Before you can check out equipment, you must read and sign the Guidelines for Equipment Use.
Introduction
Use of the equipment and facilities from the Department of Cinema/Television Equipment Office is a privilege with corresponding responsibilities. The purpose of this document is to familiarize students with departmental guidelines and rules for use of that equipment. Failure to follow these will result in either monetary penalties or loss of privileges.
Eligibility for Equipment Use
Use of equipment is extended only to students who are currently registered as majors or cognates in the Department of Cinema/Television.
You must have successfully passed the appropriate equipment tests before you can check out equipment.
Equipment can only be checked out by students who have read and signed a copy of this document and given it to the Equipment Office to put on file.
Equipment and facility use must be for a class project, portfolio production, or an on-going departmental program, such as Christian World News. If you want an exception to be made you must obtain approval from the Chairman of Cinema/Television and the Engineer in charge of the Equipment Office.
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Equipment and Facility Reservation
The 48 hour policy
All equipment requests should be handed in to the Equipment Office (Room 121 COM Building) at least 48 hours in advance of the desired check-out time.
Plan ahead to get your form to your professor when he can sign it and get it right back to you. If your professor is unavailable and you must leave it for him/her to sign later, follow up and make sure the form gets to the equipment office on time.
Filling out the forms
The equipment and facility request forms must be completely filled out; the equipment office graduate assistant cannot reserve equipment or facilities for you otherwise. The form must be signed by the professor(s) overseeing the class or project.
Making appointments
After you hand in your form you must make an appointment with the Equipment Office. The pick-up time you request may not be available, so you must call or drop by to be sure your name is in the appointment book.
If you show up to pick up equipment and you do not have an appointment, the graduate assistant cannot give you equipment. At the time you call or stop by to confirm your appointment be sure also to confirm that the equipment you want is available. When you arrive to pick up equipment you cannot ‘add’ to your list equipment you ‘forgot’ to include on your form; adding messes up the reservation process for everyone else.
Only the person responsible for picking up the equipment is allowed in the office
Missing appointments
Appointments are scheduled to give the equipment office graduate assistants time to handle each request and to keep up with repair, maintenance, ordering and other office duties. If you are going to be late for any reason, call the Equipment Office immediately. You have a 15 minute window from the time of your scheduled appointment to show up. After that you are considered late.
If you are late without alerting the office you will lose your appointment and must make a new one; the GA will have to move on to the next appointment. Failure to return equipment on time is worse than not picking up on time. The demand for equipment is very high and someone else will need the equipment soon, perhaps even by the next appointment time. If you do not return your equipment on time and do not contact the equipment office you will be fined $20. You will not be allowed to check equipment out again until you have paid the fine. The fine will be recorded at the business office and held against your record.
If you have an appointment scheduled for 11:30 or 4:30 (one half hour before closing times) and you are late, you will not get equipment. The graduate assistants cannot stay after hours.
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Reservation Priority
Equipment and facilities are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Therefore, reserve early. Request forms that are improperly filled out lose priority position, so, again, be sure to fill them out completely.
Student reservations are final. Your reservations can be bumped only during Comps Week by students finishing their comprehensive exams and by some portfolio and summer film priority situations. The equipment office will make every effort to notify you immediately of any reservation changes.
Training prerequisites
You must have taken CTV 502, Equipment Workshop or passed the equipment tests to be eligible to use Regent University equipment.
How long can I keep equipment?
Equipment can be reserved for 48 consecutive hours during the week and 72 consecutive hours over the weekend. Exceptions to this are for longer projects such as Summer films and music videos or by written permission from the supervising professor. If you pick up on Monday, equipment is due back Wednesday. If you pick up on Wednesday, equipment is due back on Friday. If you pick up on Friday, equipment is due back on Monday.
Note to student producers
If you are producing a film using the grip truck, your listing on the Master Production Calendar does not ensure reservation of your equipment if your shooting schedule changes. Notify the equipment office immediately of any schedule changes that affect check in times or check out times of your equipment; there may be scheduling conflicts.
Checking Out Equipment
You are advised to check thoroughly the equipment you receive. All of the cameras, light kits, and other equipment kits have labels indicating the contents. If you return the equipment with a listing from the label missing you will be charged for the missing piece. As such, you should verify that the contents of the case are the same as the label when you take it out. Let the graduate assistant know if pieces are missing and note it on your inventory sheet.
Likewise, the equipment is considered to be in good working order and in good repair when given to you. You should verify that the equipment works and note any damage you find. If equipment is returned with damage or with malfunctions you will be charged for repairs unless the damage was noted when you took it out.
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Returning Equipment
You must return the equipment in the same orderly fashion in which you received it. All cords must be properly wound and all items must be in their proper cases. The equipment graduate assistant will not check in equipment that is not in proper order; you will be asked to repack the equipment before it is checked in.
If equipment is found to have sand or other grime on it when it is returned, you will be charged a $10 service fee.
Do not!
Do not attempt to return equipment outside of office hours (9 am-Noon, 1-5 Mon.-Fri.). Do not try to contact a graduate assistant at home! Do not try to get into any equipment storage areas. Security will not let you in. Do not leave equipment in any room or in the hall unsupervised; to do so will mean the indefinite loss of equipment privileges.
The grip truck
If you are responsible for returning the grip truck and it is dirty and/or poorly packed so that the graduate assistants must clean and repack the truck (or scour the truck for missing equipment) you will be fined fifty dollars. The graduate assistants will give you the option at the time you return the truck to clean, repack, and look for missing equipment yourself (and make a new check in appointment) or to let them clean and repack the truck for you. You will then be charged fifty dollars. If scheduling demands the truck be checked out again immediately, you will not have the option to clean the truck yourself, you will simply be charged.
The repacking fine will be registered at the business office and held against your record until paid. You will not be able to check out equipment until the fine is paid.
The truck must have a FULL tank of gas when you return it.
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Equipment Breakdown
Negligence
Students are responsible for the replacement cost of lost items or equipment damaged due to negligence. If you are responsible for lost or damaged equipment you will be contacted by the equipment office about replacement/repair costs. You will not be allowed to check out equipment until you remit the cost to the equipment office.
No repairs or rewiring of facilities should be attempted by the student.
If you are caught repatching any editing facilities you will loose your equipment privileges indefinitely.
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