“When I was a kid, there was no collaboration; it’s you with a camera bossing your friends around. But as an adult, filmmaking is all about appreciating the talents of the people you surround yourself with and knowing you could never have made any of these films by yourself.” – Steven Spielberg

It is a difficult task to create any type of large media without a skilled crew behind you. A crew to create film or tv can be made up of many different departments with a range of roles and responsibilities linked under those departments. Robert B Musburger and Gorham Kindem (Introduction to Media, P. 52, 2009) explain the hierarchy of roles related to a media production crew with the producer headlining the production and different departments such as “Art Director”, “Director of photography” and “Editors” falling under their lead, along with a director who takes hierarchy under a producer. The area of film making that creates the highest interest for me to research into is the camera department which falls under the “Director of Photography”.

The camera department holds a high responsibility within the post production process of a films creation as stated in “Without a camera, there’s no movie”. (Gabe Moura, 2004) The camera department consists of 7 main roles as listed by “jobs and responsibilities online” and “hive jobs”. These roles are as followed:

• Director of photography- “DoP’S” focus upon the cinematic style and photographic heart of the script provided to them and use a range of source material to gain the desired look they foresee, and create it using lighting, framing and camera movements.
• Camera operator- The camera operators job is highlighted once the pre- production stage is over and they follow the directions given to them on what to film and where to position the camera to gain the best shot or angle.
• 1^stassistant camera- The “1^st D” is responsible for focusing and refocusing the camera lens as actors move in each shot to be able to fit the frame, therefore working closely with the main camera operator to get this correct.
• 2^ndassistant camera- The “2^ndD” also works closely with the main camera operator by helping them to reposition and move the camera when necessary. They also have the responsibility of loading and unloading film magazines, changing camera batteries, changing the lens as well as operating the clapper board in order to sync visual and sound recordings.
• Camera Runner- A camera runner supports the camera department personnel and start at the bottom of the department by supporting others in the hopes to work their way up through the roles.
• Camera Trainee- A camera trainee is also there to help support the camera department and does so by ensuring equipment is moved safely, connecting equipment and helping with any camera tests necessary before filming.
• Grip- A grips main role is to assist the camera operator and director into the achievement of all camera being positioned and moved. They are responsible for all large camera equipment’s tracks such as a “dolly” to be constructed and run smoothly to prevent onscreen distraction. A grip can be made up of more than one person and can possibly include a team of up to 5 grips that all hold different responsibilities.

The grip is the role within production that has caught my interest and will research into to gain an understating of the skills and techniques needed that I may need to achieve in order to follow a career in this chosen path within the camera department.

Research questions:

• What different roles are there within a grip team and what does each role entail?
• What skills and qualifications do I need in order to become a grip?
• How has the role developed by looking into professionals’ work?
• What area of the media industry creates the best opportunities for a grip?

Roles

“A grip is safely responsible for camera mounting and support” (Media Match)

The responsibilities and jobs a grip takes can be split into different roles within a team.

At the head of the team you will find a “Key Grip” also known as the “First company grip”. This job roles consists of being the boss and head of the grip department. The final decisions will be made at this hierarchy within the team and all productions will be over seen by them. 

While the Key grip is overseeing all activities, the “Best boy grip” is in charge of booking crew and equipment rentals for a production. They also must follow health and safety workplace safety guidelines and maintain discipline when using all equipment.

A “3^rdgrip or grip gang” is where most trainees would fall into the roles of as they take all of their instructions from the key grip in order to gain more experience with equipment and take on some of the smaller jobs needed.

A “Construction grip” has the main job of constructing and deconstructing all the sets and equipment used during a production. They must coordinate with the best boy grip on when sets will arrive and when they can be erected safely. As well as this, they must ensure any rigging of the camera onto the sets is done so correctly. It is also possible for the construction grip to work alongside a carpenter if necessary to the set that is being installed.

Finally, there is the role of the “Dolly grip” within the team. This grip follows its entitled name and must operate the tracking equipment that is used. The main equipment used is the dolly which is a wheeled cart that is used to create smooth and horizontal movements with the camera. This grip can also be given the pressure of operating a camera crane or jib, as they are also known. Most cranes will hold the camera as well as its operator when being used however it can be used remotely by the dolly grip if preferred.

