Chapter 16
Production Procedures, Etiquette, and Safety
■ On the Documentary Set
With small crews in real-world locations and situations that can vary from a quiet living room to a war zone, the documentary set would appear to have little of the hierarchy visible on fiction film sets. Very often, there will be no more than three or four people collaborating on a project. But don’t let the small size fool you! Good documentary filmmaking is not about “shooting from the hip.” When you are on location, in the middle of other people’s lives with your cameras, microphones, and lights, it is extremely important to have a clear idea of who does what, and who, quite literally, “calls the shots.” A smart director will share her vision with her crew in advance, work out a few ground rules, and consult regularly to ensure that everyone is working toward a common purpose.
Even though the director and producer are the last word on any project, on a documentary set they will often depend on the cinematographer and sound recordist to have their own ears and eyes, to work independently at times, and to chip in with ideas or solutions to problems. From the cinematographer you might hear, “Let me get a few shots of the stuff on the mantelpiece.” Or from the sound recordist, “I need some ambience to cover those long shots.” For this reason, documentary filmmakers often work with collaborators they can depend on to share their vision and working methods, and often work with the same people over and over again. Most crews develop subtle forms of communication to let each other know that they did or didn’t get what they needed, or whether they think the interview subject has said everything that they’re going to, or even that there is a better shot than the one they’re taking if they just move the camera slightly. In other words, every member of a documentary crew is always on their toes and sensitive to the reality and the possibilities that are unfolding around them.
A film location is an exciting, intense, and often pressure-packed environment with energetic people who are focused, driven, and usually working with limited time and resources. In this environment, there is often a temptation to cut corners to get the job done quickly. But cutting certain corners can be counterproductive—or worse, downright foolish and dangerous. Remember, a documentary set is usually other people’s property, and often a personal space where they live their lives. The following sections cover essential set etiquette and safety issues that should always be observed so that your production experience is safe, productive, and rewarding for all involved.
■ Set Etiquette: Human and Material Resources
Everyone on a documentary set should be treated with respect. All crew members must respect each other, as well as the people, both on- and off-camera, at any location. This brief code of conduct outlines the standards of behavior for members of a production team:
- Do your job, whatever that job is, to the best of your ability. Documentaries are created by a small, coordinated, and collaborating group of individuals. One person slacking off places an unfair burden on someone else who has their own job to do. Doing your job well also means knowing your job well. If you sign on to be the sound recordist on someone’s film, then you had better know how to be an excellent sound recordist. Learn what you need to know to be exceptional at your job, whatever that job is. Doing your job well also means staying alert and being ready when you are needed. Sometimes, there are periods of downtime on a shoot. Keep your ears and eyes open for anything that needs doing. Lulls in activity are not invitations to go wandering off to get snacks or make personal phone calls. In documentary, reality proceeds at its own uneven pace. You never know when you may need to jump into action, and the last thing you want is for a producer or director to shout, “Anybody know where the hell [so-and-so] is? We are ready to shoot!” If you are a knowledgeable, conscientious, reliable, and effective worker, people will want to work with you again and again. Every project contributes to the reputation you establish for yourself.
- Always be on time, which means be early! The media production world places a very high premium on promptness. Being late shows a phenomenal lack of respect toward the other people who arrive on time ready to work. In other words, when you are late, you waste other people’s valuable time. Location shooting often means a tight travel schedule, or dealing with interview subjects who have limited time windows. If you have a reputation for being late, you simply will not work much.
- Maintain a positive “can-do” attitude. Documentary film productions involve lots of problem solving: rigging a light in a bathroom where there is no space, extended hours to get just the right content, recording usable audio in noisy environments. A production thrives with people who love a challenge and are innovative when it comes to solving a problem or working in less than ideal circumstances. A lot of times, this means going above and beyond a narrowly interpreted call of duty and keeping a smile on your face.
