Posted on: March 19th, 2003 Grip Terms
Okay, that last entry sparked some great discussion and debate, and that’s really cool…but I think we should lighten it up and get back to what’s really important! Grip terminology!
I was studying my flash cards for my tv class which I am taking this semester and some of the terms used are really funny…
Cutter Flag — basically a square, black, object that is used to block out all light. Say you were outside and needed a scene to be dark on one side, you would use that. It gives you a very sharp shadow.
Cartellini — Also called a Mattelini, both named after their creators. I can’t really explain this in a way that you all can understand, it works with a C-Stand (I’ll explain later) and is metal. That doesn’t help you. But it helps me.
Single Scrim — This is kinda like the cutter flag, except it’s more like a screen (shhh it’s called a scrim), it’s great for filtering out light.
Double Scrim — Like the above, only twice as thick.
Foam Core Plate Holder - Attach this to a white card, and viola! You can easily white balance a camera without a person holding the card up! It’s just a metal thingee that can attach to a C-Stand (hold on, geez).
Silk — Uhh, this is what you think it is. It looks like a scrim, only it’s white with a yellow border and is used when you need to soften up the image.
C-Boom Clamp — Use this with a C-Stand and a mombo combo. I’m getting to them. Hold on.
12×12 Double Scrim — Big Double Scrim. 12 feet by 12 feet.
Junior Grip Head — This looks like a little metal machine gun, and you guessed it, it works with teh C-Stand too.
Baby Side Arm — Very Young Baseball Pitcher. Okay no, it’s a little metal rod that is used an extenstion to a C-Stand.
Cookie — Not edible. Not edible. It’s the size of a scrim, but looks like swiss cheese. It creates neat shadows!
Maffer — Think clamp.
2K Zip — a soft light, used for flooding light over a large area, the studio most likely. And yes, it’s 2K Watts!
Gobo Head — This sits on a C-Stand and a Gobo Arm plugs into it.
C-Stand — Kinda like a tripod, only not.
Baby C-Stand — A little itty bitty C-Stand how cute!
Baby Nail Plate — This is uses for eating babies. I mean, holding cameras, lights, sets down. It screws into whatever you place it on (provided you got a screw) and then you place the object on the rod protruding up from it. Viola!
Baby Stacking Stud — It’s a metal rod. Used in conjunction with many things.
Baby Elbow — It’s a metal thingee, that looks like an elbow, so hence the name. Think of a corner peice of an erector set.
Sand Bag — I don’t think I should have to explain what this looks like. It’s used to hold down lights and brace the bottom of C-Stands so they don’t topple over and cost the Studio thousands of clams.
Shot bag — Half the size of a sand bag.
Baby Stud — The little nob thing at the top of a C-Stand.
2K Fresnell — Also called a redhead, if it’s by the particular manufacturer that makes them red. 2000 watts! It’s a spot light.
1K Fresnell — Half the power of a 2K, twice the love! Okay, that was retarded. It’s also a spotter, also called redhead, but also called a baby mole. It’s only 1000 watts.
Reflector — Oh come on, you know what a reflector is.
Arri Kit HMI Standard Workhorse — An even softer light than the 1K fresnell.
Gobo Arm — It’s a 3 foot rod, and an extension to a C-stand. You should also keep a tennis ball on the pointy end of it, so you don’t poke someone’s eye out when moving it around! Or if a dumbass walks into it.
Kino Flo w/ DMX — No, not that DMX. It’s also called an Image 40 light, used a lot on green screens.
12×12 Silk — Large silk for when you need that extra coverage.
Mombo Combo — A huge friggen C-stand, basically. While a normal C-Stand (not baby) can extend to about 6-9 feet, this mombo combo can reach 40 feet, and you can attach them together or attach C-stands together and make really freaky things. Seriously, this enables to you block out a 12′x12′ area of light. But you need two per 12×12 silk or scrim.
Did I enlighten you? Are even more confused? Don’t be. We all are. You gotta work with them to really remember what they are.