apple-box-nestNeed to lift something? Stand on something? Raise a table? Level a tripod? There are so many uses for an apple box, it’s ridiculous.

If you ask me, these handy filmmaker tools are totally underrated, especially when it comes to indies. For some reason, not that many indies seem to have a set of apple boxes. I think that’s a mistake.

Apple Boxes are wooden boxes modeled after crates of varying sizes with holes on each end used chiefly in film production. These boxes are specialized pieces of equipment belonging to the grip department, and they are handy! They should not be confused with simple crates or other boxes.

Apple boxes come in a range of set sizes: full apple, half apple, quarter apple. A pancake is an eighth of an apple box. Sizes vary slightly depending on the brand.

I recommend getting a set of nested apple boxes to help save on space. We love ours and have had them in good shape for a long, long time. I think we picked ours up online at B&H Photo & Video.

In fact, we’ve used them for so many things:

  • as a step onto a tall stage
  • to raise the leg of a tripod on uneven terraine
  • to sit on during a long day
  • to put things on like a mini table
  • as a base for a light ballast in damp sod
  • raise an actors height for an eye-to-eye close-up shot
  • to level the pavement for an actress standing in heels
  • to raise a lamp in the scene

What have you used your apple box for? Please, tell us about it in the comment section below. Kudos to the person with the most fascinating use of an apple box.