Have you ever wonder how the actions or chasing scenes in a movie get captured? How do they place the camera to capture the actor’s expression and the whole chasing scene? Do you like the camera movements and angles or want to achieve the same shots in your first movie. But do not have an idea of who does that. Well, we will see Grip Job.
The job of the Grips covers various aspects of filmmaking. Their work varies from creating, moving, transporting, operating, and placing heavy-duty equipment for camera and lighting to supervising and managing the team or other crew members. Grip either take orders from the best boy grip and the Key Grip or the Director of photography. They ensure that the shots get captured seamlessly. Grip jobs, duties, and salaries vary as per their position and location.
If filmmaking fascinates you, creating new equipment gives you a sense of satisfaction, or you possess the creative mind to make a scene more realistic, then you can take the grip job.
Let’s see what goes on in the Grip Job, their duties and how much salary they earn.
What is a Grip?
A grip is an essential part of the filmmaking and technical department. They build and maintain the set as per the requirements of commercials, movies, and TV Shows. In addition, they are responsible for creating complex equipment for supporting cameras and lighting. The equipment varies from simple tripods to heavy-duty equipment like dolly, jibs, and cranes.
They work with the camera department and electrical department. As a part of the camera department, they oversee the camera working by mounting, handing, or placing the camera as per the shot requirements and handles camera dollies and cranes.
While in the electrical department, they work to create necessary lighting setups, according to the Director of Photography’s demands. Later, a Grip gets promoted to high-end positions in Film Productions. The promotions happen as per their field of interest. It includes Best Boy Grips, Key Grips, and Dolly Grips.
Types of Grips
Once recruited as a Grip in film production, you get promoted to different positions as per your specializations and skills. Here are the types of Grips:-
- Key Grip: They are the head of the grip department. They oversee the proper functioning of the grip crew.
- Best Boy Grip: They act as the right-hand person of the Key Grip. They are responsible for booking the team and renting equipment on behalf of the Key Grip.
- Dolly Grips: Dolly Grips handle camera-mounted dollies and cranes for the smooth or perfect shot.
- Company Grip or 3rd Grip: Most of the grip crew works under this Grip. Key Grip supervises them for creating the sets.
- Construction Grip: They help in constructing and disseminating sets. Construction grips handle the heavy work of designing, developing, producing, and moving major pieces used on sets for the appropriate positioning of lighting and cameras. They build platforms and scaffolds for the camera according to the shot demands.
Grip Job Description
Grips are responsible for setting up and placing cameras or lighting. They set up the equipment for achieving the proper camera movements and didn’t distract actors or other crew members. They work under the Director, camera operator, and the Director of Photography to obtain perfect camera placement or movement. They are responsible for creating and maintaining the camera equipment such as tripods, jibs, dolly, cranes, tracks, etc. Also, they work on lighting equipment like diffusers, nets, or stands.
During shoots, Grips have to push and pull dollies or cranes with the camera and camera operators from one place to another with smoothness.
The grips job starts in the later part of the pre-production stage. Grip joins the head of other departments and discusses the technical aspects of the production. If there are any particular necessities, Grips work with the specialists to get specially designed equipment pieces that support the proper functioning of the camera, the extreme weather conditions, and hazardous locations.
During shoots, the Grips, technicians, and other necessary people have to reach the location early, unload all the equipment, and guarantee perfect setup. Therefore, during shots, the Grip continuously set up equipment with the scene’s demands.
Grips have to be on foot with the camera rolling because they oversee all camera movements and work on the next scene right after the cut. After the daily pack-up, grips check the proper packing of all camera equipment.
In smaller production
Grip work under the supervision of the Director of photography and camera operator to oversee the proper positioning and movement of the camera. They have to push the dollies carrying camera and camera operator. They ensure that the movement must be smooth and don’t look abrupt to the audience.
The Grips performs both the works of a grip and gaffer in small productions. There is no other supporting staff, and they report directly to the Director of photography.
On larger production
On Larger production with multiple cameras, the Key Grip handles the primary camera, and the rest of the grips provide additional camera support. The job of grips divides as per their specialization.
Key Grip
The Key Grip supervises the Grips and Grip crew on the sets. They oversee lighting placement and camera movement with the Grip crew to help to achieve perfect shots. They handle the rigging on the filming sets and work well with the gaffer ( who oversees the lighting for film or is responsible for the electrical department) to make lighting arrangements. In addition, key Grip is accountable for the budget of the filming sets.
Dolly Grip
Dolly Grips handle the camera dollies. Dollies are wheeled platforms constructed above the unit with a mounted camera. They are responsible for the construction of tracks for the movement of dollies according to the scenes. These create perfect horizontal motions shown in the movies.
Construction Grip
Construction Grip constructs, demolish, and repairs sets. They have to pack and unpack set-pieces as per the requirements for taking photos. Construction Grips has to build platforms and scaffolding for mounting cameras as per the height specifications. They clear obstacles that act as a distraction during shoots and adjust set pieces for creating space for camera or lighting placement.
Company Grip
Generally known as the 3rd Grip, it works on the sets under the supervision of the Key Grip. If a crane is necessary for taking photos, then the production hires two people to handle a crane. They work closely with the camera operator and ensure proper mounting and movement of the crane.
In low-budget projects, the Grip and the Director of Photography(DOP) are the same people. The DOP performs the roles of grips, gaffer, and the Director of Photography. They solely handle the setting up of equipment, lights, and camera movements.
What are the Duties of a Grip?