Qualifications

There are different qualifications you would need depending on the role you wish to follow and enrol into within the media industry as well as within the camera department itself. If you wished to head the camera department and become a director of photography, you would need skills that specified more towards visuals of lighting and composition to understand the cinematic look within film. You would also be expected to start at a lower level and work your way up to this role by gaining experience and doing extra productions than scheduled.

The qualifications needed to become any member of a grip team follow a different path due to being in a job that would require more manual work and focused logical thinking in order to erect sets. Josephine Langham explains that “grips sometimes even design special rigs and they build and lay tracks for tracking shots” (Lights, Camera, Action! P.127, 1993). This specifies the experience that will be needed in order to become a grip that is able to build these rigs. As well as this, it can be required for a grip to “drive the car on camera location” (Langham, J. 1993) when moving from one scene to another. This driving licence has to be clean with no penalty points or convictions.

Bruce Block (2008) refers to camera movements that are used within productions. He claims in “The Visual Story” that there are 3 main camera movements that will need to be known by a member of a grip team. These 3 basics movements are

• Dolly in/ out
• Track left/ right
• Boom up/ down

A construction will need to have clear knowledge of these movements when constructing equipment and sets to ensure everything runs smoothly when filming and no disturbances are caused on set.

The registered qualifications needed to be become a grip, that are stated online at “Creative Skill Set” are not specified and are instead general skill sets that a person should need in order to succeed. It is possible to take a “National vocationalist qualification for a grip at level 2 and 3” however it is not compulsory to have this qualification. The main qualification needed to achieve in this job role is simply experience in different types of productions. On “Create Skill Set”, they advise you to contact any professional members of a grip team and request to spend time in different media sets, however you can also apply for apprenticeships if you are unable to gain the experience elsewhere.

When looking into becoming a grip and whether the job role would be the correct one within the camera department for me to research into for a possible future career, I discovered a list of skills that I would need to become successful. This list also came from the useful job site “Creative Skill set” and is as follows:

• have excellent, up–to–date knowledge of all camera–support equipment
• be enthusiastic about mechanics and assembling equipment
• have a passion for finding creative solutions to technical problems
• be a good leader
• show initiative
• respond quickly to different situations
• help realise a Director/DoP’s artistic vision in practical terms
• collaborate and work as part of a team
• be diplomatic and sensitive when working with artists and other crew
• have a high level of physical stamina and strength
• know about relevant Health and Safety legislation and procedures

Looking at this set of skills would require me to focus, mainly, on the knowledge of camera support equipment as well as health and safety legislations and procedures. In order to fulfil this skill, research is required into camera equipment which can be found on two pdf files (appendix 1 & 2) explaining the basics of camera support equipment and any accessories and extra pieces of equipment that can come with them.

Development/ Professional

It is unclear to state when the role of the grip first came into action within media production however their skills and experience has clearly developed due to looking at professional grips cooperation within different films.

Dennis Fraser started his career 63 years ago with the simple understanding of how to support a camera on an old-fashioned dolly. Over his career he has worked on such films as “An American Werewolf in London” (1981), “Fiddler on the Roof” (1971) and “Kelly’s Heroes” (1970). He left school with very little education however he knew he was good at manual work and knew how to use his hands for good work. Before becoming a grip, he became a painter’s labourer at the National Studios and then MGM Studios. He entered into the media industry with a clear vision of becoming a grip and knowing he “loved gripping and simply wanted to be the best at it” with the help of well-known industry figures, such as Pat Newman. This motivation awarded the grip with two life time achievement awards from Grip Branch and Skill Set as well as receiving an MBE in 1993. The clear detail that has developed in Fraser’s mind is that most young entrepreneurs wish to become directors however do not have the knowledge and therefore have to start lower down. “The big breakthrough is that now key grips, who are responsible for hiring the entire grip team on a production, won’t hire somebody without a qualification”.

Collected from:

“British Cinematographer”

“History Project” (Appendix 3)

Other professionals who have conquered the grip role are Kenny Atherfold, John Flemming and David Appleby.

As well as the development of the role came the development of cameras that were used by the grips. The main development came from single- camera media production, to multi- camera media production. This increase in cameras being used, created more opportunities for grips, however it also caused more issues due to more sets and limited space for equipment that was needing to be used if when more than one camera was recording. Peter Suschitzky recollected one particular day in his diary, (within the book “Inside stories, Diaries of British filmmakers at work” by Duncan Petrie) where a particular set had been created by the grip team and thought to himself how complicated this procedure would be if it was a multi camera production, similar to a previous production he worked on (1996, P. 112).

