ronbe@tekred.UUCP (Little Guy) (04/13/85)
Here it is, the answer to my question: -> What is a key grip? ...best boy? ...gaffer? ...dolly? -> You see 'em all the time (with variations) in the credits, -> but I've never been able to figure out what these elusive -> people actually DO in the movie business. Here's what Daniel W. has to say about it: grip: stagehand gaffer: a lighting electrician on a motion-picture or television set dolly: a wheeled platform for a television or motion-picture camera From: tektronix!ihnp4!vax135!petsd!moncol!john (John Ruschmeyer) -> The dolly grip is the guy who pushes the cameras around. From: tektronix!uw-beaver!cornell!cord!gwr -> gaffers run the lights (this I'm sure of) -> everything else is anybody's guess From: tektronix!ihnp4!purdue!iuvax!apratt (Allan Pratt) -> Not only do you sometimes see the `key grip' credited, but also a -> list of `grips'... ``grip'' is a hollywood term for a stagehand. -> I would guess that movies really don't have stages, and so they -> don't have stagehands. The Best Boy is like an apprentice -- the -> logic goes like this: -> There are far more people working on a movie than you can -> credit. When there is someone you want to give credit to, but who -> doesn't have a job title traditionally in the credits, you will -> credit him as a best boy. This can be anything from the gofer who -> had just the right contact for that bizarre prop you needed, to the -> guy who made the best coffee. Mostly, though, it is a person who -> wants to break into the behind-the-camera show business, and does -> so by working, practically for free, on a movie set. If he's good -> enough, and the right people like him (sometimes it's put to a vote), -> he'll get a credit as best boy. -> The Dolly (or Dolly Grip) is the stagehand who pulls the -> camera along the tracks for moving-camera scenes. This guy has to -> be precise in velocity and position, and can't generate vibrations -> or give a jerky appearance to the shot. It could be the guy who -> lays down the track, too. The tracks themselves are not the dolly; -> the car which holds the camera (and cameraman) is the dolly. -> One you didn't mention is the boom operator, which is -> obvious when you know what it is, but you might not recognize the -> term: the boom is the crane-like device which holds the microphone. -> If the boom operator messes up and the mike goes into the frame, -> he gets in lots of trouble. If he's good and doesn't ruin too many -> shots, they credit him. -> You could write to the Screen Actors' Guild and their -> behind-the-camera counterpart, whose name I don't know, for this -> kind of information, since it's all spelled out in their collective -> and respective contracts. -> My information is from a friend who worked on a movie set -> (but didn't get the Best Boy credit) in Florida, but it's a little -> old and memory may not serve. Thanks for the responses! -- Support bacteria - It's the only culture some people have! ...tektronix!tekred!ronbe (Ron Bemis)
jfh@phs.UUCP (Fran Heidlage) (04/13/85)
Gee, I always thought that the "boom operator" was the guy who set off the explosions. :-) Fran Heidlage duke!phs!jfh ----------------------------------------- | | | Do right in this space! | | | -----------------------------------------