apple box
{{short description|Wooden box or crate of varying sizes with holes on each end used chiefly in film production}}
{{for|the Australian tree|Eucalyptus bridgesiana}}
{{Refimprove|date=May 2025|reason= "Uses" and "Sizes" sections have no references}}
Apple boxes are wooden boxes or crates of varying sizes with holes on each end used mainly in film production. These boxes are specialized pieces of equipment belonging to the grip department, and should not be confused with simple crates, other boxes, or boxes for apples.
Uses
Used to temporarily prop up or support just about anything, apple boxes are one of the most ubiquitous and useful pieces of equipment on a film set. They can be used to prop up furniture and light stands, for leveling camera dolly track, or to provide temporary seats, workbenches, or stepladders.
The need often arises to make an actor appear taller, either because of their height, or to fit with the composition of a particular shot. In this use apple boxes are jokingly referred to as "man makers".
Originally with a forward opening in the box, they were first used for storage of small objects.
Sizes
{{compact dl|wrap=
;Apple box, full apple : {{convert|20 × 12 × 8|in|cm}}
;Half apple : {{convert|19+3//4 × 12 × 4|in|cm|round=each}}
;Quarter apple : {{convert|19+3//4 × 12 × 2|in|cm|0|round=each}}
;Eighth apple, pancake : {{convert|19+3//4 × 12 × 1|in|cm|round=each}}
}}
Nesting apple boxes fit the three smaller sizes into the full apple (which does not have the standard midway internal support crossbeam). To accommodate the smaller internal dimensions, the flat dimensions (length by width) of the half, quarter, and pancake boxes are only {{convert|18+1//2 by 10|in|cm}}.
Half length "mini" apple boxes are now manufactured.
{{compact dl|wrap=
;Mini apple box : {{convert|10 × 12 × 8|in|cm}}
;Mini half : {{convert|10 × 12 × 4|in|cm|round=each}}
;Mini quarter : {{convert|10 × 12 × 2|in|cm|0|round=each}}
;Mini pancake, or eighth : {{convert|10 × 12 × 1|in|cm|round=each}}
}}
Apple box sizes vary somewhat depending on manufacturer, but all sizes are designed to be fractions of the "full apple" size. Thus two half-apples exactly equal the size of a full apple, two quarter-apples equals one half-apple, and two pancakes equal one quarter-apple. This modular design is important as many applications require mixes of sizes.
Position
When a grip is placing an apple box, others may be holding something heavy that will be placed on top of it. To confusion and delays in those moments, terms developed to describe the position that an apple box should be placed in (i.e., which side of the apple box should be placed face-down). It is rare that these terms are used for anything other than the "full apple" size.
; New York or "A" : Positioned so the apple box is tallest, like the tall buildings in New York, {{convert|20|in|cm|-1}} high.
; Texas/Chicago or "B" : Positioned so the apple box is resting on its longest narrow side, {{convert|12|in|cm}} high.{{cite web |author1=Paramount Pictures |title=Tatum O'Neal in a baseball uniform, standing on a wooden crate, to look at Walter Matthau in the eyes as she gets her point across to him in a scene from the film 'Bad News Bears' |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/tatum-oneal-in-a-baseball-uniform-standing-on-a-wooden-news-photo/143429048 |website=Getty Images |access-date=2 June 2023 |language=en-us |date=1976}}
; LA or "C" : Positioned so the apple box is flattest, {{convert|8|in|cm}} high.
Regional variations exist for the colloquial names of these positions. These include 1/2/3, New York/Chicago/LA, and Manhattan/Brooklyn/Queens.{{cite web|title=Apple Boxes|last=Chicone
|url=http://www.chicone.com/blog/apple-boxes/
|accessdate=25 January 2014
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20130414102257/http://www.chicone.com/blog/apple-boxes/
|archive-date=14 April 2013
}}
Basso blocks
Basso blocks are a stacking variant of conventional apple boxes.{{cite book |last1= Uva |first1= Michael |title= The Grip Book |year= 2010 |edition= Fourth |publisher= Quercus|isbn=978-0-240-81291-5
|pages= 496 }} Their design gives the same elevation ability of apple boxes, but takes 66% less storage space. A full set of Basso blocks is equivalent to 12 half-apples. A set of half–Basso blocks is equivalent to 24 quarter-apples.{{cite web
|title=Matthews Studio Equipment Catalog
|url=http://www.msegrip.com/catalog/chapter11.pdf
|publisher=Mattews Studio Equipment
|accessdate=25 January 2014
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20060503162100/http://www.msegrip.com/catalog/chapter11.pdf
|archive-date=3 May 2006
}}
Elephant blocks are a three legged stable update to Basso blocks that allow {{convert|1|in|cm|1}} elevation increments.{{cite web|title=Matthews Studio Equipment Elephant Blocks |url=http://www.msegrip.com/matthews-elephant-blocks.html |accessdate=25 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201173212/http://www.msegrip.com/matthews-elephant-blocks.html |archivedate=1 February 2014 }}