Grips and gaffers are the workhorses on any film set. While grips handle the mechanical side of the lighting and cameras, gaffers are the head electricians and production lighting managers. You can think of grips as execution and gaffers as theory. And together, their know-how is vital to the smooth-running success of any film shoot.
On a church shoot, though, it’s possible that everyone present will have to chip in to handle certain aspects of both these roles.
To help make the critical grip and gaffer tasks easier to manage, Church Production asked a range of seasoned filmmakers for their best advice and most invaluable tools, and these seven jewels are what we heard.
Perform solid pre-production planning
“The first thing you should know before shooting is where it is that you are shooting,” states Emmanuel Acosta, a Yonkers, New York-based cinematographer and pro video salesperson fluent in church filmmaking. And next, know what you’re shooting, he says.
As Acosta advises, pre-production planning is the place where you’ll discover the most important details of a shoot—and where you’ll plan precisely which tools you’ll need on the set, which oftentimes for churches, is on-location.
Bill Dewhurst, an assistant film professor at Liberty University, a private evangelical college in Lynchburg, Virginia, says, “Proper pre-production planning helps you bring along all the right tools while grabbing only what you need.”
That said, though, a filmmaker must always plan for the unplanned. “Gaffer tape, a power strip, extension cords, all these are things you’ve got to have, because you never know what you’ll run into,” Dewhurst admits, drawing from experience as a one-man-band filmmaker for the military before his church production days.
Plan for your power needs
Power outlets don’t grow on trees. So be ready.
Dennis Choy, director of production at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, gives an example of a power lesson learned the hard way for his film team. “Early on … we did some remote location shoots and even brought a few generators along, but we could only park so close, so we had to carry them in from there,” he describes. “Hot day, heavy equipment, dirt path, just a few people—it all equaled unexpected frustrations.”
So what did the Saddleback team learn, even though they adequately prepared for the fact that they’d need power? “Extension cords, extension cords, extension cords,” Choy chimes. “Second, power strips. And third is dollies and wagons.”
On the topic of dollies, Dewhurst says he uses portable ones for any major gripping and to move his equipment around. A lot of them fold up and you can stash them out of the way.
In line with the electricity reminder, Atlanta Christian filmmaker and CEO of AJ Production, Andre Jones, says, “Make sure batteries are charged and that you have plenty of AA and 9V for the audio gear.”
Choose the right tripod for the job
For Acosta, not all tripods are created equal. And a good, solid tripod with a removable head is crucial. Other elements he says church filmmakers will want include a 75mm bowl head fitting, a head with counter-balance and drag control for panning and tilting, and excellent legs to stand up to shoots in any on-location condition.
“My best combo is the E-Image 2 Stage Aluminum Tripod Legs with a 75mm bowl, spike feet with the Benro BV4 Video Head,” Acosta says. “This is what I call the ‘poor man Sachtler’ … and [it] can be turned into a flat head, making it ideal for a slider.”
In addition, a carbon fiber tripod is great for carrying around, he says, since it’s lighter than a regular aluminum version.
Acquire these ultimate tools
Ask about the world’s no. 1 most indispensable grip tool and 99% of the time this will be your answer.
Dewhurst: “Gaff tape.”
Jones: “Gaffer’s tape.”
Acosta: “Gaffer’s tape. Lots of it. Color coding your gear will help anyone identify your equipment or category when you need to wrap things up. Try to get at least three colors … white, yellow, and green.”
Right up there with the gaffer’s tape, Acosta suggests a Red Sidewinder (pocket-sized multi-tool with carbon/steel drivers folded into a glass-reinforced nylon housing; roughly $30 at B&H) that’s suitable for adjustments on tripods, cameras and rigs. Or, a Leatherman Wave, which is an all-purpose multi-tool that basically does it all—pliers, wire cutter, wire stripper, spring-action scissors, ruler, knives, saw, files, screwdrivers, can and bottle openers, and maybe more (approximately $110 on Amazon).