- Respect the team structure. Even in a small documentary crew, people have specific roles and responsibilities. This does not mean you can’t help out. Very often the director will end up holding a microphone, or the cinematographer will ask interview questions. The trick is to do so when called upon, and to respect the expertise of the individual crew members. You may be the sound recordist, and notice that it looks like a light needs adjusting. Don’t go and adjust it yourself, or complain to the director about it. Depending on the situation, you may have a quiet word with the cinematographer, or make an offer to make the adjustment if you can see they are tied up. Sound recordist Daniel Brooks talks about how using his eyes is an important part of his job:
Being a sound guy, you end up having these ongoing relationships with people. You get to know their aesthetic and you’re able to assist them. A lot of times, especially in documentaries, the camera person is looking at a 30° or 15° field of view through the camera. And so part of my job, as a sound recordist, is to see the other 330° and observe what is going on outside the frame. If he’s focused on something and I see something amazing happen, I can say “Hey, pan to your left, there’s a really cool thing happening.” And so the sound recordist acts as a team member.1
- 5. Treat everyone with courtesy. If you treat people well, they will treat you well. Listen to people. Give praise where praise is due and do not take credit if it is not yours to claim. Learn people’s names. Don’t criticize negatively or humiliate people if mistakes are made. Don’t get in the way of the work other people have to do. Crude comments or jokes about race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or specific people on the set are not appropriate. Raucous behavior in general can throw everyone’s concentration off. Stay cool, calm, and focused.
All this does not necessarily mean every shoot is a total love-fest. In fact, you will surely find yourself on sets where you don’t like some of the people you’re working with. But when you sign onto a production (paid or not), you have a personal obligation to do your job as well as you can and see the shoot through successfully. Once it’s all over, you can vow never to work with certain people ever again, but for the duration of that film shoot you must do your job.
There are also many people on a documentary set who aren’t crew members, and they must be respected as well. Documentary subjects let you into their real lives, and they are not paid. The delicate relationship, not just with the director but with the entire crew, is built on trust and respect, and sometimes this is earned over months. It’s terrible when that relationship is shattered by an off-hand rude comment or a breach of privacy.
Often you will be shooting in public places like parks, sidewalks, beaches, and neighborhood streets. These places are not your private film set, so you must treat the public with respect and try not to disrupt their lives too much. In other words, keep as low a profile as possible. This includes not making excessive noise, not parking in a way that obstructs other people’s access, being conscientious about litter, and not taking up more space than is necessary. Think of yourself as an ambassador for filmmaking in general.
Respect and Protect the Location
Making documentaries involves locations that are ordinarily not film sets. While there are situations where you need to be firm and push to get what you need for your project, remember you are often in someone’s home or their place of work. The unwritten rule in these cases is that, like a backpacker, you should leave a location in exactly the same condition you found it, or better. This requires that everyone on the team be careful to protect the location. Since filming on location can involve quite a bit of rearranging, moving sofas, turning off appliances, removing pictures from the wall, putting gels on windows, or tying back curtains, you should be clear about what you’ve done, and how to undo it. You may also find yourself having to plug in a light that has a much higher wattage than the typical home fixture. Did you ask if it was okay? Did you find out where the fuse or breaker box is? In fact, if there is a fuse box, did you bring a couple of extra fuses in case of a blowout (pp. 263–265)? If it is an office, you may need to be in touch with building staff. A circuit breaker blown on the 14th floor that needs to be reset by someone you don’t know how to find, can be extremely aggravating for all concerned, and may result in you losing the cooperation of a subject.
A few extra precautions are standard:
- Carefully assess the electrical distribution so you don’t overload internal wiring.
- Designate a single place for the production team to dispose of garbage.
- Place delicate objects well out of harm’s way, and ask the location owners to secure their valuable items in another place.
- Be aware of the placement of hot movie lights, as they can blister paint and burn drapes.
- Invest in a roll of real gaffer’s tape. Be careful about using tape directly on walls as it may peel paint off. Tape cables down or run them under rugs. Tape down and/or sandbag light stands.
- Assign someone the job of monitoring the condition of the location. If necessary, this person can suggest that the crew take some time to clean up the space afterwards.
