What is a Best Boy Grip?
The best boy grip is perhaps one of the most intriguing-sounding titles to scroll by during the credits at the end of a movie. It leaps out at most people, who have no idea what it could possibly mean, and has been the subject of many jokes and parodies. Like many such mysteries, the best boy grip is actually not so glamorous as it sounds. Basically, a best boy grip is the assistant to the key grip — the man or woman responsible for making sure cameras and lights are where they are supposed to be. Grips are technicians who work in film, interacting closely with two departments: the camera crew, and the lighting crew. Grips may be called on by the camera department to set up camera dollies, mounts, trailers, or cranes. In many parts of the world — including Australia and the United Kingdom — this is the extent of a grip’s purview. In the United States and other nations, however, grips also interact heavily with the lighting department and crew. Although union-job rules in the United Sta
