Fixing or modifying equipment

Attempting to repair, modify and/or “jerry rig” College equipment is strictly prohibited. Equipment will invariably be broken in the course of a production, and many times there is a strong urge to attempt to fix the equipment on site. Serious and dangerous situations can arise when equipment is modified. This policy is in place for the protection of all cast and crew members, as well as to protect the equipment and ensure for its future use. Violation of this policy will subject the student to restriction and possible loss of ER privileges.

Equipment loss and damage fee

In the course of normal use, equipment and facilities will inevitably be damaged or get lost. To assist in the maintenance and replacement of equipment and facilities the College has enacted an Equipment Loss and Damage (ELD) Fee. This fee applies to ALL College equipment and facilities including, but not limited to, production equipment, post-production equipment, lab computers, classroom furnishings, and structural elements such as walls and ceilings. When discussing loss or damage it should be noted that the word “equipment” refers to all production and post-production equipment and all facilities and their contents.

This fee was created to accomplish the following goals:

1. To ensure that the College always has a fund dedicated exclusively to repairing and replacing the equipment necessary for the education of our students. This fund will protect both current and future students.
2. To ensure that each student maintains fiscal responsibility to the proper and safe use of the College’s equipment, while making sure that the student will not be overly harmed by the cost associated with replacing state-of-the-art equipment beyond the student’s fiscal capability.
3. To create an account that can carry forward unspent funds, thereby eventually creating a pool of funds capable of replacing high-end, expensive equipment.

This fund is not only for current students using the equipment, but also for the protection of the equipment for use by students from year to year. Every student enrolled in the College will pay the ELD fee each semester of enrollment, regardless of whether they are currently using the equipment or facilities. This does include students who are completing an internship in another state, or those students only enrolled in 1 credit hour a semester.

The ELD fund works exactly like an insurance policy. Every student pays into the fund each semester they are listed as a film major. Any time a student loses or damages a piece of equipment he or she will be responsible for paying a deductible of up to $1,000 for capital items (items valued at $5,000 or more) and $500 for non-capital items (items valued at less than $5,000). Any cost to replace or repair the equipment beyond the $1,000 or $500 deductible will be covered by the ELD fund. This deductible is applied to each individual piece of equipment.

For example, a student drops a lens and also breaks a filter on the lens. The cost to repair the lens (a capital item) is $1200 and the cost to replace the filter (a non-capital item) is $150. The cost to repair the lens is above the capital item deductible so the student will be responsible for the first $1,000 and the ELD fund will cover the remaining $200. The filter is below the non-capital item deductible, therefore the student will owe the entire $150. Therefore, the student will owe the College $1,150 ($1,000 for the lens, plus $150 for the filter).

If multiple students are held responsible for the loss or damage of equipment, then the cost to repair or replace will be determined for each piece of equipment and the final cost to the students will be split between all responsible parties for each piece of lost or damaged gear.

Once the fee is paid to the university and deposited into the College budget, the Dean determines the allocation of those funds. Funds not spent at the end of each semester are not refundable.

The ELD fund only covers the incidental and accidental loss or damage of equipment. Any act of gross negligence or willful destruction that results in loss or damage to equipment or facilities will not be covered by the ELD policies and the student(s) responsible will be held solely liable for the entire cost of replacement or repair, and may also be placed on probation or dismissed from the program.

Payment for lost or damaged equipment

At the end of each production cycle, all responsible parties will be identified and assessed charges for any lost or damaged gear. This process is done as close to the industry standard as possible. A Loss/Damage Report will be generated for each production and delivered to the Producer. In addition, an invoice for all missing and damaged equipment from that specific show will be generated and delivered to the Producer and the responsible party/parties.

Payment will be required in a timely fashion and a receipt will be given. All checks are to be made payable to Florida State University and delivered to the Equipment Room Manager. A payment plan option or other contingency payment options may be available and must be arranged with the Equipment Room Manager. Failure to pay for any lost and/or damaged equipment may result in probation or dismissal from the program.

Normal wear-and-tear

It is understood that, during use, equipment may become damaged in minor ways. This is viewed as normal wear-and-tear. Therefore, students will not be responsible for the cost to repair damage that is classified as normal wear and tear. The Equipment Room Manager will be responsible for classifying the damage as normal wear-and-tear, lost, or damaged.