by Andy McKinney
I always wait and watch the credits flow by at the end of the movie. Sometimes there is an extra, usually funny, scene put in there somewhere. But it gives me a chance to look at the names of all the people involved with the production. I try to pronounce the names of the people in foreign countries who had a hand in the production. Some oddball names have evolved in the hundred and twenty-eight years since the first commercial movie event.
What is a Gaffer, for instance, and why the weird term? The Gaffer is the head of the electric department. He is an important manager, not a tradesman. He oversees all things electric. In the very early days of making movies in California (perfect for shooting films in the open air. California has lots of sunshine and not so much rain), even sets of interior shots were built outdoors, often without a roof on the interior set. The movie people set up wires with sheets hanging from them, similar to what we have as shower curtains in our homes today. This was how they lit the scenes back then. A guy with a pole with a hook moved the sheets as needed to get the best-reflected light for the cameraman. That kind of a pole is called a gaff; the man using it is a Gaffer.
The Gaffer has a helper called the Best Boy Electric. Nowadays, he is also a management type. Another best boy is the Best Boy Grip. He is the chief assistant to the Key Grip. And what is a Key Grip, you ask?
The Key (as in ‘head’ grip or ‘chief grip.’) Grip is responsible for all things that need
rigging and often has charge of all kinds of equipment. One story about this odd name has the Grip as the guy who steadies the hand-cranked cameras in the old days. He had to ‘grip’ the camera to keep the lens from bobbing as the cameraman cranked his camera.
Banks of lights need platforms, ropes, and pulleys to lift them. They use sandbags for weights to help move things up and down on the set and similar items in that line. His helper is the Best Boy Grip. Both are management rather than labor jobs.
We know the term ‘ Director.’ The Director is in charge of the filming. He manages the talent (sometimes high-strung artists, the cast members), the trade side of the set, and develops the film’s artistic sensibilities.
There can be several Producers, Line Producers, and Executive Producers, all with their tasks. Some arrange to finance a film (millions and millions of dollars.) The Producers hire the Director. The Producers also hire other specialist craft members. Line Producers are on set during filming to keep things on track and ensure the film gets made on time and within budget.
The Executive Producer can mean almost anything. An Executive Producer might develop millions of dollars in funding or merely lend his famous name to a project without direct involvement.
The areas of responsibility are fluid. The Director has vast but not unlimited sway in hiring the cast, but the Producers pay the bills and have the last word.
There are dozens of other specific jobs on a movie set, but this is a good start. One of my favorite credits is the Anaconda Wrangler. This craft member works on the electric or lighting side of things. Sometimes giant, thick power cables ‘snake’ across the set, bringing power to the lights and cameras. The Anaconda Wrangler moves these heavy cables around, ‘wrangling’ them.
In the future, I will solve the mystery of “What is a Dolly Grip?” ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