- Take photographs before you move furniture and objects around so that you know exactly where everything belongs when it comes time to return the space to normal.
From time to time, an accident will occur and the location may sustain some damage. For example, you accidentally gouge the wall while moving a light stand. Don’t try to hide the damage and get away with it. Tell the owner of the property and offer to fix it. If one of their possessions gets broken, finding a replacement on eBay or sending them a gift certificate for a nice dinner can go a long way toward making everyone feel better.
Respect Your Equipment
Media production is highly technical. In documentary, you depend on your equipment to function for long hours in all sorts of climates and weather conditions, often very far from any source of replacement or repair. Neglecting, manhandling, or misusing your equipment will undoubtedly hurt you because your gear will either not function properly or cease to function at all. In the case of electrical equipment, misuse can be especially dangerous and even deadly. Respecting equipment includes educating and training yourself in the proper use of your gear long before you get on location, using the specific item for its intended use only, handling all gear with care, not physically modifying or customizing equipment that is not yours, maintaining an orderly location and staging area, packing equipment away properly, and using common sense at all times (Figure 16.1). Obviously, when you are renting equipment, you will be charged for damages. In a school situation, where all students rely on the quick turnaround of common and properly functioning equipment, your manhandling of gear can not only result in a fine or loss of privileges. It could also jeopardize other students’ ability to complete their work, and therefore their film and their grade is put at risk.
■ Figure 16.1 Careless handling of equipment will result in damage, production delays, and even injury. This guy is doing everything wrong. By carrying too much gear and dragging improperly coiled cables, not to mention the camera slung recklessly over his shoulder, he’s tempting a production calamity.
Food and Breaks
Ten- or twelve-hour work days are not unusual on a documentary production. When a crew finds its groove and a good scene is playing out, you can get caught up in the moment and lose all sense of time. The body, however, knows when it’s been working hard for hours. To maintain the morale and physical stamina of the crew, well-timed breaks for food and hydration are essential. Giving people meal breaks will only make them a happier, healthier, and more productive crew.
Because film shoots are long and hard, and food is essential, you should take any dietary issues of your crew seriously. A producer should know before ordering food who is a vegetarian, or if people have any food allergies. Don’t feed the crew pizza every day!
Film work is physically strenuous and sets can get hot, so you must have plenty of water on hand to keep your crew hydrated. This is especially critical for hot days. And it only stands to reason that if you want your crew to drink water to stay hydrated, you’d better make sure that there are bathrooms conveniently available. Part of preproduction is securing the necessary facilities.
■ Production Safety and Security
The information in this section is designed to alert you to some of the major issues concerning production safety and security and to prompt you to take them very seriously. These guidelines are here to help you avoid risk of death, injury, arrest, equipment loss and damage, lawsuits, project collapse, and a bad reputation. Absolutely nothing else in this book means anything if your project is not a safe one and catastrophe occurs. This discussion, however, is in no way comprehensive, nor can it address the safety concerns of every production and circumstance. For this reason, we urge you to do further research into the specific safety contingencies of your particular project and to check with all applicable labor union, state government, local government, location, and school safety regulations and procedures before you start rolling the camera.
Don’t be a hero; be an intelligent filmmaker. Get permission to enter property. Get permits when they are required (Chapter 6). Getting a high-angle shot by shimmying up a light pole or hopping a fence onto private property are risks and need to be treated as such. The first step in avoiding stupid accidents is to acknowledge that we are all capable of poor judgment and therefore must remain vigilant, stay smart, follow rules, heed warnings, and listen to others who have the experience and expertise to tell us how things should be done and when we’re being unwise and reckless (Figure 16.2).
■ Figure 16.2 This is an exuberant idea for an improvised traveling shot filmed at a time when cars were rare and car mounts nonexistent. These days, though, you’d likely get in serious trouble for a move like this. This is one of the rare times we will tell our readers, “Do not do what this master filmmaker is doing!” From Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera (1929).
