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A.Word.A.Day--grip

grip (grip) noun

A general assistant on a movie set responsible for handling production equipment, such as setting up and moving camera dollies, lighting, etc. The head grip is called the key grip.

[From English grip since the task required firmly holding bulky material.]

See more usage examples of grip in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

"'When I write a novel, I'm the writer, director, producer, best boy, grip, actor. I'm in control,' he (Brad Meltzer) says." Connie Ogle; Big Name, Zero Game; Miami Herald (Florida); Mar 15, 2004.

"Ben Younger: I also worked as a grip on indie features like Walking and Talking. I got a ton out of that, especially technical proficiency.'" Matt Diehl; Celluloid Heroes; Rolling Stone (New York); Apr 13, 2000.

What does it take to make a movie? A producer, a director, actors, and what else? Lots of money, of course. Often overlooked are hundreds of other people who work for months or often years behind the scenes to help create a couple of hours' magic.

If you ever stay behind at the end of a movie (or stay tuned on TV) to read the rolling credits you'll see many funny sounding titles. They describe people who are essential to the movie-making business. Without them no movie would be possible, no matter how good the actors or director.

What do those titles mean? This week's AWAD defines them.

-Anu Garg

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