technician on the set. Using light, he or she is in charge of the shadows of light, the movement of the camera, the placing of cameras on any stationary, moving,...
or first company grip—the boss or head of the grip department - best boy gripBest boyIn a film crew there are two kinds of best boy: best boy electric and best boy grip. They are assistants to their department heads, the gaffer and the key grip, respectively.- Job responsibilities :...
or second company grip—this is the key grip's right hand man or woman. He or she will act on behalf of the key grip in areas such as booking crew and equipment rental - 3rd grip, company grip or gang grip—the majority of grips fit into this category. They work on set under the direction of the key
- construction gripConstruction gripConstruction grips work on film and television sound stages and exterior sets both on and off Motion Picture Studio Lots Lots for various cinema projects in countries all over the world. Some studios are actually warehouses or buildings that have been converted into film and or television studios...
—Constructs and dismantles the set. On the sound stageSound stageIn common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
, construction gripConstruction gripConstruction grips work on film and television sound stages and exterior sets both on and off Motion Picture Studio Lots Lots for various cinema projects in countries all over the world. Some studios are actually warehouses or buildings that have been converted into film and or television studios...
s are responsible for laying out, building, moving, and adjusting major set pieces (e.g. walls, ceiling flats) when something needs to be moved to get a camera or lights into position. Construction grips also build decks and platforms. This job is exclusively practiced in the New York area. - dolly gripDolly gripIn cinematography, the dolly grip dedicated technician trained to operate the camera dolly. The individual places, levels, and moves the dolly track, then pushes and pulls the dolly and usually a camera operator and camera assistant as riders. If the dolly has a moveable vertical axis, such as a...
—operates the dolliesCamera dollyA camera dolly is a specialized piece of filmmaking and television production equipment designed to create smooth camera movements . The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller or camera assistant, usually ride on the dolly to operate the camera...
and sometimes camera cranes. He or she is a first hire, like the key grip