Get the light right
For Dewhurst, he has a lighting plan in place before he arrives on-location. “Most of the time when I go out, part of the pre-production is annotating what we need,” he says. So be sure to take your time on the pre-shoot visit to your location or set.
While he admits that he’d rather wind up having more lights than he actually needs, he cautions going overboard too.
“I run into students with five different light kits, and I’m like, for what?” he asks. “They put so much trust into tools and forget about the basics. A window, for example, can be a key light, and the sun is the cheapest light out there.”
Another practical lighting tool that Dewhurst uses is white cardboard as a reflector. “I’ll bring one big light as key and use the reflector as fill.”
On the flip side, he’s shot at businesses where he ran into existing lights that couldn’t be turned off, as well as emergency lights that randomly turned on.
“I always bring along some black cloth, and that will totally block it out,” he says.
For Acosta, he notes that someone playing the role of the gaffer will be the chief lighting technician on-set. “Cinematographers are always looking out for gaffers that can utilize tools to control light spills, harshness, and shape. On a film set, it is not the quantity of light that matters most, but the quality of the light and how to control it.”
For fixtures and accessories, Acosta recommends the following for church filmmakers shooting on-location: “Three lighting fixtures will include a 1x1 or 1x2 light panel, a moonlight, and a spotlight. Also, bring modifiers for each light, such as softbox barn doors and reflectors.”
Choy says the Saddleback team gets down to basics to get the shots they need with the right light.
“When shooting outdoors, the sun is always a factor,” he reminds. “We’ve had to use things like car shades, notebooks, and even Bibles to block sun on particular camera shots. Sometimes you just get it done. Guerilla ministry.”
Don’t forget this secret weapon
Seasoned filmmakers stand by this little piece of wisdom: stick a quarter in your pocket.
For Dewhurst, pocket change ranks right up there with tape, wrenches, and a flashlight. “The quarter will help with the plates on the tripod,” he states.
Acosta agrees, the quarter is one of the most versatile tools a filmmaker will reach for, and it probably helps prevent the most frustration.
“The famous quarter is the most inexpensive tool ever,” he muses. “You have no idea how much time I have lost by not having a good tool to remove the tripod screw from the camera.”
Make it easy to lug around your tools
Somebody will have to carry around all the tools and gear, and oftentimes it will be you. So for Acosta, a specialized backpack is something he will personally never go without.
“The CineBag CB25 Revolution Backpack (approximately $210-$310) is one of my favorite gear bags because it offers good protection and many pockets,” he says. “It fits most mirrorless cameras. You can also label your pockets accordingly.”
In his military days, Dewhurst learned to bring along a personal backpack to every shoot. “You can throw all the little stuff in there and it’s perfectly balanced, and you don’t even know it’s there half the time.”
Beyond these seven tips, each pro recommends coming to the set equipped with a positive outlook. Or as Jones puts it, “Have fun and show no fear.”
Quick Guide to Filmmaker Emmanuel Acosta’s Go-To Tools
- Carbon fiber tripods (lighter to carry than regular aluminum tripods)
- V-mount batteries for smaller sets
- C-Stands with arms and a light stand bag
- Butterfly and reflector frames
- Hazer, not to be confused with a fog machine
- A 1x1 or 1x2 light panel, a monolight, and a spotlight (with light modifiers like softbox barn doors and reflectors)
- Impact D1000 1000W AC analog dimmer control (110-120V) for practicals
- Monitor, 7-inch preferable with false color and waveform tools
- A ColorChecker passport
- A good wireless transmitter, such as Accsoon CineEye
- Wireless video transmitter, such as the Vaxis Atom 500 with SDI
- C-clamps
- Grip heads
- Spring A clamp
- Duckbill clamp
- Cardellini Clamp End Jaw
- Jaws vise grip
- Suction cups
- Extension grip arms of all sizes
- Motorized slider, such as YC Onion Hot Dog Bun
- DMX cables and controllers for lights
- Extension power cords
- Sandbags
- Sound blanket
- Personal headlamp
- Gaffer tape—lots of it
- A quarter
