WHAT IS A GRIP?

Among the unsung heroes of film production is the grip. To the laity the job title may be a source of puzzled amusement, especially when the uninitiated try to imagine the work of a dolly grip.

Perhaps the only people on a crew who can fully understand the contribution of the grips (aside from the grips themseIves) are the director of photography and the production manager or assistant director. They know how many shots each day would have been impossible without the specialized skills of the grips. Tney know the difference it makes to be able to rig a camera in an unusual place in 15 minutes rather than 30. They know that their ability to stay on schedule and within the budget is largely dependent upon the skill of the grips.

Part of what a grip does is a very specialized form of construction. While he shares many skills with convention construction workers, there are demands placed on him which would totally befuddle the average carpenter. Not only is he constantly having to wing it, but he has to build things with an eye towards taking them down right away. He needs to be an instinctive engineer who constructs only what it takes to get the job done and no more. And there is no end to the need for resourcefulness. Grips are absolute masters of the art of jerry-rigging.

Far from being grunting hulks, grips are constantly involved in a form of communication which requires that they be aware of what the actors as well as the camera crew and electricians are doing and able to anticipate their needs. At its best this communication may be virtually nonverbal, and a crew that is clicking is comparable to the Lakers in a fast break. As they set up a shot and follow through, each person's function is fluidly evolving in relation to the others. Obviously anyone with a moderate amount of dexterity can set up a C-stand without bumping into lights or knocking over props, but to anticipate when it is needed and to understand exactly why, requires that one be completely tuned into the entire production process.

And dolly grips, of course, are something else again. If a film's style is at all dependent upon a moving camera, the dolly grip must be like a musician who plays an instrument without being able to hear it. He has to work in perfect harmony with the camera operator and the actors, but what the camera operator can see in the viewfinder he must feel in his arms and legs or deduce from abstract markings on the floor.

This is not to say that grips can't be down-to-earth types who appreciate beer and can hold up your car while you change the tire. It is simply to suggest that we should never forget their real contribution to what appears on the screen.