Understand the Creative

My first contact about a job will either be with the DP or the production manager asking about my availability. After confirmation I’ll usually get sent the creative - these can vary in look and format. I’ve received PDFs, Google slides, Canva slides, and more. Sometimes I’ll receive the director’s pitch deck and other times I’ll receive a deck compiled by the production company / agency with storyboards and a scripted breakdown. I’ll leaf through and get an idea of the different locations. I get a handle on the overall scope of things and potentially start to have initial discussions with the DP. Here’s what i look out for:

• What locations are in the boards and how many

• What our lighting approach could be based on past jobs with this DP

• How I could make the grip setup work with my truck package or if I need to bring in a larger package

• Camera movement

• Specialty rentals I may need

Obviously this is all subjective without the full plan from the DP. I like to come into the scout with my own ideas based on creative from a grip perspective. I don’t want to just be told what to do and I don’t think my DPs want that either. I like when the DP has also compiled their own deck - a visual style guide that guides our direction for color, quality, contrast, and shape. The scout is where we gain clarity and sometimes you find out that your thoughts about setups were incorrect or maybe the boards changed altogether.

Show Up On The Scout

Scouting puts you in the space. You see the director’s vision firsthand and align with other departments to turn it into reality. It’s a little different when scouting an empty stage - oftentimes you have nothing to look at. If the stage has an engineering report with a detailed overhead of the beam / perm layout I’d much rather turn my location scout into a prep day where I can plot the setup in Vectorworks, but there’s something to be said for in-person discussion even if you’re standing there in a void. It also helps to better visualize your builds and mark those out on the ground.

For location work, on the other hand, scouting is invaluable.

I meet every department head, say hi to the DP, and hopefully get a little pre-scout chat in. On a well-run scout the 1st AD will then gather everyone around and give us the rough breakdown for our scout. The director then hops in to describe their overall vision. If we’re scouting an actual location we’ll then check out each of our shooting areas and break down the blocking. The DP will usually grab Artemis frames for each shot and at the end of the scout those photos will get sent to client for approvals. Once approved, those frames give the client a clearer visual - and help sharpen the boards.

Oftentimes the gaffer and I will chat with the DP during this process or after a specific setup to make sure this works for us. Sometimes we’re locked in - no changing it. The director’s scout has happened, client has made their location approval and we have to make it work.

The director breaks down the vision for the setup and then we break out on our own to discuss lighting and camera movement.

One time we were shooting at a house up in Beverly Hills and we couldn’t get our large trucks up the narrow, winding road. The location had already been chosen and paid for - we were locked in. Scouting helped us realize that we had to get smaller vehicles in order to make it up. If I hadn’t caught that on the scout, our 5-ton would’ve rolled up and been stuck at the bottom of the hill.

Sometimes the DP can make suggestions to give us the optimal shooting angles within an already chosen location. If we’re scouting a backlot and the director likes one particular building, the DP may be able to either sway the director to choose a different building that works better for sun positioning or shoot that building during a different time of day. We’re always working out what can work for lighting and what it means for our setup both naturally and artificially.

Once we establish shooting directions and have gotten Artemis frames the DP, gaffer, and I will chat more in depth about lighting. First up is sun positioning. We’ll pull out our sunseeker apps and take a look at the sun path so we can better understand what natural lighting we’ll be fighting with and when.

One of the benefits of scouting with all department heads is immediate access to department decision-makers for immediate questions and inquiries.

We’ll talk about sending light through a window and which direction. Decide whether or not to use a CRLS to reflect a light from the ground. Do we also want a soft push from the window in addition to hard? Do we even have the space outside this window for the bounce? I’m usually checking out aspects of the location during the shot planning phase. Looking down the hallway, glancing out the windows. When moving on to the next setup on the scout I’ll explore the location a little further now that I know what the DP and gaffer want to do.

Here are some things I’m thinking about after we’ve broken down a setup:

• Which direction are we looking? Will we flip the world on the day as well?

• What units to the DP and gaffer want and where?

• What sort of quality do we want from those units?

• Do we need any passive return or any negative fill?

• Do we need to black anything out or control any ambiance?

• Any specialty camera movement?

• If we need to ND the windows I need to measure the windows

• If we need to get the dolly into the room I need to measure the door width

• If we need to black out a bank of floor to ceiling windows I need to get the total length

This process continues as we go from setup to setup. The director breaks down the vision for the setup and then we break out on our own to discuss lighting and camera movement.

I always make sure to take photos and measurements of the important things. Doorways, windows, the size of rooms. You never know whether your plan will change post-scout and suddenly you wish you grabbed the length of the bay of windows the DP now wants to tent.

