What are the most popular items used by grips in a temporary lighting situation?

In videography, proper lighting separates a masterpiece from any other image. In addition, light plays a vital role in communicating your message to your viewers. While adequate lighting is ideal, you may have to work with temporary lighting to get the best out of a setup.

Whether it's a bustling city street or a remote wilderness location, grips are masters at setting up and adjusting equipment to create the perfect shot. And temporary lighting scenes are just one of the many challenges that grips are well-versed to handle. Being in the shoes of grips with their multitasking role is always challenging. Grips are the unsung heroes of the film industry because they have skills and knowledge and call for the right equipment to execute complex projects. In this blog, we look at the equipment or accessories needed in temporary lighting arrangements.

 

What are the challenges that grips faces in working in poor lighting conditions?

 

Even in tough lighting conditions, grips must look at other factors that could cause slowdowns or difficulties for smooth operations.

Equipment safety - The safety of actors and crew is a top priority for grips. Temporary lighting equipment requires a well-planned setup and is correctly secured to avoid accidents or injuries.

Inadequate power supply - When working in a location with a limited power supply, ensuring all the lighting equipment is powered efficiently is a significant challenge.

Weather conditions - When shooting on location, changing weather conditions such as wind, rain, and sunlight can affect the lighting and require constant adjustments.

Time constraints - In a fast-paced production environment, grips may need more time to set up and adjust lighting equipment, which can be challenging to ensure the desired lighting effect.

 

Any film or television production goes beyond lighting and script. It's about setting the mood, emphasizing the action, and enhancing the visual appeal of a scene to connect with the viewers. However, achieving the desired lighting effect requires more than just a few light sources. It involves using various equipment and accessories to control the light's direction, intensity, and color temperature. This is where the role of a grip and expertise comes in.

Grips ensure equipment is safely and efficiently powered. In this blog, we take a closer look at the different types of equipment used in lighting, accessories, and power for temporary lighting situations and explore the importance of each.

 

Lighting equipment:

  1. Lights - In temporary lighting conditions, hard lights are needed in abundance.
  2. Bulbs - Different bulbs are used depending on the type of lighting required. LED bulbs are becoming increasingly popular due to their energy efficiency and long lifespan. HMI lights are high-intensity lights that produce daylight-balanced light and may also come in use.
  3. Light modifiers - These are attached to lights to modify the light's direction, intensity, and color temperature. Examples of light modifiers include reflectors, diffusers, and gels.
  4. Light meter: Lighting must be consistent across scenes and the shooting project. The light meter measures the intensity of light and keeps the lighting levels constant.

 

Accessories:

Accessories play a vital role and make a grips' job more manageable. From diffusers and reflectors to clamps and rigging hardware, they provide grips with reasonable assistance and greater flexibility to tackle temporary lighting situations.

  1. C-stands - These are stands with adjustable height and legs that are flexible and spread out to create a stable base. They are used to hold lights, flags, and other equipment.
  2. Sandbags - These heavy bags are helpful to add weight to stands and other equipment to keep them stable and prevent them from tipping over. Sandbags add to the safety of the equipment in temporary lighting conditions.
  3. Neutrik connectors: These cables help in non -interruptible power connection when used with electrical accessories.
  4. Grip heads- These are clamps meant for attaching to C-stands and used to hold lights, flags, and other equipment in place. Like the 4.5-inch grip head, larger grip heads hold heavier equipment like boom poles and larger flags.
  5. Flags and scrims - These are pieces of cloth or other material to block or diffuse light and create specific lighting effects.
  6. Gaff tape - This indispensable tape is a savior for grips. Gaff tape is strong and durable and used to secure cables, hold equipment in place, and mark the positions of actors or props.

 

Uninterrupted power supply or battery supplies

With the right power, video production can handle delays and poor-quality output. For large projects, it's best to have a power generator. This ensures the timely completion of shoots, and smoothly too. Here is some equipment related to power in temporary lighting.

  1. Generators - You must have power generators if it's a critical or large project. This helps in powering the heavy electrical and lighting equipment.
  2. Extension cords - Power sources could be away from the shooting locations. Extension cords make it possible to bring power to the shooting location. 
  3. Batteries and power banks - Some lights may require constant power from batteries. So it's a good idea to carry many to not interrupt the shoot. Grips may use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that easily swap out and recharged between shoots. 
  4. Power strips - Electrical terminal connectors and power strips come in handy for easy power distribution.

Other needed accessories like portable power banks for cell phones, tablets, or wireless transmitters, the gripple cable is helpful in rigging and suspending lighting equipment, and xlr to USB cable allows real-time monitoring and recording of high-quality audio.

Choosing the right equipment in temporary lighting conditions

Grips are the go-to people to set up a project. They prioritize a safe working environment for everyone. This means choosing adequate and appropriate equipment. Even though temporary lighting may seem relatively easy, it's better to be over- rather than under-prepared. The proper lighting type depends on the scene requirements and the desired outcome. With the right equipment and location study, grips can transform a scene and bring the filmmaker's vision to life.