Printable Film Guide: Grip Gear Basics
If you’re working on a non-union film or TV set, you’ll probably be asked by someone for an “apple box”, “furni pad”, or “C47” at some point in your life. It can get a little overwhelming in the beginning, so in an attempt to help iron out some of the initial confusion, use this printable chart to help identify on-set items. And this is only the very basics, folks. My head still spins when I hear words tossed around like Mafer Clamp, Buttplug, Quacker… if you’ve ever wandered into a grip truck, there is a TON of stuff in there, and it all has different names – most of which are slang. My grip friends tell me different grip departments speak in different dialects – slang/terminology can vary. Note: Flags come in an a variety of sizes, usually barked out in measurements, the smaller ones being in inches, the larger in feet. 18×24 is a smaller flag, whereas 4×4 is 4-foot-by-4-foot. Also note: Do NOT touch grip gear if you are on a union set! UPDATE: If you would like to learn more about grip gear and its application, the Grip App is a fantastic resource. It’s a full glossary of every piece of grip gear you can imagine; it also shows you how the gear works together and how and where to use it. I wish the app had existed back on that one job when I was as swing! (click for crisper PDF version) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . If you liked this post, subscribe to receive updates and stories about the film industry – or subscribe to my normal feed which includes all of my posts, including my adventures abroad!...
read moreThe Demands of a Relationship with Show Business
You’ve been flirting with the idea of being on television and movie sets for awhile. You’d be a perfect fit for each other – after all, you watch a lot of TVs and movies, so helping make them is the soulmate career choice, right? Just like any relationship, the film industry requires a LOT of hard work. It stretches everyone in all departments to their maximum capacity on a daily basis…and I’m not talking about the typical 8 hour day. These are 15, 16, 17, 18 hour days… sometimes more. And every day is a long one, followed by another long one, and so on for several weeks. Working on a movie is the most all-encompassing relationship you’ll ever have. Here are a few of the demands. The Early Morning Call Time If you’re filming outdoors, it’s likely the crew’s call time will be before sunrise in order to allow maximum use of natural light. Location, production, transpo, and AD departments usually arrive at least an hour prior to crew call. If it’s the middle of summer, this could be as early as 4am. (Random fact: My earliest call time ever was 2:30am for a shoot at a military base.) The Overnight Shoot It’s like a sleepover, but with cameras!…. kinda. Sometimes “day for night” is an option (faking nighttime while filming during the daytime), true nighttime exteriors look the best, because, well, it’s REAL. (By the way – here’s the worst “day for night” I’ve ever seen.) Depending on availabilities of actors and locations, night shoots are usually grouped together, which can mean a week of working from 5pm-10am, and it only takes 2 days of this to start feeling like a zombie. These days are physically and emotionally draining, and everyone gets tired and cranky by the end of the week (or maybe it’s just me and I project my crabbiness onto everyone else). The Elements If it’s pouring down rain and the script calls for a sunny exterior, that scene might get pushed, but one of the talents and common traits of people in the film industry is their ability to make it work, regardless of circumstances. (And, while we’re being honest here, the people that have the authority to cancel due to weather are usually dry and warm by the monitor). What usually happens, if not filming at a soundstage, is that the interior location is far too small to house all of the crew, and stuff still has to get done outside. So, it’s 10 degrees and sleeting, and you’re stuck at the end of a driveway, making sure no one drives up during the take and ruins the shot with their headlights. Doesn’t matter. It isn’t sleeting inside the house, so guard the driveway you must. (Tip: A good rain jacket is VITAL. Nothing’s worse than working 16 hours soaking wet! Also, befriend someone in the locations department…they can hook you up with a portable heater. Also, set medics have hand warmers, sometimes.) The 80+ Hour Work Week 40+ hours a week is for wimps. 80+ hour weeks are done ALL the time in this business, especially for transpo, locations, production, and the AD department. The most intense week I’ve ever had was for a TV pilot where we spent a week at a location that was 1.5...
