What does Apple Box mean?
Apple Box is a wooden box used on film and television sets to adjust the height of actors, objects, or camera equipment. Apple boxes come in four standard sizes — full, half, quarter, and pancake — allowing the grip department to create precise height adjustments in small increments. They are one of the most versatile and frequently used pieces of equipment on any set, appearing in virtually every professional production.
Example:The director of photography asked the grip to place a half apple box under the child actor’s feet so his eyeline matched the adult co-star’s during their two-shot.
Example: The prop master used a pancake apple box to raise a table lamp just enough to keep it in frame without adjusting the camera position.
Did you know?
Apple boxes are named for their original use — they were literally the wooden crates used to ship apples. Early film crews repurposed them as impromptu risers and found them so useful that purpose-built versions became standard equipment. Today a full apple box measures 12″ x 8″ x 4″ and is built to support up to 1,000 pounds.
You can also find “Apple Box” and related terms in this category: Technology and Equipment.