Prepare for Safety
A great deal of the effort and attention for ensuring a safe production process happens in preproduction. Don’t think that your project is so small or so blessed by the filmmaking gods that you can get away with avoiding these steps:
- Research, study, and follow all safety regulations and guidelines that apply to your specific project. This may include guidelines from the state or local governments and law enforcement, regulations of the specific location where you are shooting, and the safety guidelines established by your school or department as well as the production parameters expressed by your instructor (in the syllabus or verbally) for the class.
- Everyone on the production team is responsible for safety. Documentary filmmaking is inherently unpredictable. Always be clear about who is responsible for which areas of safety. As you are planning your production, you should be clear about the big picture risks going into any location or situation. As a director or producer actually on location, you are the one responsible for safety decisions. The cine matographer is responsible for safe deployment and rigging of equipment and placement of camera crew.
- Location surveys should include looking for and noting any safety concerns in the specific location. These should include a careful assessment of electricity capabilities, structural conditions, hazardous materials, potential fire hazards, weather exposure, proximity of high voltage lines and traffic, dangerous natural terrain, neighborhood crime trends, hospital proximity, and so on. Also note all emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and access points. The goal is to anticipate and address specific safety concerns before the shoot occurs.
- Everyone on the film team should have the emergency contact information for the police, fire department, and emergency medical service. It’s a good idea to put this information right on the call sheet, which everyone gets (Chapter 6).
- Schedule reasonable hours. Allow enough time for the crew to rest between shooting days, and schedule enough time to allow your crew to do their jobs thoroughly and thoughtfully. Don’t cram so many things into each day that everyone is rushing and cutting corners just to stay on schedule.
- Everyone must know how to operate their gear before they go on location, especially large and potentially dangerous items like dollies and generators. Never try to operate equipment that requires training and certification level expertise unless you have that training or certification. Hire a certified operator.
■ The Three Commandments of Film Production Safety
- Every filmmaker has a moral and legal obligation to keep their subjects and crew, and the public, safe. Lack of funds is never an excuse for poor safety practices.
- Safety is everyone’s responsibility. You are first responsible for safety in your specific area, but if you see something dangerous or excessively risky anywhere else during a shoot, you must mention it.
- Learn and follow all safety regulations and guidelines that apply to your specific project (government, school, location).
Production Insurance
Production insurance is key regardless of the size, scale, or budget of your production. Insurance protects the project from catastrophe should there be any injury caused by the production, not to mention damage to the equipment. Many rental houses require proof of insurance (some rental houses will provide insurance on equipment for an extra fee). In addition, you will need to show proof of insurance coverage in order to be allowed to shoot in many locations, including in parks, on bridges, and more. Don’t wait until the last minute. You need to find an insurance company, determine what kind of insurance you need, complete the application process, and wait for it to be binding, so give yourself plenty of time. If you’re a student, your department should have information about where and how to acquire production insurance. There is more about insurance coverage in Chapter 6.
Employment Rules and Workman’s Compensation
For good reason, most municipalities have strict rules about worker safety. If someone is injured working for you, it is your responsibility. Historically, in the film world, this responsibility has been avoided by calling the crew “independent contractors.” More recent legal decisions suggest that this is a poor defense. Many producers deal with this issue by paying crew members through a payroll service. This will cost you a bit more in the short run, but it means that the requisite deductions have been made, and that you will have a clear paper trail for the government. Most importantly, it means that if someone does get injured on your production, they will be able to get the medical treatment they need.
International Travel
If you are traveling to the far side of the planet to do your shoot, you may want extra travel insurance. For example, if you are shooting scenes in rural Africa, in a country with only one hospital (as coauthor Martin Lucas did in Malawi), it makes sense to have special medical evacuation (medevac) insurance to fly an ill or injured crew member out of the country. In addition, an International Driver’s Permit is a good investment if you plan to drive in a foreign locale. Most national drivers’ associations issue them (in the United States, you can use the American Automobile Association).