Opportunities

A specific role on a production can change depending on the area of media industry that you enter alongside, to try and gain the most work and experience. For a grip, the best area of media to enter would be on films productions in order to gain a mass amount of work and relevant experience when using specific equipment required. When starting out, experience is required from anywhere that will give it, which usually comes on commercial crews or for TV shows (“Career Trend”) where you can start small and work your way up to specific genre films such as action or horror films where looking through their camera shots, used the most varied frames where a grip would be needed. Looking into the conventions of an action film, they class the film as “fast moving” with a “variety of scenes” with good setting in a high built up area which would to the advantage of a grip team.

Looking into the role of the grip and the different members of the team has also brought about some negatives to the department that would need to be considered. The role requires a lot of body strength in order to carry and set up the equipment needed. Keeping a healthy lifestyle and body would be adamant to be successful. Due to operating large and heavy equipment, it would be advised to work as part of a team for health and safety legislations. This means there would be very little independent work unless you have the imagination and design skills to design an individual built piece of equipment and set up. Any risk when going into the media industry is getting the experience and work needed to become excellent at the job you do. Therefore, another issue with becoming a grip would possibly be unpaid work to gain experience and the limited free time you would gain alongside.

After researching into the camera department, I have concluded that the role of a grip it separated between a team of workers who have a hierarchy themselves. Any of the roles within the team all require the same qualification and skills with the main skill needed being experience from productions. It is possible to gain awards and be recognised for your work as a grip and you must have the motivation to be the best that you can. For me to become a grip as a possible future career, I would need to gain more knowledge on camera support equipment as well as reading over health and safety legislations to prevent accidents while working for me or possibly other members of the production crew I am collaborating with. Experience would also need to be achieved where ever I can get it or an apprenticeship as a backup option is possible located where due to me already ticking the rule for the role of already being able to drive and having a clean driving licence. The key to succeed and gain the experience is finding the correct contacts and holding onto them. By doing this you can gain as much work experience as possible which could possible lead to future employment and job opportunities.

Appendix

Appendix 1:

http://www.libec-global.com/catalogue/catalog_pdf/2017_en.pdf

Appendix 2:

https://www.g-w.com/pdf/sampchap/9781590704547_ch03.pdf

Appendix 3:

https://historyproject.org.uk/sites/default/files/Dennis%20Fraser%20mastet%20text.pdf

References

An American Werewolf in London (1981) [Film] John Landis. UK, PolyGram Pictures,

Block, B. (2008) The Visual Story. 2^nded. Oxford, Focal.

Camera Department(No Date) [Internet] Available from http://thefilmproduction.wordpress.com/camera-department/[Accessed March 2018]

Camera Department(No Date) [Internet] Available from https://app.hiive.co.uk/careers/tv/camera-department/[Accessed March 2018]

Fidler on the Roof(1971) [Film] Norman Jewison. UK, The Mirisch Production Company.

Grip(No Date) [Internet] Available from http://www.media-match.com/usa/media/jobtypes/grip-jobs-402724.php[Accessed March 2018]

http://www.elementsofcinema.com/cinematography/cinematography-team/[Accessed March 2018]

Kelly’s Heroes (1970) [Film] Brian G Hutton. USA, Avala Film, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Kindem, G. and Musberger, R. (2009) Introduction to media production. 4^thed. London, Focal.

Langham, J. (1993) Lights, camera, action! Career in film, television and video. London, British Film Institute.

Moura, G. (2014). THE CINEMATOGRAPHER’S CREW: Lights, Camera, Repeat! [Internet]Available from

Musberger, R. (2002). Single-camera video production. 3^rded. Oxford, Focal.

Petrie, D, (1996) Inside stories: diaries of British film-makers at work. London, British Film Institute. 

THE EVIDENCE OF A PRE-EMINENT CAREER IN THE FILM INDUSTRY IS TO BE FOUND ALL AROUND THE ST ALBANS OFFICE OF DENNIS FRASER MBE, FORMER FILM INDUSTRY KEY GRIP AND CURRENT MD OF GRIP RENTAL COMPANY CHAPMAN UK(No Date) [Internet] Available from https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/dennis-fraser-mbe/[Accessed March 2018]

The Guber-Peters Company.

Vulcan, N. (2017) How to become a movie set grip [Internet] Available from  https://careertrend.com/how-4583576-become-movie-set-grip.html[Accessed March 2018]