Learning the Movie Set Grip & Electric Essentials

Discover how the grip and electric department shapes light on set, with grips, gaffers, and electricians ensuring power, camera movement, and the director of photography's vision.

Prepare for your first day on set as a grip or electrician by arriving in dark attire with closed-toe shoes, and bring gloves, a handkerchief, and a walkie headset.

Learn essential on-set gear for grip and electric teams, from a multi-tool and box cutter to a tape measure, headlamp, and weatherproof rain gear for day-long shoots.

Learn the basics of grip and electric gear on set, including baby and junior pins, grip heads, clamps, lollipop heads, and how gophers fetch gear from the truck.

Learn to identify and use grip gack tools like baby plates, quacker/platypus, alligator clamps, Mayford clamps, and grip clips, including C-clamps and C-47 bullets, on set.

Master apple boxes on set as versatile platforms that raise or lower items and actors. Use full, half, quarter, and pancake sizes and three positioning options.

Master gel use and diffusion to control light color and softness. Learn CTB/CTO corrections from tungsten to daylight, with full, half, quarter, and eighth stops.

Explore basic light concepts with an lcd light that emulates tungsten, including barn doors, scrims, gels, diffusion, and snoots. Build skills in three-point lighting—key, fill, backlight—and practical motivation.

Carry and set up common film set stands from light stands to c stands and combo stands using sandbags and top knob first for stable, safe positioning.

Master leveling uneven ground with a combo stand's adjustable leg and the rocky mountain lake, then position multiple lights using a boom, boom pole, and triple head for efficient grip.

Learn to shape light on set with flags and nets (single/double), black flags, diffusers like silk and cookie, and frames with gels for color and texture.

Explore three on-set light types and how they differ in color temperature, softness, and control, from baby tungsten/LCD to a one by LCD panel and the Keino flow diva.

Work with the electric department to manage cables, stingers, and power flow safely, hide cables, and wrap them correctly to prevent circuit overloads and accidents.

Build a six-by-six grip frame on set and attach diffusion and nets to shape light. Master grip knots and quick-release securing to stands.

Explore the grip and electric departments on a film set, including essential equipment, on-set etiquette and hierarchy, and how lighting and rigging work together to realize the director's vision.