Hey guys, it’s your Key Grip, Mark Dalmacio. Thanks to the horrors that accompany Dead Week and Finals Week, I am up at nearly 6 in the morning working on homework.
A little bit about me - I’m a Screenwriting major at CSUN, but unlike most Screenwriting majors who detest sunlight, puppies, and human contact, I love to be on movie sets. I’ve worked on a good handful of senior projects and thanks to that, and an utterly hysterical and ridiculous Anatomy of Film Production class, I’ve become quite chummy with Scott and Vern and was named Key Grip to this crazy project we call MCC.
So in the credits of The Naked Gun 2½, one of the crazy credits reads: what the hell is a grip?
So…what is a grip? According to Wikipedia, the ultimate place for knowledge, a grip is a lighting and rigging technician. We set up lights, work with the Gaffer (i.e. Sparks) to make sure everything has power, and do any other manly chore assigned to us. I, as the Key Grip, am the Chief Grip, in charge of the other lowly grips…i.e. Squiggs.
Note: It also reads on the Wikipedia article - “Additionally, the key grip is frequently the safety monitor of the film set, responsible for safety of all personnel in the presence of theatrical ballistics, pyrotechnics, stunts, and any other potentially dangerous situations and devices operated by other departments. If someone working in one of these areas gets hurt under the key grip’s supervision, the key grip is fully responsible and liable.”
So I get to be Dad…hooray. But nonetheless, since none of the other crew members have posted, I figured I’d be the one to triumphantly say:
“FIRST!”
Now back to homework!