We recently connected with Christian Chico and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Christian, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Purpose… this is one of the many questions that continues to have an ever-changing answer depending on the circumstance. In the 2008 Sci-fi film WALL-E, Captain B. McCrea is talking to the main antagonist, AUTO, and McCrea exclaims “I don’t want to survive. I want to live!” Upon watching that scene, the Captain’s words echo in my brain with a surge of motivation that lifts my spirits and inspire me to achieve something… that is… what? While working in film I have found this same feeling in the art of grip! Cutting light, shaping light, diffusing light, changing the quality of light, bouncing light, rigging camera, creating rig points, moving camera in particular ways, solving problems on the fly… it is so exciting and I look forward to doing these things whenever I am on set!
“Good things might come to those who wait, not for those who wait too late, we gotta go for all we know.” Bill Withers sings with Grover Washington Jr. in the song Just The Two Of Us. It is good to be patient in life, but also seize the opportunities that come your way for they may pass if one waits too late. The first time I was on a lighting team as a grip and electric (G&E) swing, one of the things I was instructed to build and skin was a 12’x12′ frame and learning how to do that was so much fun! That was one of the many things that made me realize that I really liked gripping and decided to seize the opportunity to work and learn on many projects as a grip!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Yooooo! Hello everyone; my name is Christian Chico and I am a non-union freelance grip in the film industry! I definitely plan on getting my union card via the grip union, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.) Local 80, and am working towards it as we speak!
Grippin and rippin – what is a grip you may ask…! Based on my experience working here in North America, a grip is a key contributor to three main categories: rigging, lighting, and camera movement. Grips may help in create rigging points for lights, art pieces, cameras, etc. Then, grips manipulates natural and artificial light by cutting, diffusing, blocking, color modifying, and bouncing via tools such as flags, nets, diffusion gels/rags, bounce boards, mirrors, color gels, ND gels, and many more. Lastly, grips takes part in the way camera moves using awesome tools such as a camera dolly, fixed and telescoping cranes, cranes on cars, pulleys, pedestals, and custom contraptions. This is an shortened description of what grips do, but there are a lot more details regarding grip duties (such as underwater grips and canvas room grips) that I am still learning about!
One of the key influences that lead me to pursue a career in film as a grip is… photography! During my time in college my close friend, Konosai (Kono), would invite me to hike during the night and take photos. My Uncle Marvin got me a DSLR camera as a gift and I had absolutely no idea how to use the camera. Another close friend, Mr. William, got me to take a film class where my professor quickly went over how to use a camera manually (inputting camera settings manually). It was cold outside… and I took many photos with Kono – learning what the different settings on my camera did (shutter speed, ISO, and aperture). This became a consistent thing where we would have photo sessions (at night… yes, a lot of grainy and blurry photos were taken, haha) and I slowly improved day by day. Eventually, I began to explore the video function of my DSLR camera and began to take videos. Again, I began to explore the different exposure and camera settings (such as FPS, shutter angle, etc.) and expanded my horizon from photos to video! After graduating college, I wanted to explore film more and began to PA (and occasionally 2nd assistant camera) on many projects – eventually finding myself into the grip department and ended up loving it!
Another key influence that helped me grow as a grip was working with my friend Kevin Stevenson and the one-ton grip and electric package experience: The Grip Whip! I was quite nervous working with a van package for the first time and had to quickly learn how to pack it (in a very specific way) and where everything was (so I can quickly grab what I need). There were many times when I had to drive the van and do a project solo – thus, I had the opportunity to get creative grip-wise and figure things out with what we had according to the DP’s requests. This not only helped me with expanding my grip knowledge and creativity, but also with handling things such as travel logistics, how to unload the van and stage equipment, parking on set, doing inventory after wrap, power distribution via generator, etc. Additionally, I worked on a variety of projects where I had to adjust accordingly: music videos, narrative shorts/features, interviews, commercials, photoshoots, etc.
While doing gripwork was my main skill set, I really found that working on live event coverage was extremely important in influencing my growth in filming. I had the opportunity to work with Los Angeles Videographers LLC and they have taught me so much regarding live videography. This made me think much quicker on my toes and being aware of what may come next and to prepare for that, because in live events, once something has passed, it has passed (and is hard to recreate unless done properly), so you must be ready to capture it. We covered many live events such as weddings, birthdays, funerals, and corporate conferences/events – additionally we also provide live stream services and I had to learn how to make sure they run smooth and properly (good connection, sound/video sync, audio levels, transitions, etc). Being able to react and think quickly while filming has helped me tremendously as a grip where I would have to solve problems in a quick, calm, and safe manner. “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” Being able to move with intention and being ready for the next thing has helped me grip in a more efficient way.
