Grip Equipment

Here is how this works in practice. Our team supplies grip packages scaled to your production and built for Icelandic exposure. Wind is the first consideration: C-stands, combos and large frames need heavy ballast, extra sandbags and bracing, and on exterior shoots we ration overhead silks and 12x12 or 20x20 butterflies to what the gusts will actually allow. We give the full range of C-stands, flags, nets, cutters, apple boxes, clamps and rigging hardware, with speed rail and scaffolding for overhead work and matching textiles for light control.

Here is the short of it. Grip stock comes from the skilled Reykjavik rental base, ordered into carts and cases for fast access on set. For larger shoots we supplement frames, rigging and specialty hardware from suppliers in the UK and mainland Europe under ATA carnet, since Iceland is outside the EU customs union. Gear is checked for working condition and cold-weather function, ground spikes and weighted bases are added for loose volcanic sand and uneven lava, and we can supply skilled Icelandic key grips who know how to rig safely when the weather turns.

Here is the breakdown. Iceland gives a grip department little natural shelter. A subarctic, maritime island on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, it is known for fast-changing weather, and wind is a genuine production factor: a calm setup near Myvatn can become an exposed gale within an hour, and locations like the black-sand beaches at Reynisfjara, the Snaefellsnes peninsula and the open Highlands give almost nothing to hide behind. The ground is rarely a flat floor either, with loose volcanic sand, broken lava fields around Dimmuborgir and uneven terrain demanding careful stand placement.

Here is what that looks like on the ground. Blowing volcanic grit and glacial meltwater add wear. The Highlands open only in summer via F-roads needing 4x4 super-jeeps. Productions including 'Game of Thrones', 'Oblivion' and 'Star Trek Into Darkness' have built and rigged across exactly these conditions, where a well ballasted, well-ordered grip package is what keeps light control and rigging safe and efficient.