In the U.S. and Canada, grips are technicians in the filmmaking and video production industries. They constitute their own department on a film set and are directed by a key grip. Grips have two main functions. The first is to work closely with the camera department to provide camera support, especially if the camera is mounted to a dolly, crane, or in an unusual position, such as the top of a ladder. Some grips may specialize in operating camera dollies or camera cranes. The second main function of grips is to work closely with the electrical department to create lighting set-ups necessary for a shot under the direction of the director of photography.
Grips' responsibility is to build and maintain all the equipment that supports cameras. This equipment, which includes tripods, dollies, tracks, jibs, cranes, and static rigs, is constructed of delicate yet heavy duty parts requiring a high level of experience to operate and move. Every scene in a feature film is shot using one or more cameras, each mounted on highly complex, extremely expensive, heavy duty equipment. Grips assemble this equipment according to meticulous specifications and push, pull, mount or hang it from a variety of settings. The equipment can be as basic as a tripod standing on a studio floor, to hazardous operations such as mounting a camera on a 100 ft crane, or hanging it from a helicopter swooping above a mountain range.
Good Grips perform a crucial role in ensuring that the artifice of film is maintained, and that camera moves are as seamless as possible. Grips are usually requested by the DoP or the camera operator. Although the work is physically demanding and the hours are long, the work can be very rewarding. Many Grips work on both commercials and features.
A crocodile clip is a sprung metal clip with long, serrated jaws which is used for creating a temporary electrical connection. This simple mechanical device gets its name from the resemblance of its jaws to that of an alligator's or crocodile's. It is used to connect an electrical cable to a battery or some other component. Functioning much like a spring-loaded clothespin, the clip's tapered, serrated jaws are forced together by a spring to grip an object. When manufactured for electronics testing and evaluation, one jaw of the clip is typically permanently crimped or soldered to a wire, or is bent to form the inner tubular contact of a ~4 mm female banana jack, enabling quick non-permanent connection between a circuit under test and laboratory equipment or to another electrical circuit. The clip is typically covered by a plastic shroud or "boot" to prevent accidental short-circuits.
A wire stripper is a small, hand-held device used to strip the electrical insulation from electric wires.
A mandrel is one of the following:
A collet is a subtype of chuck that forms a collar around an object to be held and exerts a strong clamping force on the object when it is tightened, usually by means of a tapered outer collar. It may be used to hold a workpiece or a tool.
A chuck is a specialized type of clamp used to hold an object with radial symmetry, especially a cylinder. In drills and mills it holds the rotating tool whereas in lathes it holds the rotating workpiece. On a lathe the chuck is mounted on the spindle which rotates within the headstock. For some purposes an additional chuck may be mounted on the non-rotating tailstock.
Tire bead is the term for the edge of a tire that sits on the wheel. Wheels for automobiles, bicycles, etc. are made with a small slot or groove into which the tire bead sits. When the tire is properly inflated, the air pressure within the tire keeps the bead in this groove.
A nipple clamp is a sex toy. It is a clamp that is applied to the nipples of a person of any gender. It causes pain by the pinching of the nipple, by the restriction of blood flow, and by the reintroduction of blood flow. Nipple clamps are used in some BDSM activities, such as breast torture. The main types of nipple clamps are the clothes-pin-style clamp, tweezer clamp, clover clamp, and piercing clamp, though any device that applies direct pressure can be used.
A vise or vice is a mechanical apparatus used to secure an object to allow work to be performed on it. Vises have two parallel jaws, one fixed and the other movable, threaded in and out by a screw and lever.
Irwin Industrial Tools is an American manufacturer and distributor of hand tools and power tool accessories. It is owned by Stanley Black & Decker. It is best known for producing Vise-Grip locking pliers. Additionally, it produces clamps, drill bits, taps and dies, screw extractors, bolt extractors, saw blades, pipe wrenches, screwdrivers, snips, and other construction tools.
The Norinco Type 86S is an AKM-type bullpup rifle and that was produced by Norinco. It operates the same way as other AKM-type rifles with a few exceptions. Many major parts are interchangeable with other standard Kalashnikov rifles.
A test fixture is something used to consistently test some item, device, or piece of software. Test fixtures can be found when testing electronics, software and physical devices.
In stagecraft, a c-clamp can refer to a number of different pieces of hardware, depending on its intended use.
A motorcycle handlebar is a tubular component of a motorcycle's steering mechanism. Handlebars provide a mounting place for controls such as brake, throttle, clutch, horn, light switches and rear view mirrors; and they help to support part of the rider's weight. Even when a handlebar is a single piece it is usually referred to in the plural as handlebars.
A bicycle handlebar is the steering control for bicycles; it is the equivalent of a steering wheel for vehicles and vessels. Besides steering, handlebars also often support a portion of the rider's weight, depending on their riding position, and provide a convenient mounting place for brake levers, shift levers, cyclocomputers, bells, etc. Handlebars are attached to a bike's stem which in turn attaches to the fork.
Locking pliers are pliers that can be locked into position, using an over-center toggle action. One side of the handle includes a bolt that is used to adjust the spacing of the jaws, the other side of the handle often includes a lever to push the two sides of the handles apart to unlock the pliers. "Mole" and "Vise-Grip" are trade names of different brands of locking pliers, yet mechanics and do-it-yourself hobbyists and craftspeople generically refer to locking pliers as "Vise-Grips" in the US, and "Mole grips" in the UK.
J. Schmalz GmbH was founded as a razor blade factory in 1910 in Glatten in the Black Forest. Over the years, the company’s products changed from razor blades to transport equipment and finally to vacuum technology.
Tongue-and-groove pliers—also known as water pump pliers, adjustable pliers, groove-joint pliers, arc-joint pliers, Multi-Grips, tap or pipe spanners, gland pliers and Channellocks —are a type of slip-joint pliers.
A bulldog forceps, clamp or serrefine is a type of forceps which is used in surgery. It has serrated jaws and a spring action so that it will grip and hold sutures, tissues or vessels. The spring may be weak or the jaws sheathed in a soft material so that the item being gripped is not crushed too severely.