Aside from gripping, I really enjoy video editing – a huge influence was when my Uncle Marvin allowed me to edit on his Macbook using iMovie and I uploaded my first edited project in 2018 (which can be viewed on my Youtube channel gamerchico1)! Ever since then, I enjoyed editing and have been motivated by my friend, Mr. Richard, who also edits and animates really well (we also worked on set together in the lighting department)!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Hmm… three important qualities/sayings that were most impactful in my journey thus far would be: remember the time, there is always something to learn no matter how much you know, and stay big chill.
Remember the time… meaning to know history and give it it’s respect while we push the envelope in whatever we try to do. I would take time to research and observe how people would do a particular rig, lighting set up, or safety procedures and I would record it in writing or taking photos/video so I can reference it if I ever have to perform the same task. “The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory.” Another quote I am not familiar with who said it, but I really agree on recording history so we can reference it in the future – and not only for me, but for others to learn from as well.
No matter how much we know, there is always someone who knows something that you don’t know. I have met many people who refuse to do things differently because “they have learned it this way and been doing it since forever,” despite there being an alternate way of doing things that is more efficient but holds the same essence/result. In other words, have an open mind and take time to learn from others. I love to learn how people do things regardless of me already knowing how to do that particular thing. I have learned so many things from so many people and have developed the way I do things based on their teachings. This ties back with remembering the times, and giving respect to those who taught me what they know.
Lastly, being chill, calm, cool, and collective is a great quality to have when working in a fast-paced environment such as a film set. There were many times on set where we were being peeled and getting reprimanded because we were not getting things done quick enough. I began to get frustrated and that negatively influenced how I responded to people and my overall approachability. This is something I am constantly working and improving on because I remember the many times when people would be in such a negative mood and it would effect the workplace drastically – and I heavily dislike if I were that way to anyone. Staying cool as a cucumber is key!
But I will say, I am constantly working on these qualities and is an ongoing journey of improvement. For those early in their journey and wanting to develop/improve on these qualities, I say this: Never give up! My friend, Mr. William, sent me a clip of retired Japanese professional tennis player, Matsuoka Shuzo, in a body of water harvesting asiatic clams in -10 degrees celsius and exclaiming, “Don’t give up… Why are you quitting there? Just try a little bit harder… Think of all the people around you and the people cheering you on… You will surely accomplish your goal… Never give up!” That clip always reminds me to never give up and keep going – have grit, have resolve. You got this!!!
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
This is not exactly a book but I remember studying from a scholarly journal regarding a topic in life known as PP. The author, D. Malone, states that PP can be defined by many things, but for them it is an acronym for “personal philosophy” – an innate force that lays dormant within all living beings… a feeling. PP is like a river, it flows and once it passes, it is gone – a natural flow – a stream of consciousness that can be attained when someone finds passion and purpose.
For me, PP occurs whenever I grip – I have a sense of drive and determination whenever I am faced with a challenge where gripping is involved. And one of the best part is: I share this passion with my fellow peers in filmmaking! Not only with other grips, but with everyone on set as well – there are many times when gripping involves coordination with other departments such as art (rigging pieces such as creating a rigging point for a hanging chandelier or lifting a chair/table up via apple boxes, blocks, etc), camera (moving camera in a particular manner via camera dolly, or rigging camera onto objects such as a vehicle… that will move!), electric (creating rigging points for lights), and many more. These are just a few examples that I can think of at the moment, but creating a harmonious flow between departments and achieving a common goal is super satisfying and fulfilling!
The thing that is very important about PP is that it comes naturally and cannot be forced. Whenever I grip I find that it is naturally fun, and I don’t force myself to like it. Many people would remind me that being a grip is difficult to maintain a long-term healthy physical body and that it is a tough career in that regard. However, despite that, I still enjoy gripping and want to continue being a grip for as long as I can.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://christianchico.wordpress.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christian_ch1co
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gamerchico1
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10740339
Image Credits
Ian Cawley, Bo-Yu Chen, Enoc Mendez, Aaron Tyler Soffer, Christian Chico
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
