Long hours and strenuous labor can make working on set pretty grueling, but if you can make anyone's life a little easier with the tools at your department's disposal, the entire production will thank you for it. If you're a grip and aren't really sure how you can go above and beyond for your fellow crew members, this video from Film Riot shows you five ways to do just that, including blocking out the sun and making butts happy. Check it out below:

Here are the tips Film Riot host Ryan Connolly mentions in the video:

  • Courtesy flags: Shade is a blessing when shooting outside, namely for the video village. Throw up some of your flags to give your director and DP enough shade to see their monitors.
  • Happy butts: Any foam pad will do, really, just as long as it's soft and cushiony enough to make butts happy. 
  • Two-cup trick: If that diffusion material is making a ton of noise as it flaps in the wind, tape a couple of plastic/styrofoam cups to it and voilà. No more noisy flappiness.
  • Have a ferny on hand: Blankets are essential on set. They are great for resting butts, knees, and heads on. Make sure you have some on hand.
  • C-47s vs. Zeros: Zero clamps are pretty much the stronger, metallic alternative to C-47s, and are a lot more difficult to destroy.

If you haven't worked on many film sets before, chances are you're trying to focus on your primary task at hand, and there's nothing wrong with that. Being competent at your job is great and all, but if you were to show up on set with solutions to unsolved problems, you're truly going to be the star of the show. There's nothing worse than being stuck on set all day dealing with something that can't or hasn't been fixed, like having no shade or having nothing to sit on.

As a grip, you can bust out your gear and take care of so many non-grip issues, which doesn't just make you a great grip, but a pretty decent human being as well. 

Source: Film Riot

griptips
Cinematography & Cameras