The first thing a new grip learns is how to set a C-stand so it doesn't fall over: legs placed with the high leg under the load, the arm positioned so gravity tightens the knuckle, and a sandbag on the leg. The second thing is that nobody on set will wait while you figure that out. Grip work is a trade learned mostly by doing it next to someone faster.
What grips put up and take down
The grip truck holds the tools of light control and support. The daily set list includes:
| Equipment | What it does |
|---|---|
| C-stands with arms and heads | Hold flags, nets, and small frames near a light or in front of camera |
| Flags, solids, cutters | Block light from hitting part of the set |
| Nets (single, double) | Cut a light's intensity in one area without changing color |
| Silks and diffusion frames | Soften light from a lamp or the sun |
| Overhead frames (6x6 to 20x20) | Big diffusion or blackout over an exterior scene |
| Apple boxes and cribbing | Leveling, height, and stepping |
| Sandbags | Ballast for stands and frames |
| Dolly track, wedges, plywood | Camera support for moving shots |
| Clamps, speed rail, pipe | Rigging lights or cameras to walls, ceilings, and vehicles |
Grips also build rigs: a camera on a car's hood, a lamp hanging from a ceiling on a pipe grid, a black tent over a window to fake night. Anything that holds weight above people is a grip's safety responsibility, and a key grip signs off on it.
Working the set
A grip's shooting day follows the setups. After the blocking rehearsal, the gaffer and key grip call out the lighting plan. Electricians place lamps and grips place the shaping around them, and the DP tweaks until the 1st AD calls for a rehearsal with camera.
During takes, grips stand by just outside frame. They may hold a flag by hand to cut light off an actor's face as they cross the room, or walk a bounce board alongside the camera. When the 1st AD calls a turnaround, the lighting and flags for one direction come down and go up on the other side, and grips are carrying stands before the AD finishes the sentence.
At wrap, grips strike their equipment, return it to its spot on the truck, and help load. On location that also means picking up every sandbag and apple box so the house looks like nobody was there.
The rules that shape the day
Union grips work under the IATSE Basic Agreement and the Local 80 wage schedules in Los Angeles. The terms Local 44 summarizes for the Basic Agreement give time and a half after 8 hours worked and double time after 12, and a 10-hour turnaround in Los Angeles County. A 13-hour night shoot means a grip is on double time for the last hour and can't be called back for 10 hours after wrap. The turnaround rules comparison explains how turnaround differs across agreements.
Grip rates depend on production type: theatrical and high budget streaming shows pay the full schedule, and low budget and new media tiers pay less. The 2024 Basic Agreement raised minimums by 7%, 4%, and 3.5% over three years.
Kit and personal gear
Grips generally don't charge a kit rental, though most carry their own belt kit with gloves, a knife or multi-tool, a tape measure, clothespins, and a crescent wrench. A grip who brings a bigger item the production wants, like a personal set of apple boxes or a slider, should list it on the deal memo as a rental so it's covered if damaged.
Breaking in
The typical path starts on non-union sets, student films, and music videos, then day-playing on bigger shows when a best boy grip needs extra hands. Showing up on time, knowing the names of the equipment, and staying out of the lens get a new grip called back.
For union membership in Los Angeles, Local 80 runs Zoom orientations for future members, which are about an hour and a half. Placement on the Contract Services Industry Experience Roster requires qualifying work days, the Contract Services general production safety course, and harassment prevention training. Non-union shows that organize are a common way people collect days. New York grips join IATSE Local 52.
Once in, grips move toward specialties: dolly grip, rigging grip, crane work, or best boy grip.
Paperwork
Grips fill out start paperwork on the first day and a time card every week, and they sign safety bulletin acknowledgments at the safety meeting when the day involves lifts, cranes, water, or vehicles. The best boy grip handles the rest.