How Long Have You Been In The Film Industry?
“24 Years ago I started as an Auto Detailer (washing cars) with David Turnley for car commercials. I was also a Production Assistant and a Chaperone. I have been doing Gripping for 21 years and have worked with Gripping legends such as…Gavin Horn, Terry Hoffman, Dennis Essenhigh, Mark Davidson, Uri Geldenhys, Jimmy Stewart, Kevin O’ Reiley, Guy Micheletti and many more.”
Which part of being a Grip do you enjoy the most?
“Being passionate about cars, I thoroughly enjoy working on car commercials that involve driving the Gripthis Camera Car and Tracking Vehicle and meeting legends in the automotive industry. Some of the people I have met are Richard Noble and Andy Green from the Bloodhound SSC project. Rhys Millen who is one of America’s top competitors in drifting and rally racing. He was also a stunt driver for movies such as Dukes of Hazzard, The Fast and the Furious and Tokyo Drift. Mad Mike a professional drift driver from New Zealand. I also had the opportunity of meeting acting legends like Mr Danny Trejo on the film set to Death Race 3, he is a lowrider collector. As well as Idris Elba who is also a great car enthusiast.”
Are there any Farm Film jobs that have stood out for you and that you will never forget?
“Project Bloodhound SSC & BMW Drift Mob. It is no surprise that both are car related jobs… ”
Who are your favourite DoP’s that you have worked with? Are there any memorable ones you would like to mention?
“There are so many, but one that stands out for me right now is Trevor Brown as we have worked on quite a few projects this year. There’s also Allard de Smidt, Janusz Kaminski and Ekkenhart Pollack and so many more.”
Do you have any tips for someone wanting to go into the film industry?
“Be prepared to work long hard hours. Have a drivers licence, mobile phone and your own vehicle. Be trustworthy, punctual and reliable. Join a crew agency. Start as a Runner or Production Assistant and get to know the different departments so that you can find which one you are comfortable in.”
Why do you follow The Farm Film on Instagram?
“It’s always great to see what’s happening behind the scenes of film sets. Knowledge is power.”
What is the most exciting location or set that you have ever been on?
“There are so, so many. The ones which come to mind are:
The Project Bloodhound SSC which was at the Hakskeenpan in the Northern Cape which was with The Farm. People might think that it is only a salt pan but prep work is still being done for the Bloodhound SSC Project (The Land Speed Record). Having been chosen to be part of the filming team was such an honour.”
Tell us a bit about Gripthis Technical Film Services.
“Gripthis has been servicing the film industry since 1998. We are located in Cape Town, South Africa. Mark Forster and I combined our knowledge of Gripping to form a unique company and In 2001, Riyaad Majiet joined us and Team Gripthis was formed. We have worked on numerous TV commercials, music videos, movies, e.t.c. To date, we have three teams, GT 1 – Mark Forster and 3 members, GT 2 – myself (A.K.A. Naz) and 3 members and GT 3 – Riyaad Majiet and 2 to 3 members. Within our company we provide crew, gear, camera vehicles, grip trucks and grip bakkies. We can offer production companies the full package depending on their requirements. Our motto is: TOGETHER WE GIVE OUR BEST TO MAKE YOUR FILM A SUCCESS.”
What is your favourite movie at the moment?
“ Transformers. Transformer is the code name for our Gripthis camera car and tracking vehicle.”
Do you enjoy working for The Farm Film Productions?
“ABSOLUTELY. Our company has a good working relationship with The Farm.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
“I enjoy spending quality time with my family as my work takes up a lot of my time. Cars, cars and more cars, L.O.L. I am always doing research on the automotive industry. At high school I was told by a teacher that I will never make it in life because all I had on my brain was cars. Today I have a career because of my passion.
My motto is…IF YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO THEN YOU WILL NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE.”
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