A Rigging Grip's On Set Duties

Before the filming day begins, Rigging Grips build and secure structures that support lighting and camera equipment. They take bare sets and sound stages and transform them into a dynamic filming environments.

For First Unit Grips, there’s nothing better than arriving on set with everything tied off, secured and ready to go! That is what a good team of rigging grips brings to your crew.

Rigging grips need a deep understanding of rigging techniques for trusses, motors, overhead stage rigs, construction crane rigs and a collection of the essential tools needed to do the job.

Union Standards

Local 80 Union safety standards provide a good foundation for basic rigging grip tool requirements, but, as every grip knows, each job dictates the unique equipment you’ll need to succeed on set.

This guide explores the essential tools and considerations for building a versatile and efficient rigging toolkit.

What are the day to day jobs of a Rigging Grip?

Rigging grips are in charge of the pre-shooting setup of overhead rigs, rigging structures, lighting frames, and much more. Constructing frameworks for lighting supports such as:

• A 20’x20’ tree dapple fly swatter on a condor.

• Negative fill or blue screen telehandler frames out of 12” box truss.

• Setting up empty square stock frames.

• Utilizing heavy machinery: used for blue screen and overhead frames, forking things into position, and building structures.

• Securing rigging points: Ensuring the safety and stability of all rigging elements.

• Perm Work: Perms, or permanents, are a grid system of wooden beams suspended in the top of most sound stages. You’ll find them in every Hollywood studio stage. The beams criss-cross at 90 degree angles leaving (usually) 3' x 5' openings called ”ozones” from which grips will rig everything from lighting to set walls and special effects.

How do these tasks inform your tool choices?

• Swatter frames require speedrails, cheeseboros, and hollaender fittings. As a rigging grip, you’ll need wrenches for all three.

• Box truss telehandler frames require truss bolts and cheeseboros.

• Square Stock frames usually require a speedwrench for the grub nuts.

• Perm work requires safety equipment like harnesses and tool lanyards.