Shelbi Davis. Key grip/gaffer.
There are many scenes in the movie, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” that create great visceral response to the viewer. The scene of Walter and the two guides taking their journey through the Himalayas was one of them. The location chosen, Iceland, has beautiful scenery and was a key part of the viewers’ response, but how the location was presented is another big factor in creating a good response. The presentation is choreographed by the cinematographer or the director of photography. Much thought is put into determining the look and feel of the scene, but to take the vision that the producer and photographer have in mind is dependent on the key grip and gaffer to execute it. These departments work for the director of photography, and are the supervisors and chiefs of their own grip crew. The key grip supervises the crew of grips responsible for camera equipment, and camera operation and movement. The key grip will attend location scouts and meets with the DP to determine what additional equipment (location-specific motor vehicles, dollies, cranes, mounts, etc.) will be needed. Once on set, the key grip will coordinate with the electric and camera departments, which leads to the gaffer. The gaffer is head electrician, responsible for the execution of the lighting plan for production. Although, in an interview about the Secret Life of Walter Mitty it was said the interior scenes were all light with standard lighting set-ups, all exterior scenes were shot with natural light. The New York City scenes were shot during the summer, then the crew relocated to Iceland in September when the weather was reportedly most favorable. There was not just one specific key grip/gaffer listed for this movie but there were at least four each in both departments of key grip and gaffer. Key grips are Mitch Lillian, Eric Gearity, Arnar Einarsson, and Kevin Lowry. For key gaffers are Bill O’leary, Eric Boncher, Mo Flam, Ingvar Stefansson.
These two departments were able to help reach visual communication to its viewers by choosing and setting up equipment for the desired look the DP ordered. Where the camera is placed in relation to the subject can affect the way the viewer perceives the subject. For the movie, Walter and the guides are portrayed so small compared to how big the Himalaya (Iceland) mountains are. The high and wide angles create that, so special equipment had to be chosen or built to film in that specific location. The design principles were the high angled views that swooped above their heads, and birds eye views showing how big the location is. Although it was not released how or what equipment was used to film the hike, one can assume cranes, dollies, and helicams/helicopters all could have been used for the filming design process. Also, to make the most of the film’s photographic elements, The DP chose Kodak film and shot on Arricam SP and LT camera with Hawk V-Lite lenses. Without these departments it would be hard to obtain the desired design principles to tell the story of Walter’s journey. 
