Quiet on the set!

This area of downtown Los Angeles is used for filming all the time. A week doesn't go by without seeing at least one location shoot. Today they were filming a pilot for a new TV show. This is the Grip racks.

The grip is responsible for moving and setting up the physical equipment of filmmaking: lights and reflectors, Steadicam tracks, pipes and scaffolding, etc. The "key grip" is the leader of a group of grips (say that fast), and can also work as the on-set construction coordinator.

Don't make the mistake of thinking this is unskilled labor. Good grips can make all the difference to a day's shooting. If you've never been on a movie set, you would not believe how long it can take to set things up -- and if it takes too long, depending on the shot, the light has changed and you have to set it up all over again.