key grip

noun

, Movies.

1. the chief stagehand on a movie set.

key grip

noun

1. the person in charge of moving and setting up camera tracks and scenery in a film or television studio See also grip 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of key grip¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

Bodie Hyman, a key grip, and his wife, a yoga instructor, have spent about $40,000 of their savings, mostly to pay for food and the mortgage on their Woodland Hills home, where they are raising their two children.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s completely out of your hands — we all of course support the writers, we support the actors, but at the cost of our own livelihoods,” said Hyman, the key grip.

From Los Angeles Times

Collaborating with Adam Stockhausen, Anderson’s production designer, and Robert Yeoman, the cinematographer, Sami — whose official title is key grip, the head of his department — has an unusual amount of input.

From New York Times

Anderson said it was achieved with a complicated setup using “a crazy set of dolly tracks, sideways dolly tracks with a with a section of track that glides on the top of the three tracks,” a rig conceived by Anderson’s key grip, Sanjay Sami.

From New York Times

Curtin was the set costumer, overseeing costumes and accessories, and Price was the key grip, who handled the non-electric support gear.

From Los Angeles Times