The Unsung Heroes: What Does a Grip Actually Do on Set?

## The Most Underrated Department on Any Set If the camera department is the brain, the grips are the backbone. Without them, nothing moves smoothly. ### What grips actually do - Build and move camera dollies and tracks - Rig lights in places that seem impossible - Create shadow and diffusion on the fly - Handle all the heavy lifting the rest of the unit pretends not to see - Make last-minute changes look planned ### Why great grips are irreplaceable A good grip can make a difficult location work in 20 minutes. A bad one will cost you an hour and a half of daylight. The best DOPs in Kollywood have a small group of grips they try to book on every project. They know each other’s language and work faster because of it. ### How to get hired as a grip - Start as a grip assistant on smaller shoots - Learn the names of every piece of equipment - Be the person who anticipates what the DOP needs before they ask - Get at least two verified credits on Rosterwoods Once you have a reputation as a reliable grip, you will never be short of work in Chennai. The glamour goes to the DOP. The real work often belongs to the grips.