A film set is a complex environment where professionals with specialized roles collaborate. Many of these jobs are performed by technicians whose work is integral to every shot, yet they remain invisible to the audience. The motion picture grip is one of these behind-the-scenes roles, serving as the physical problem-solvers of the set.
The Core Role of a Grip
A grip is a technician responsible for camera support and all non-electrical lighting modification. Their primary function is to build and maintain the equipment that supports cameras, ensuring every movement is smooth, precise, and repeatable. This involves constructing and operating gear designed to move the camera as envisioned by the director and director of photography.
A common point of confusion is the distinction between a grip and an electrician. The electrical department, led by the gaffer, provides and powers the lights. Grips, on the other hand, do not handle the lights themselves; their role is to shape and control that light using non-electrical equipment.
Key Responsibilities and Tasks
Camera Support and Movement
Grips are tasked with setting up, maintaining, and operating equipment like dollies, which are wheeled platforms that glide on tracks for smooth horizontal camera movements. They assemble these tracks, ensuring they are perfectly level and stable to produce seamless shots. Grips also work with cranes and jibs, which are large arms that allow the camera to sweep across a scene for dramatic effect.
This work requires technical skill in assembling the gear, a steady hand, and a keen sense of timing during filming. Whether pushing a dolly along a track or operating a crane for a soaring shot, the grip’s execution directly impacts the visual quality of the final image.
Lighting and Shaping
Grips use an extensive toolkit of non-electrical items to shape the light provided by the gaffer’s team. This includes setting up large frames with diffusion material, known as silks, to soften harsh light sources like the sun or powerful lamps. They also use flags, which are solid black fabrics in a frame, to block light or create shadows.
Nets are used to reduce the intensity of light without changing its quality. By strategically placing these and other tools, such as reflectors that bounce light back onto a subject, grips help the director of photography craft the visual tone of a scene.
Rigging for Safety and Effects
Rigging is another core function of the grip department. Grips are responsible for building scaffolding for cameras or lights to be placed in elevated positions. They also handle complex tasks like mounting cameras securely onto vehicles for chase sequences or building support systems to fly a camera on wires.
This work demands an understanding of physics and engineering to ensure all equipment and personnel are safe. They set up safety lines for crew members working at heights and ensure any rigged equipment can withstand the stresses of a dynamic film set.
General Set Operations
Grips are the go-to technicians for a variety of physical tasks on set. This can involve using apple boxes—sturdy wooden boxes of standard sizes—to level dolly tracks, prop up furniture, or give an actor a height boost. They are responsible for solving any issue requiring construction or physical support.
Grips also manage the vast number of cables that run across a set, securing them with gaffer’s tape to prevent tripping hazards. They are constantly moving and adjusting equipment, from C-stands holding flags to sandbags weighing down light stands.
The Grip Department Hierarchy
The grip department operates under an organized hierarchy. At the head of the department is the Key Grip, who works directly with the director of photography and the gaffer to plan and execute camera and lighting setups. The Key Grip manages the grip crew, orders equipment, and oversees all rigging operations.
Assisting the Key Grip is the Best Boy Grip, who functions as the second-in-command. The Best Boy handles the administrative and logistical side of the department, including scheduling crew, managing equipment, and coordinating with the production office. This allows the Key Grip to focus on the creative and operational demands on set.
Within the department, there are specialized roles as well. The Dolly Grip is a technician who focuses specifically on operating the camera dolly, requiring skill to execute smooth movements during a take. The general workforce consists of Company Grips, who handle the bulk of the rigging and equipment setup under the direction of the Key Grip.
Essential Skills for a Grip
The job is physically demanding, requiring strength and stamina to lift heavy equipment and work long hours. Grips are often among the first to arrive on set and the last to leave, making physical fitness a practical necessity for the role.
Beyond physical capability, grips must be practical problem-solvers, able to devise quick and safe solutions for challenges like mounting a camera in a tight space. Strong communication and teamwork skills are also needed, as they work closely with multiple departments to achieve a unified vision.
How to Become a Grip
While some aspiring grips attend film school to gain a theoretical foundation, it is not a requirement. Many successful grips start their careers in an entry-level position on set, most commonly as a Production Assistant (PA).
Working as a PA provides on-set experience and an opportunity to observe how different departments function. It allows individuals to network with professionals and demonstrate a strong work ethic. By showing initiative and expressing interest in the grip department, a PA can often transition into a trainee or company grip position where practical skills are learned.
Networking with Key Grips, gaffers, and camera operators can lead to job opportunities. For those seeking to work on larger productions, joining a union like the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) is a standard step, as unions provide access to more jobs, standardized wages, and benefits.
Grip Salary and Job Outlook
Experience level, union status, geographic location, and the type of production all play a role in determining a grip’s pay. According to 2024 data, the average annual salary for a grip is just under $60,000, with a range from approximately $30,000 for non-union work to over $110,000 for experienced union Key Grips.
Union membership through organizations like IATSE results in higher, standardized pay rates and better benefits. The work is physically demanding and often freelance-based, but the need for these skilled technicians ensures grips remain a required role in the entertainment industry.