Film Career · Grip
Grip
Grip · IATSE Local 80 (grips, LA); craft locals elsewhere
- Union
- IATSE Local 80
- Day rate
- ~$250–$800/day
- Experience
- 0–2 yrs
What does a Grip do?
Grips shape light and support the camera with everything that does not draw power: stands, flags, frames, dollies, cranes, and rigging. Where electricians make light, grips control it. The department also owns safety rigging for anything mounted or flown, including camera cars and vehicle rigs.
What does a Grip make?
- Day rate about $250-$800 (union scale around $43-$55 an hour), roughly $45K-$120K a year.
- Non-union indie runs $250-$350 a day; steady union work with overtime reaches low six figures.
Film work is gig based, so crew are paid a day or weekly rate rather than a salary. These are realistic 2024-2025 ranges grounded in union rate cards and industry data; actual pay swings with budget tier, market, overtime, and reputation.
Sources & how we estimate pay
Union scale is the floor; the ranges above also reflect market day rates above scale. They are grounded in the following 2024–2025 sources:
Union rate cards & wage schedules
Official guild scale — the floor each craft is paid from.
- IATSE — 2024 Basic Agreement wage scales (PDF) ↗
- IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) — camera rate cards ↗
- DGA — minimum salary rate cards (director, unit production manager, assistant directors) ↗
- WGA — schedule of minimums (writers) ↗
- SAG-AFTRA — theatrical & background rate sheets (cast, stunts, background) ↗
- Teamsters Local 399 — basic feature wage rates, 2024–27 (transportation, locations, wranglers) (PDF) ↗
On the job
- Shape and control light with flags, nets, diffusion, and frames
- Build camera support: dollies, track, risers, cranes, and rigs
- Execute safety rigging for mounted cameras, wirework, and vehicle shots
- Keep set operations fast with clean staging and anticipation
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You know rigging, mounting, and grip gear
- You are strong and handy with hardware and problem-solving
Soft skills
- You are safety-minded
- You are a dependable team player
Career progression
Grip, then best boy grip, then key grip is the department ladder, with dolly grip as a prized specialization along the way. Rigging grip crews offer both an entry point and a parallel path. Key grips who master vehicle and specialty rigging stay booked on action-heavy work.
A typical path, from entry to the top of the craft. Times are rough and vary by market, luck, and how steadily the work comes.
- Production Assistant· 0-2 yrs
~$35K–$55K/yr
- Gripyou are here· 3-6 yrs
~$45K–$120K/yr
- Best Boy (Electric and Grip)· 3-6 yrs
~$50K–$150K/yr
- Key Grip· peak of the craft
~$60K–$180K/yr
How do you become a Grip?
Strong backs open the door; smart hands build the career. Day-play through the local or a key grip's crew, learn the hardware inventory by name, and study how senior grips solve problems. The craft rewards people who see the shot coming before it is called.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by IATSE Local 80 (grips, LA); craft locals elsewhere contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.