I’m writing notes as we go for gear needs and making a list of specialty items I know I don’t have and need to sub rent. I either write them in the notes app or on the back of my scout packet. Sometimes we’ll need clarification from other departments and vice versa.

Some of my past tech scout notes

Coordinating with Other Departments

One of the benefits of scouting with all department heads is immediate access to department decision-makers for immediate questions and inquiries. Immediate clarification helps everyone do their job better. Here are some ways I’ll interface with other departments on a scout.

Electric Department

I’ll obviously interface with the electric department because the gaffer is in our braintrust trio. We’re always chatting about setups, which lights will be used, where they’re going to be placed, what lifts we need, and what we’ll be running close to talent. The gaffer and I are a unit - we’re building the same setups with different tools. Here’s what we talk through during a scout:

• The overall lighting setup

• What lifts we’ll need

• When I need power for chain motors and where our drop will be

• What sort of support we need for lighting whether that be a motor truss point, a dead hang, a softbox, a telehandler rig, a self climbing tower, etc.

• Whether or not they’ll have plenty of lunchboxes and courtesy outlets so grips can charge their phones

Art Department

I’ll sometimes get clarification on sizing and spacing for builds with our art department. The builders won’t be there but a large majority of the time the production designer or leadman know the answers and will have detailed drawings. Here are some specific discussions I’ve had that dive into some more detailed scenarios:

• When will the set be constructed?

• When will the set get dressed?

• Will we be adding shears or curtains to these windows?

• What kind of chandelier will we be hanging in the middle of this stage set and how heavy will it be?

• If we need green screen material for this platform, who will be sourcing it?

Transportation

The transportation department is in charge of all moving vehicles on set - crew shuttles, grip trucks, electric trucks, art trucks, wardrobe trailers, motors homes, water trucks, etc. The transportation captain is usually the one on the scout. They usually want to know what truck you’ll be bringing onto the shoot and include you in the decision making about where it will park. Here are some things I’ll chat with the transportation department about:

• What truck / trailer am I bringing to the shoot?

• Where can the truck / trailer park?

• Does it need to move at all during the day?

• Any stakebed needs for cross loads / company moves

• Any pickups or dropoffs needed during the shoot

Locations

The locations department acts as the liaison between the location and the crew. On the day the location usually has a site rep, a location rep, and sometimes a country film office representative. Your locations contact handles permitting, knows any nuances about the location, and can help answer questions about where you can and can’t put gear. Here are some things I’ll chat with the location department about:

• Are there any restrictions about gear staging?

• Do we have access to the roof?

• We’ll be putting gear on the grass, will you guys have grass mats?

• Can we remove the telephone line that runs into the house so we can get our telehandler softbox in the air?

Stunts / SFX (only if applicable to the job)

If the shoot involves driving shots, pyro, or stunt wire work, a quick word with the stunt coordinator or SFX team during the scout might be necessary. On scouts we might discuss:

• Load ratings for rig points

• Clearance needed for stunt vehicle paths

• Where we can bolt or strap to stunt cages

• Safety buffer zones for effects work

Production Department

Production department consists of the AD’s, the Production Manager, Production Supervisor, Coordinator. Throughout our scout we’re chatting with the 1st AD about timing - When we should shoot something for optimal sun position, how to schedule setups so they make sense for our lighting needs, and how much time we need to set up, turn around, or move locations. They work all of this into the schedule that they make after the scout. I’ll talk with the 1st AD about:

• How much time we need to setup and strike

• Where this setup falls in our shoot order

• Any logistical questions

I’ll talk with the production manager / production supervisor about:

• Manpower needs

• Rental needs

• Budget constraints

And, of course, if any other department needs something from the grips they'll come up and have a chat with me.

Post Scout

After we’ve scouted and had all our discussions we should walk away feeling like we have a pretty solid plan. We know our gear needs, our lift needs, and have a plan for lighting our setups. Now the only questions are - does the timing line up for everything? Will they approve your manpower request? Will you get your extra sub rentals? Will anything change on the day?

Spoiler: yes. Something always does.

When scouting’s done right, you don’t just show up prepared - you show up with a plan that’s already been pressure tested. The fewer surprises on the day, the more time you spend doing what grips do best: solving problems and making the shots happen. And if things change post-scout you can always revisit location photos / diagrams and come up with your plan B. Because being a grip means solving problems before they happen - and the scout is where that work begins.

What’s in My Scout Kit?

When I’m scouting, I want to stay light but fully equipped. These are the essentials I bring every time — tools that let me measure, mark, visualize, and annotate on the fly. Whether I’m in a tight apartment, a dusty backlot, or an empty soundstage, this kit has what I need.

• Laser measurer

• 25’ tape measure

• Phone charger

• Scout packet printout

• Sharpie + pen

• Notes app

• Sunseeker app

• Small flashlight