TANA DUBBE - Key Grip
Team Deakins
James Ellis Deakins
4.9 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 1 July 2026
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 200 Tana Dubbe - Key Grip
In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with key grip Tana Dubbe (ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, A STAR IS BORN, IRON MAN). Throughout the episode, Tana illuminates the responsibilities of the lesser publicized position, and she shares how and why she became one herself. We also learn how a key grip might work with the cinematographer, such as Tana's frequent collaborator Matty Libatique (Season 1, Episode 84), during prep and production, and we discuss her observations on the different working conditions of smaller and larger scaled projects. Tana later shares how her job has changed with the advent of new lighting and camera technologies, and she reveals how she and her team might work with the gaffer, electrical department, and the rigging grips to bring what a cinematographer wants into reality. We also discuss the importance of assembling a team you can trust to not only do the job but also treat others fairly, and Tana reflects on the evolution of women in the grip department.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi and welcome to Season 2 of the Team Deacons podcast, a collection of informal conversations |
| 0:10.1 | between Roger and James Deacons and a guest. We never know where the conversation will take |
| 0:16.0 | us, so listen in and see where it goes. |
| 0:23.7 | Today we're speaking with a key grip. |
| 0:27.8 | Her credits are many and include one battle after another, |
| 0:31.1 | bombshell, venom, and a star is born. |
| 0:34.1 | We're pleased to welcome Tana Duby. |
| 0:36.8 | Tana, thank you for doing this. Welcome. |
| 0:37.5 | We're really thrilled. |
| 0:38.5 | Thanks for having me. |
| 0:39.7 | I'm excited to chat with you guys. |
| 0:42.5 | We'd like to start with our first question, which is, how did you get to where you are today? |
| 0:48.2 | Were you building things as a kid? |
| 0:50.2 | Did you build a tower in the living room, or did you decide you wanted to do something else first and then find this? |
| 0:57.7 | What's your story? |
| 0:59.3 | I think if I really had to say where it started was I'm the only girl and have four brothers in our family. |
| 1:08.4 | So there was, like most grips, we built some bitch and tree forts and |
| 1:14.6 | all manner of things that roll. And then after that, I got into stills, painting and stills |
| 1:22.7 | and that kind of thing, a little bit of that bend. And then I sort of had a love for team sports, |
| 1:29.0 | and that would brought me into the film community and thus gripping. |
| 1:32.8 | Wow. |
| 1:33.7 | Do you ever regret it? |
... |
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