read moreWorking On a Film Set: First Day Survival Tips
Securing the first opportunity to get on a movie or TV set is a huge accomplishment. The next step is to do a good enough job in order to get hired again, and perhaps turn this bizarre (yet awesome!) job into a career. Here are some tips for surviving that first day, and some protocol that’ll help you appear less “green” or “new”: First and Foremost: Learn to Use the Walkie. Listen to it, and for the love of all that’s good in the world, ANSWER it. You will thank me. If you don’t want a giant arrow above your head with the word “NEWBIE” flashing in neon, learn to use your walkie. OK, maybe I’m being unfair- you’ve never used a walkie before, of course you won’t know how to use it! But film sets are fast-moving, well-oiled machines – and when close to a hundred people are spread out all over a set, walkie communication is vital. It doesn’t matter that you’re new. You will be given a quick, 30-second tutorial by the walkie PA on how to use the walkie, and it’s up to you from there. Few things are more frustrating than working with someone who doesn’t listen to their walkie, so pay attention. Paying attention to your walkie and “copy”-ing when you’re spoken to will earn you a gold star and your peers will never guess it’s your first day on set. I promise. Okay, so there’s no gold star, but being walkie savvy is an easy way to showcase you’re not worthless. Do not stand around staring at the action. It’s easy to get sucked in by the awe of being on a set. After all, you’re given a behind-the-scenes look at something just a fraction of society gets to see – but you have to fight the urge to gawk. Standing around observing is the job of the executives, not yours. The AD will get annoyed at you for being in the way. There’s almost always something to do. If you’re not sure what that is, watch your fellow PAs. Do NOT take pictures of celebrities…and definitely don’t post them on Facebook! Unless you want to end your career before it begins, this isn’t smart as someone starting out in the business. Eventually, after you prove you’re not in the business to be a stalker or a fan, you’ll be an AD or producer and you CAN do these things, but if you do this on Day 1, or even Day 50, you will not be asked back. Similarly, do not talk to the actors unless they talk to you. Ask one of your peers for a callsheet. Learn the names of the crew as fast as possible. On most music videos, TV shows, and movies, a callsheet will be distributed, containing pertinent information for the day as well as the names of the crew. A good portion of the time, walkie transmissions are, “Where is Jack?” or “What is Alan’s 20?” Alan or Jack could be standing next to you, but how would you know unless you know who they are? Eat last. This is one of those things no one will remember to tell you until you screw it up. For most shoots, when lunch is called, the half-hour break begins...
read moreHow I Got Started in Production
As I said in my previous post about not having all the answers, networking wasn’t my strong suit. The hardest part about getting into the film industry – especially a smaller, concentrated one like Nashville – was making the initial contacts. I knew I didn’t have any experience. How do you convince someone to hire you over someone else when you don’t know anything about the industry you’re trying to get into? I didn’t know anything about film. Or cameras. Or lighting. All I knew was I wanted to be on a set and see whatever I did on TV. Internships, yay! In the summer before my senior year of college, I landed an internship with a chill music video production company. Unlike my music business internships, I was thrilled! My first day on the job broke down like this: Started at the office at 10am. Ran errands (which consisted of picking up police lights). The music video* shoot began that afternoon at 3:30pm and lasted until 4am the next morning. During that time, I babysat extras (who can get into trouble if left unsupervised, I quickly learned), helped with set dec (which consisted of removing dozens of old, dusty fourth of July decorations from bannisters in the background), and made two separate runs to Wal-Mart at 2am for zip ties to re-tie the dirty decorations. It was crappy work, but I didn’t notice – I immediately fell in love with the energy, and how thirty normal people can create something seen by thousands. I didn’t get home until 6:30am and then had to turn around and go to an 8am class. I’d worked a 20 hour day, didn’t make any money, but it didn’t matter. I knew I’d found what I wanted to do. Want to get into the film industry? Work for free. You don’t have to commit to a semester-long internship in order to get your foot in the door, although it was helpful for me since I didn’t know anything about the way a set flows, and it allowed me to see a little bit of how the office worked in preparation for the shoots. Interning on independent movies can be a good way to get your foot in the door. Call the film commission in your state, ask them what’s going on. You probably won’t get on Tom Hanks latest feature (or maybe you will!), but you might be able to get a few days on an indie movie. It’ll introduce you to people who normally work in the biz, and they may be able to help you secure future gigs. Film School Disclaimer: Having never been to film school, I can’t really comment on its worth. Based on what I’ve been told from friends, it’s good because you get hands-on experience – who’s gonna let you hold an Alexa camera on a real set? – but it really depends on what you want to do in production. If you want to work with cameras, it may be worth it. If you want to be a producer, it may not be worth it. If you know you don’t want to spend the money, but you’re determined to get in the industry – you’re in luck: determination is all that’s required. Learning film production isn’t learning neurosurgery...
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I'm Laryssa, and when I'm not working in film or television, I'm attempting to travel -- or I'm here, providing resources for working in film or travel. 
