Common Grip Equipment
On a film set, gripping and mounting questions arise after the decisions on light sources are made. However, having an adequately rigged set means that a film's lighting will look better, and a lighting crew will be more efficient so that final outcomes will meet a director's vision. Therefore, a critical element in filming is running and organizing lighting operations. This job cannot be completed effectively without proper equipment on hand. Changes occur frequently on set in any production, so any mounting and gripping accessory available can come in handy. Gripping accessories are required for set safety for any filmmaker or photographer. Much of the following hardware for rigging is indispensable. Our grip lighting experts offer the following common types of grip equipment:
C-clamps
C-clamps are used for fast, secure mounting. Motion picture C-clamps are fitted with 16 mm pins and have either flat faces or pipe faces. A pipe face includes a small piece of channel iron welded on the flat face at an angle of 90 degrees. This allows for better clamping capabilities when attached to a pipe or pole. Please remember that pipe face C-clamps cannot be used on wood surfaces because the edges of the clamp face will indent the surface of the wood. If you do not have flat face clamps on hand, you can use a pipe face with two pieces of cribbing placed between the clamp and the surface you are clamping to.
Gaffer grip
A gaffer grip is a multi-purpose device that's uniqueness comes with two 16 mm pins. One pin is on the jaws, and the other is on the handle. The adjustable jaw provides normal expanded mounting capabilities. These grips are used for quickly mounting small light fixtures to anything like furniture, doors, pipes, or light stands. Because of the style of the teeth in the jaw, they are sometimes called gator grips.
Grid clamps
Baby grid clamps are created for maximum holding capabilities. This clamp fits to a 32 mm to 65 mm pipe. The grid clamp is virtually unmovable when its bottom nut has been fastened securely.
Pro clamp
A pro clamp is frequently used with a 16 mm pin attached. It is a small but robust and versatile mount. You can attach it to most flat surfaces and pipes with its rubber-lined jaws.
Baby pipe clamp
The strength of this clamp is used for hanging fixtures onto a pipe without the worry of it slipping off when the clamp is loose. In addition, this clamp is advised for use on hefty steel pipes because of its dynamic strength. Finally, a pipe clamp can be easily held in any desired position when the lock-off bolt is tightened. A 16 mm pin is used for termination.
Grip head
This accessory is also called a gobo head and connects a grip arm to a light stand. This accessory allows the arm to spin 360 degrees vertically or horizontally. In addition, the grip arm can move in a 3D space limited by its length using this attachment. A grip head is made of two critical parts: an adapter fitting on the light stand and a circular piece with holes that accepts the arm and tightens with a knob once the rotation is achieved.
Baby wall plates
Baby plates are used to hold down grip heads or small fixtures. They can be screwed or nailed to set wall tops or virtually any surface in which you can drive a nail. It has a 16 mm pin with a hole close to the end for wire or safety pin to go through. You can slip something through the hole and secure it to prevent a light from falling down. There is a recessed area near the end of the pin where a lamp's knuckle or locking pin rides. This allows a lamp to rotate on the pin without coming off while a light is panned. Before using, always check the pin's weld to the plate. When screwing the plate into the set wall, use a piece of cribbing on the opposite side of the wall to allow screws something to adhere to.
Though this is only a tiny portion of equipment used in the grip department, these pieces are indispensable. Contact us today if you need grip electric or grip lighting for your next project!