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grip to DP


Daniel Madsen

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I am supprised that more key grip don't continue on to become DPs. Why isn't it considered an exceptable road to take to becoming a DP? I'm bringing this up because many DPs (and I think this technique is compatable with my habits as a young cameraman) use larger sources and afterwards (after the electric dept. is at crafty) the grips shape that light to emphasis and de-emphasis different parts of the set. This process of unlighting is an artform- no?

 

The age of the grip is upon us. Grip it.

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"Grip it and rip it!"

 

I've seen a lot grips get into camera operating but not so much DPing. I think it may because a lot of the grips I know work closer with the camera operator and the gaffer closer with the DP. Not totally sure tho, just my wild guess. Glen Winter, smallville's DP was a grip before he was a DP. But he's the only one I know.

Edited by Chayse Irvin
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I think that for anyone to move up you need to be ON SET as much as possible to see not only the lighting gripping, but the coverage, lens choice, interaction with director, actors, etc. In that case a smart script supervisor or AD could make the jump becuase they are there for every moment. Maybe that is a stretch.

 

But even as a 2nd AC I am not on set for all of the shooting and neither are most of the grip/electrics when the camera rolls.

 

Matt :ph34r:

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I think there are no hard and fast rules about this kind of progression though I believe it is somewhat more probable for a grip to become a DP than a first AD to become one.

That being said anything is possible in this business.

I've seen PA's become colourists, for example.

If it feels right for you then go that way.

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Good Gaffers and Keys always find work. Once you move up the food chain work becomes harder and harder to find. If there was one job which is "technology proof" it is the Gaffer. Regardless of what happens to camera and recording technology--Somebody will always be setting up a light. ;)

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Stefan Czapsky (spelling?) gripped before DPing some of Tim Burton's earlier movies.

 

It can be done, and there's no reason an intelligent person couldn't learn more about the process while being a grip, because lights have to be controlled after they're turned on. (I'm often struck by the way gaffers and DPs overlook the grip aspect of lighting, putting lights right on the edge of frame, etc.) In my limited DP experience, I find my grip experience really helps. If I design a lighting setup, I always envision the flags that go w/ the lights, so I'm sort of eliminating a step. If I'm lucky enough to have someone prerig a backlight, for example, the teaser is part of the package. The experience also comes in handy when planning for dollies and jibs, and lifts, and gelling windows, and so on ...

 

That said, grips are definitely lower on the food chain than gaffers or camera assistants. There's a lot of dirty manual labor involved. If you say grip to a producer, it's very likely he will imagine some dumb guy schleppiing sandbags around the stage. It's not really the image of a Cinematographer, and it's very tough to break the stereotype.

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I started in Chicago in a nonunion environment as a Grip/Electric. As my career progressed I focused more on Dolly and Key gripping. Later I moved into Steadicam as well as traditional operating. Every phase of my career has had an impact on the way I shoot. I think that my ability to communicate with all of the peole that I work with has proved invaluable.

 

The wrong light in the wrong place always requires a lot of shaping, and a light on the edge of frame is often the nemesis of an operator. There is no right way to learn this craft. We all come up our own way. When I pushed dolly I thought that it was the best seat in the house. As an operator I said the same thing. Getting to work with other accomplished craftspeople has taought me a great deal. But when it comes down to it sitting in the big chair teaches you more than anything else. Having wide experience allows you to draw from other people's tricks and apply them to your shoot.

 

Paul

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