BTH

Special Request Equipment

During the production cycle students may, depending on availability and the parameters of the production cycle, order “special request” equipment for their productions. Special request equipment is defined as any piece of equipment in the ER that is not listed on the preset equipment packages.

Special equipment typically requires additional training and it can add complexity to the production protocols and procedures. For this reason, special equipment is only permitted on the more advanced-level projects (F3, BTH, M2, MC), where there is adequate time and attention for ensuring it is deployed effectively. Earlier projects (F1, F2, M1) are restricted to using the standard equipment package, where the intended focus of the curriculum is on core, foundational learning.

Protocol for Requesting Special Equipment

This type of equipment usage is covered by the Special Equipment Check-Out Form and requires the authorization of a specific faculty/staff member and the Associate Dean. The student will need to go online and fill out the required Special Equipment Request form and submit it to the ER personnel. The ER will then inform the student of the check-in/check-out procedures and location of the equipment. The equipment will be the responsibility of the student(s) who checked it out, whether an individual or a group.

In order to receive special equipment, the show’s producer and/or director of photography must do two things:

Attend a special equipment meeting with the ER Manager. This meeting is not a substitute for the green light meeting or directors prep. It is designed to sort out logistical problems and chart the equipment at any given moment during production. This is meeting is MANDATORY if you want access to any special equipment. At the meeting a time will be set wherein the students must check the special equipment out and in. Special equipment checkout/in occurs separate from regular checkout/in. Meeting times will be posted on the board and through general email notifications.
The student will complete and sign a Special Equipment Request Form. Producers must sign this form to obtain the gear, and are responsible for its proper use and care.

This equipment needs to be returned immediately upon completion of the project or by the return date. Failure to do so will result in restriction of ER privileges.

Generators

Please note that generators are not considered special equipment, but are reserved for the use of the MFA program students. In very extreme cases, a BFA production has been granted the use of the generators. A BFA student wishing to use a generator on his/her production must follow the below procedures:

The producer must present a letter written by the cinematography teacher supervising the production, stating that s/he has attended the location scout and has deemed the generator critical for the completion of the project. It must be impossible to shoot the film otherwise. The producer must find a faculty-approved MFA student who has been trained on the generator, and who has been approved and hired as a truck driver, who is willing and able to function as the generator operator. This person must drive the generator to and from set, and remain on set whenever the generator is in use. This person will be the only person who can drive the generator truck, operate the generator, and manage power distribution on the set. This person will work with the BBE but will have final approval over the proper use and safety of electrical distribution. The producer must have a signed deal memo from the MFA student indicating the above, and the dates and times the student will be required to work.
The producer must take all documentation to the Head of Production no fewer than three full days prior to the start of the shoot for approval and signature. The completed and signed Special Equipment Form must be presented to the ER at check out, and the MFA student must be present to inspect and check out the generator truck.

Equipment Availability

Students are given access to industry-standard, professional film equipment and students are treated as professional filmmakers regarding to the care, maintenance, and responsible use of the equipment. Equipment policies are in place not only to teach the student how the professional film industry operates, but also to maintain the long-term viability of the College’s equipment.

One of the unique aspects of the College is that students do not have to stand in line to reserve equipment under a first come/first served policy. As part of the level playing field philosophy, every student production will have exactly the same base equipment package as every other production during that specific production cycle. This equipment package will be prepared for student check-out, and the check-out period scheduled as a part of the normal schedule. This insures equal access to the required equipment and equal time to inspect the state of the equipment being checked in or out.

It is a common misconception that just because the College owns a piece of equipment it is automatically available to any student who wants it whenever they want it. The lockstep nature of the curriculum, the different levels of productions, and the different requirements of the degree programs necessitate an availability policy.

Complexity of Equipment: Some equipment requires advance training outside of the normal class and/or workshop schedule. This equipment is also typically reserved for the more advanced projects, and only to those students who have taken the extra time to become trained on that equipment set-up and operation.

Degree Program Requirements: The curricular requirements of BFA and MFA programs are not the same. In some circumstances the use of certain equipment may be restricted to only one degree program. The level playing field ideology applies only within a degree plan.

Other Uses: The equipment and facilities are exclusively for use by College of Motion Picture Arts students and faculty on official FSU films and workshops. Use of the equipment for any other use must be approved by the Associate Dean and can never interfere with the established curriculum.

Equipment Room Responsibilities

The Equipment Room (ER) is designed to support students in the proper and successful completion of their projects. The ER strives to provide well-maintained, industry-standard equipment and expendables for faculty and students to use in their educational endeavors. The ER also strives to maintain and improve its equipment so that future film students will be able to enjoy the same experience of working with high quality, professional filmmaking tools.

Damage and replacement of equipment

The ER will be responsible for assisting and/or replacing equipment, which is deemed vital to the essential completion of the project.

The ER will provide an emergency phone number for the purpose of contacting ER personnel in the case of an equipment emergency. An equipment emergency is defined as any equipment malfunction that renders the completion of the production impossible or severely hindered. Not knowing how to operate equipment does not constitute an emergency. An equipment emergency is also defined as any vehicle accident involving College vehicles. Accidents involving student vehicles are not Equipment Room emergencies.

The ER shall be responsible for the replacement, repair, or supply of any equipment or expendables that are not available/functioning due to ER personnel error.

The ER is not responsible for in the field replacement of depleted expendables. The ER is also not responsible for instruction in usage of equipment in the field, and is not responsible for user error.

For each production cycle the ER will issue a Loss/Damage Report to each producer. The ER will also issue an invoice both to the producer and to the responsible individual(s) for the cost of replacing or repairing any gear damaged or missing.

Check-in and check-out

The ER personnel will guide students in the checking in and out of all equipment.

The ER will provide the original equipment Check-out/Check-in manifest forms to check against the state of the equipment. Any deviation of the state of the equipment, either in damage or loss, from the Check-out forms will be noted on the Check-in forms and signed by the ER personnel who witnessed the irregularity.

The ER will replace an item if that item is damaged or missing at the time of check-out. If there is no in-kind item available then the damaged or missing item will be noted on the Check-out Manifest.

The ER personnel will be responsible for obtaining the signature of the Check-in student at the end of Check-in.

The ER will place all approved Special Request equipment in the designated Special Request spaces.