Metal Supermarkets helps film production company make movie magic

Ever waited for the credits to roll after a film? Then you know that making movies requires a lot of people and resources. Some of the unsung stars scrolling on the credits are the grips, or lighting and rigging technicians who build and maintain all the equipment that supports cameras. When Hollywood goes to New Mexico to make movies, they contact Maleko Grip & Rigging for all their camera support and grip rigging equipment needs.  But who does Maleko Grip depend on for their supplies? For the past seven years, when Maleko Grip and the movie companies need their constant supply of aluminum and steel pipe, and various other metals, they call their local Metal Supermarkets store in Albuquerque.

Mark Steinig, Maleko Grip and Rigging owner, explains his company’s and the movie industry’s limitless appetite for aluminum and steel pipe: “The entertainment industry uses a lot of metal pipe. Schedule 40 aluminum pipe is very common on movie sets because it has so many uses – from rigging cameras to creating stunts or special effects to hanging or mounting anything, and the list goes on.”

Constantly juggling production projects, Steinig makes frequent stops at Metal Supermarkets to pick up the aluminum and steel pieces he needs. Steinig explains, “I will order 20 – 50 sticks of pipe (20 ft. pieces) at a time. I will use them as is, or make minor modifications at my shop. Over the course of a year, I will order around 200 – 400 pieces of pipe. Additionally, I recommend Metal Supermarkets to all the movie companies I work with, so when other divisions, like lighting or special effects, need material they know where to go.”

Maleko Grip’s work can be seen on movie productions such as “Lone Ranger,” “Terminator Salvation,” “Avengers,” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”