Learn More About Grip & Lighting North Carolina

By George Harris


Grip & lighting North Carolina would likely made you think of the last time you watched a movie or tv program and look at the long list of credits. Most likely the word grip flashed onto the screen, followed by even more grips and so forth. If you've ever thought about what a grip does, well it's not all that glamorous, but it's a work in which many generations of working families in Hollywood have supported themselves on for almost a hundred years. A grip is actually a handyman who sets up lighting equipment, sound boards, electrical systems, wardrobe as well as props.

The work duties of a grip began in the 1920s when Hollywood first began to churn out film after film. Day labourers once did camp out in front of the studio lots trying to find work. Those that were picked were sent to the train depot to pick up baggage for the actors and help them to carry it back to the studio. The word grip was a sort of a slang word utilized to refer to the luggage. When the motion picture labour unions developed, they retained the slang word and started calling the grunt staff grips. To this day a movie-set staff carrying electrical wires around the back lot or pushing mini-skirts on a rack is called a grip.

The grip shows up on the set very early and then leaves late, 1st person in and last person to leave. A grip aids the director of photography and also helps him obtain the lighting just right before the cameras role. Besides being there for the photography director, a grip also is expected to load and unload equipment from the filming location and fix broken parts as needed. A grip must be physically strong, resourceful and at all times willing to help out. He must also work well with other people and have some sense of social manners, particularly when the producer, director or actors are on set.

The best way to be a grip is to network with individuals in the industry. Search for non-union work at first, like a student film, then join the IATSE Local 80. The Local 80 has numerous job listings that it gives only with members. There are no academic requirements to be a grip, but membership in IATSE Local 80 is necessary to work on the major studio sets.

The beginning pay of Grip & lighting North Carolina for a professional grip was $29.03 per hour for IATSE Local 80 members. Many grips work above 40 hours per week and receive time-and-a-half for overtime. In the Uk, Australia and many parts of Europe, grips aren't involved in lighting. In the British System, a grip is solely in charge of camera installation and support. The term 'grip' dates back to the early era of the circus. From there it was used in vaudeville and then in the modern movie sound stages as well as sets. A few have suggested the name originates from the 1930s-40s slang term for a tool bag or "grip" that these technicians utilize to carry their equipment to work.




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