Grips are responsible for performing various tasks and duties as per their position or job requirements. Let’s look at some of the Duties of grips:-
- They report to best boy grip or the Key Grip.
- They are responsible for creating and maintaining all the camera and lighting equipment. It includes tripods, jibs, dolly, cranes, tracks, static rigs, etc.
- They build equipment using delicate and heavy-duty parts that require good experience for proper operation. Grip has to assemble these heavy-duty, complex, and expensive equipment as per the specifications. They have to push, pull, hang or mount the camera on different settings.
- They ensure that the scenes are seamless and maintain the real meaning of the film.
- They have to operate camera dollies and cranes as per the requirement of the shot.
- They have to unpack rigging and camera equipment.
- They create dolly tracks as per the scene’s requirements.
- They have to check the safety of constructed rigs.
- They have to assist the camera operator and move them with camera dollies.
- They have to move set pieces according to the scene’s requirements.
- They create, maintain, and dismantle the set pieces or backings which reflect a distant view as if the place exists outside the window.
- They rent and order equipment as per the scene’s specific requirements.
- Grips also perform administrative duties by maintains records of the equipment.
For electrical department
- They set up the lighting rigs as per the requirement of the lighting technician.
- They have to set up and operate non-electrical equipment like diffusers and gobos ( placed on lights to control the shape of the lighting).
- They need to move lighting fixtures.
Duties of Different Grips:
Key Grip
- They are the lead persons responsible for creating the required sets.
- They have the budgeting duties as they calculate the building costs of sets and other equipment.
- They work with camera operators and finalize the essential grip equipment.
Best Boy Grip
- They supervise the working of the Grips and decides the locations of various grips.
- They hire more clasps for the large production with multiple cameras.
- They need to ensure that the right equipment is present at the correct location.
Dolly Grip
- They move the camera dolly with the camera operator during the shots.
- Dolly Grip needs to handle the camera dolly with precision and care so that the camera operator didn’t feel jolted during the trials.
Salary of a Grip
The salary of Grips is not fixed and keeps on changing as per their positions and amount of work. For example, most production hire grips for few days as per the workload. Also, grips work, and their roles keep on changing with the experience. So it’s a little hard to find the fixed salary of grips.
Based on the recent report of the Economics Research Institute, the average pay of a grip is $51,114 per year or around $25 per hour. The average salary can vary between $37,699-$62,295 as per the location, work, or position. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of camera operators, including grips, will increase by 14% from 2019-2029.
What are the requirements for a Grip Job?
The job of the Grips is full of creative skills and technical knowledge. If you want to become a grip, you need to gain some technical knowledge, possess few skills, and gain experience to get promoted to various other positions. Let’s see the requirements for a Grip Job:-
Education and Knowledge
Although, there are no particular specific requirements for becoming a grip. But you can get a degree or diploma in film making, cinematography, media, or electrical fields like mechanical engineering. The filmmaking courses help in knowing the creative and technical aspects of movie or television sets, while mechanical engineering help to increase your technical knowledge of creating and operating heavy-duty equipment and cranes. In addition, you can attend training workshops organized for grips. In short, the Grips needs to know about different cameras, lighting, carpentry, and filmmaking.
Experience
The person who wants to get a Grip job can acquire experience by on-the-job training. You should have experience in operating heavy-duty and expensive camera equipment and lighting. Based on this experience and specializations, you get different grip jobs and be promoted to higher film production positions.
Fitness and Skills
Possessing a set of skills will help you in your job as a Grip, Key Grip, Construction Grip, or with other positions in the grip department.
- Strength and stamina: Grips work is physically demanding and requires individuals to work for long hours. They need to have enough physical power to lift and operate heavy equipment or tools. So, you need to be physically fit to perform all the tasks.
- Technical Knowledge: Grips needs to have the technical knowledge to understand the working of the grip department. As a Grip, you need to have experience with equipment and technical works like mounting cameras at different angles, setting up steel cables, creating tracks for camera dolly, working on cranes, etc.
- Leadership Skills: To get the job of the Key Grip or get into other higher positions, you need to have leadership skills. You will lead the team and coordinate with other crew members. You will work with other department heads for lighting, camera operations, or management of film sets. All these ensure successful production with an available budget.
- Creative Thinking: Everyone in the grip department has to be creative with their decisions. They need to be extraordinary with their thinking or should find solutions on the spot. The more you gain experience in this field, the greater your chances to find out-of-the-box solutions.
- Communication Skills: Grips need to report to the Best Boy Grip, Key Grip, or the Director of photography and communicate with crew members to achieve desired results. It doesn’t matter which type of Grip you are. You should possess good communication skills for the proper functioning of the grip department and getting the right shot.
- Progressive: As a key grip, you need to have progressive thinking to be prepared for unusual happenings and formulate instant plans to carry on with the work. You have to make arrangements like renting equipment or ensuring the safety of the crew members.
- Patience: All the grips need to have patience for the successful production of the film. You have to be patient while taking orders from the Director of Photography or Key Grip and overseeing the working of the crew members.
Personal Traits
Grips need to work from the early morning till the pack-ups on late nights. So you must be flexible to work for long hours. The working hours vary as per the scene’s requirements. While working for long hours, the Grip has to be patient with their work.
Conclusion
The Grip Job is the work of a multi-tasker who knows carpentry, filmmaking, cameras, and lighting. If you are good with all these works and have physical fitness, you can take the Grip Job. The job of the grips may vary as per the specialization and experience in the grip department. The more experience you gain, the better your chances to get a good position in film production.
