Let Me Do Some 'Splainin

   In a former post, I inserted a little tweak. A dig. A burr under the saddle. I used the name of a show that's been shooting for a relatively short period of time to make a point. Maybe too cute by half, maybe not. The fact is that I could have used any number of shows to make the point, but chose that one because that's the one I hear spoken the most. As in, "Back on blah blahblah." Or "when I was on blah blah blah. " Now, one thing I've tried never to do with this blog is be mean spirited. I can see where I come across that way sometimes and there are certainly people I don't get along with etc., I'm careful to never use proper names (not even my own). Having said that, let's move on.
   There is nothing wrong with being inexperienced. There is nothing wrong with not knowing everything. I sure don't, and I've been in this industry for going on thirty years.The problem is in being inexperienced and not knowing or refusing to see it. Now, I used a particular show as an example, but that isn't to say that everyone who started on that show isn't hard working and eager to learn. I never meant to say that and maybe my attempt to make a point was a little ham-handed. The point I was trying to make can maybe be best illustrated with a story:
   About twenty-three or so years ago I was a young grip in this town who had been fortunate enough to work on a couple of high profile movies as well as a long-running series. I thought I was sharp. I thought I was good. I thought I was better than I was. To the point of thinking that I really didn't need to listen to the veteran grip from Los Angeles who tried to teach me a couple of things about lighting. After all, at the age of 24,  I had two really big credits and a spot on a popular series. I must be good.
But I wasn't. I was fast. I paid attention. I knew a c-stand from a combo stand. But I wasn't very good. An older grip who had been around a while pulled me to the side one day and said, "You are pretty good. But you aren't great. You don't understand shadows and light yet." I didn't believe him. And it stuck in my craw. To be honest, it bent me out of shape. As time went by, however, I began to see that he was right. I wasn't very good. So I started working on it. I watched the Key Grip work a set. I watched the Dolly Grip lay track. I tried to guess what each light that went up might need in the way of flags and diffusion and tried to begin anticipating what the Key Grip might ask for. And I became better. So guys, I wasn't trying to be mean. I was trying to give you a kick in the pants. This town is full of young technicians with one or two credits who think they are better than they are. Just like I did. I've tried on at least a couple of occasions to pass on a better way to do something and have been blown off or simply ignored. And I hear similar stories from other guys who have been around a while all the time. As a friend of mine said, "This isn't just a job, it's a career." It's a craft. It's not one you can learn in three or four years. And it's not one you can learn by sitting at the carts on your IPhone waiting for the Key Grip to call for a flag. There's just too much to it. What hardware should be on hand when a car mount goes on? What's the first rule of laying a track?? What are the basics of crane safety? What's a graduated single? Can you set one? What's the first rule of rigging on a car? How do you safety a camera? Can you set a flag on the ground and run it over a wall to flag a light? How much light does a single cut? A double? What's the color temperature of tungsten? You should know most of the answers to these questions if you have been a set grip for five years. Again, I'm not saying these things to be a dick, I'm saying them because I want you to be better. Because if you are better it makes us all better. An experienced grip crew at work is a wonder to behold. It almost looks as if they are reading each other's minds. I've been on a couple and I want all of you to have that experience as well. But you won't get it if you don't realize what you don't know. Until you do, you'll be gofers instead of grips.
Be safe. Ask questions.