tags:
Grip Equipment
Gear Review
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.
Here are the essential tools every rigging grip should have:
Hammer
Additionally, carry a nail pouch or magnetic nail holster with you.
Hater Wrench (Podger)
Includes multiple socket sizes most commonly for 15/16” hex, ¾” hex, ½” square and ⅞” hex
NOTE: Align truss holes with the pointy end.
Variety of different hater wrenches (podgers)
8” Crescent Wrench
Use these to tighten bolts, clamps, and hardware.
Ratcheting Box Wrench (Dogbone)
2 different sizes on either end.
Try to find 9/16” on one end and 11/16” on the other (hard to find these days)
9/16” and 11/16” ratcheting wrench
Combination wrenches
One wrench for each of the most common bolt sizes, ¼ & ⅜ usually
One size on both ends. Combines the benefits of a ratcheting wrench and an open-end wrench
Allen key sets
Metric and imperial
Cats paw - Mini Pry Bar
For removing nails, plywood etc.
Usually no longer than 1’ in length
Cats Paw - Pry Bar
Screw drivers
Get one with multiple bits so you are only carrying one tool.
Sharpies
For marking cuts on backing and wood products.
Drill / Impact driver
Your impact driver is for driving fasteners while your drill is for boring holes.
Couple it with a Holstery DriverMaster like below.
Holstered impact driver
Tool lanyards
Tools falling from height is a safety hazard. When working up high, rigging grips will lanyard tools to their belts to prevent any accidental drops.
Tool Lanyards like these from “Squids”
Utility knife
For cutting line, foam core etc.
Tool pouch
Check out our Tool storage article for our favored Pouches and Bags.
Tape lanyard
There are tons of different Gaff Tape colors to choose from, but most grips choose Photo black and Fluorescent for marking hazards.
Variety of different tape lanyards
Conclusion - Equip Yourself To Tackle Any Challenge
As a Rigging Grip, having a well-stocked, specialized toolkit, learning your role, the intricate truss systems you’ll be building and the heavy machinery you’ll operating will make you a vital part of the film crew. Having the right tools is only half the battle. The other half is - do you know your stuff?
by:
Legacy Grip
