Film Gear Quick Reference

Visit any set, and you will find tons film gear whose purpose is mysterious. The industry has a staggering amount of specialized equipment. Each department has its own set of gear that someone not in the trenches will be hard pressed to identify, let alone know how or why is used.

As a rental house specializing in film equipment, our bread & butter is providing Grip & Electric Departments with the equipment they need to do their job. Those two departments account for the majority of our stock.

We are developing these pages so that anyone can get some basic information on the equipment that makes movies possible. This is by no means an exhaustive, complete, or even authoritative source. It is simply our take on the gear we rent day to day.

Explore, Enjoy & don’t hesitate to reach out with feedback.

Our film gear reference is organized by department/functional areas:

  • Grip – Everything from stands to light shaping to rigging.
  • Lights – Covers all types of lights, from Tungsten and HMI to the wild west that is LEDs
  • Electric – A film set is power hungry – This covers the equipment that bring the power to a light.
  • Other – Stuff that production needs to run the show smoothly

Reference

The following sections contain links to some resource we found useful when trying to understand film gear.

Grip

Ask any grip and they will tell you the reference book is “The Grip Book” by Michael Uva. It provides tons of information on everything grip and is a must have for anyone considering a career in the grip department.

If videos are more your thing, Dave Donaldson (a Detroit based Grip) has a series of Videos on YouTube called “Grip Tips” and he covers many of the gear and techniques a grip needs to know.

Lights & Electric

For Lighting Technicians, a key resource is “The Set Lighting Technician’s Handbook” by Garry Box.

“Meet The Gaffer” by Luke Seerveld (a SF based Gaffer) is another worthwhile series focused on lighting on set.