"The name C-Stands comes from the official term “Century stand” constructed almost entirely of metal and consists of a tripod base, and a riser column, using a unique leg design that allows for nesting several stands within a very small space. and is used by the grip department for rigging; to hold a variety of lighting accessories, gobos, small lights, flags, color gels, bounce cards, reflectors, and silks in front of light sources to block, direct, or modify the nature of the light, The C-Stand can be extensible by a number of risers, some C-Stands are adjustable from 4 ft. to 14 ft. (1.2 – 4.3 m) tall on some models the base can be removed from the for easy transport. The base has the same receiver as the junior (junior spud or pin 1-1/8”) and can be used with other fixtures with a junior pin.
An accessory that accompanies a C-Stand is a grip head (gobo or knuckle) and C-arm, the arm and head are easily detachable from the stand, allowing them to be used with the other stands and clamps available to the grip department. All the parts of the stand are loosened and tightened by a keeper.
Manufacturers include American Grip, Avenger, Matthews Studio Equipment, Modern Studio Equipment, Mole-Richardson and Norms Grip. The C-Stand can also be known as a ""grip stand."" "