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How to be a Key Grip

Before production, oversee checkout and make sure everything is loaded on the truck properly. You're responsible for its safekeeping. Pickup truck from the Film School during production. The Key Grip is the driver. Make sure you get to set before call time, because...

New Set, Different Job

Saturday was picture wrap for the show I Key Gripped, but there's no time to recover as yesterday started a brand new show where I'm Best Boy Electric. Most of the crew that I worked with Thursday-Saturday is also on this show. The sudden shift is slightly weird. You...

How to be a Best Boy Electric

Show up for check-out, or worse - the truck is transferred over to you from the previous show. Open the door to find everything in disarray. Curse the previous crew under your breath as you shift through all the special equipment that should have been taken off and is...

Steadicam – Set Anatomy

The Steadicam sled supported by a C-stand. This is where the Steadicam is built, balanced, and attached to the operator.

Flats – Set Anatomy

Flats, or fake walls. These flats have little holes in them for a lighting effect, which is why many lights are pointing at the backs of them. From left to right, the lights are a 1k soft, 2k soft, and 1k soft.

Spaceship Set – Set Anatomy

All of these flats and the floor are made from 4x8 sheets of dry erase boards. The two red marks on the kiosk are for motion tracking for some monitors that will be added in post. Baby Cools and Tweenies are suspended above the flats for lighting.

Charts – Set Anatomy

Charts are shot for each new roll of film and when the color temperature of the light changes (going from indoor tungsten lighting to outdoor daylight). This tells the lab when they transfer the film to video what 18% neutral gray is so the colors come out accurately.

Blue Screen – Set Anatomy

A tentacle is being shot on a blue screen so it can later be superimposed over some other footage. The trick with blue and green screen is to light the screen evenly and not have any color spill onto what you want to remove. Normally you'd want a larger screen and to...