In the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, grips are workers who help support cameras and equipment on film sets. They form their own team on a film set and are led by a key grip. Grips have two main jobs: First, they work with the camera team to help move and support cameras, especially when cameras are placed on a dolly (a wheeled platform), a crane (a tall mechanical arm), or in unusual positions, like the top of a ladder. Some grips may specialize in operating dollies or cranes. Second, they work with the electrical team to set up lighting for scenes, as directed by the director of photography.

In the UK, Australia, and most of Europe, grips do not handle lighting. In the "British System," used in Europe and the Commonwealth (except Canada), grips are only responsible for mounting and supporting cameras.

The word "grip" comes from an older term used in U.S. theatre to describe workers who moved or lifted scenery.

In the United States, grips usually join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). In Canada, grips may also join IATSE or other unions, such as Toronto’s Nabet 700 or Vancouver’s ACFC. In the UK, grips typically belong to the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union.

Lighting

On union jobs, grips do not handle the lights directly. Electricians, who work under a person called a gaffer, are responsible for placing lighting equipment and managing electrical power. Grips use non-electrical tools to adjust light, such as setting up stands that hold flags, nets, or materials like diffusers and gobos. These items control how light appears, its brightness, and its shape.

Grips also set up "passive fill," which is reflected light that bounces back toward the subject from the non-key light side. Filmmakers often use a product called beadboard in the United States or "poly," short for polystyrene, in Europe. This material is rigid insulation used in construction but is popular in film for its white color and ability to reflect light softly.

Grips may also set "negative fill," which reduces natural or non-directional light, like sunlight, to increase contrast on the subject. This is done by placing black fabric tools called "solids," such as flags (up to 4' × 4') or rags (6' × 6' or larger), on the non-key light side or where needed.

During day exteriors, grips use similar methods but work with sunlight as the main light source. They use large overhead frames (up to 20' × 20' or larger) to shape or filter sunlight. Lighting setups for these scenes can be very large, and equipment called boom lifts, or "condors," is often used. Condors are especially helpful at night when they are used to raise lights or diffusing materials (up to 120 feet high) to create lighting that mimics moonlight.

Rigging

Grips help set up equipment needed for filming. Simple setups include the menace arm, which holds a light above the set using one stand, or goalposts that stretch across the set using two stands. More complex setups may use pulleys, steel cable, or trusses. Grips also install equipment on moving vehicles, such as picture cars on process trailers. They place cameras and lights around the vehicle using special mounts like hood mounts, side mounts, suction cup mounts, and proprietary clamps to avoid damaging the car.

Grips also perform tasks like blackouts and tenting-out windows and doors. When filming scenes that look like nighttime but are shot during the day, grips must block all daylight from entering the set. If windows or openings are not visible in the shot, they cover them with fabric called duvetyne or rags. In rare cases, plastic sheeting is used. If windows or doors are visible in the shot, blackout tents are placed outside the windows. This allows lights to be positioned outside or for green screens to be seen through the window, lit only by lights set up by electricians.

Safety

Grips help keep everyone safe on the set by making sure things are secure against gravity. They ensure that stands, ladders, scaffolds, and overhead rigs are correctly set up so they are safe for others to use. Other crew members often need to climb, walk, or move around these setups, so grips must check that everything is stable. The key grip might be responsible for injuries that occur on set, especially if an accident happens because something like a lighting instrument falls.

Tools

Grips use tools similar to those used by mechanics and construction workers. Like these professionals, grips must have hand tools ready to use, such as ratchet straps, wedges, and a standard tool box.

Common terms used by and for grips

• Arm up (Arm down) – To raise (or lower) the arm of a crane.
• Baby – Light fixtures between 750 and 1000 watts that have a 5⁄8-inch part for attaching to mounting hardware.
• Baby Plate – A tool used to attach light fixtures with a 5⁄8-inch receiver to a flat surface, like a wall or floor.
• Bar – A horizontal metal tube used to hang lighting equipment.
• Batten – A narrow piece of wood or metal used to fasten or secure equipment.
• Bar clamp (Furniture clamp) – A clamp with two parts attached to a bar that can be used to mount a small light. One part is fixed, and the other can be tightened with a screw. Often used on set with a bar clamp adapter.
• Beef – To increase the brightness of a light, such as "beef it up."
• BFL (Big F** Light or Big Fat Light) – A term for large, heavy lights used on a set.
• Big Ben – A type of clamp with a 1 + 1⁄8-inch pin that can be used with a pipe to create a temporary overhead grid.
• Black wrap – A black aluminum foil used to insulate against heat or direct light.
• Blonde – A 2,000 watt open-faced light fixture, usually made by an Italian company.
• Boom Operator – The person who holds a microphone boom.
• Boom up (Boom down) – To raise or lower a camera or microphone that is already attached to a crane or dolly.
• Butterfly frame – A large aluminum frame that holds fabric stretched across it to filter light, often used during outdoor shoots.
• C-47 – A clothespin used to hold gels on barndoors.
• C-stand – A stand originally called a century-stand, designed to take up little space. It has four parts: a base, a vertical leg, a gobo head, and a gobo arm. It is a common tool on film sets and can hold reflectors

Types of grip

• Key grip or first company grip: The leader of the grip department.
• Best boy grip or second company grip: The key grip’s main helper. This person assists by handling tasks such as hiring crew members and arranging equipment rentals.
• 3rd grip, company grip, hammer, or gang grip: Most grips in this category work on the set under the direction of the key grip.
• Construction grip: Assembles and takes apart sets. On a sound stage, construction grips lay out, build, move, and adjust large set pieces (such as walls or ceiling flats) when needed for cameras or lights. They also create decks and platforms.
• Dolly grip: Controls dollies and sometimes camera cranes.