Another thing to think about before heading abroad is having your crew take a trip to a doctor or travel medicine specialist. Aside from ubiquitous dangers like tetanus, in many parts of the world you may need to consider diseases like malaria, hepatitis, or other less common diseases that are specific to certain regions. Some immunizations require a series of shots, others a course of pills that you need to start taking before you start your trip. You should also have a basic first aid kit with you at all times. Even a scratch or a bite can develop into something serious if not treated quickly.
It’s worth pointing out that even not knowing the language well enough can cause problems. Coauthor Martin Lucas was working on a documentary in Lebanon during the 1982 Israeli invasion. The local fire patrol showed up in a red hook and ladder truck and told the crew to leave the area they were shooting in. The crew politely ignored them, figuring they were not the police or the army, so why should they listen? It turned out they had been tasked with destroying a big pile of leftover battlefield explosives, and a few moments after they left a big explosion deafened the crew and rained shrapnel down on them.
Documentary makers try to mitigate these risks by hiring a fixer. A fixer is an assistant who speaks the language and can double as a driver, run interference with local authorities, and offer insight into local conditions. On the way to a shoot for a health clinic in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh, coauthor Lucas was surprised to be taken by one of the clinic staff to a public fountain where a large man in shorts and a body decorated with knife scars held court. It turned out he was the “boss” of the neighborhood, and nothing happened in it without his blessing. This vital piece of information was something only a local, in this case one of the subjects, could know.
Another precaution worth taking when working far from home is to arrange some sort of backup in case your equipment breaks down, is damaged, or is stolen. One approach is to arrange for a rental house at home to stand by with a camera they can ship to you quickly. A second approach is to bring a second camera, like a small HD camera or an inexpensive DSLR with you, and leave it in a safe locale while you are out on location.
Finally, electricity can vary in voltage from place to place, and is unstable in many parts of the world as well. Be clear that you know the standard voltage where you are going. Some countries can surprise you. Japan, for example, has both 110V and 220V. Make sure you have adaptors that match the outlets where you are going. In addition, plugging a lightbulb for 110V into a 220V or 240V circuit can blow out the bulb as well as the circuit.
When you travel, make sure you have bulbs for the appropriate voltages, as well as plugs or adaptors. More and more equipment these days, including camera and computer chargers, is set to handle a broad range of voltages, but other equipment may not be so flexible. Transformers and voltage converters are designed for very specific circumstances. You need to look at your equipment and your workflow carefully before taking any equipment to another country.
Common Sense
By far, the preponderance of accidents that happen on location occurs because people forget to use common sense. No one on a film shoot should do or request anything of anyone that would even remotely jeopardize their safety. Asking a camera operator to climb up onto a steep rooftop to get a panoramic shot constitutes a willful and dangerous lack of common sense, as does jury-rigging a structurally unsound and untested camera mount to a moving car. Both cases constitute negligence, which is defined as conduct that falls below the standards of behavior established for the protection of others against unreason able risk of harm (Figure 16.3).
■ Figure 16.3 No amount of liability insurance or skating prowess will ever make this kind of thing a good idea.
You should also avoid distractions, like pets, visitors, and the reigning king of all distractions: the smartphone. Ask your crew to keep their phones off until break time. One of the coauthors once visited a student film set and saw someone trying to set up a big 2K soft light while talking to a friend on a cellphone squeezed between their ear and shoulder. Bad idea!
Although this next point should be obvious, it must be stated in no uncertain terms. No drugs or alcohol on any shoot. Also, it’s up to each crew member to dress appropriately for their particular role on the set. This is especially important for crew who work with or around heavy equipment and electrical gear. Leather palmed gloves to protect your hands from scorching lights are obvious, but it should be equally obvious that high heels or open toed shoes are not appropriate footwear if you’re required to move equipment, or work in a jungle, either concrete or tropical. Always wear shoes or boots that protect your feet. You should also wear pants that cover your legs. Finally, it’s important for safety’s sake to keep your set neat and orderly with room for movement. Use your staging area; put things away that are not being used. Don’t leave gear where people can trip on it and never ever block emergency exits with equipment.
Rest and Health
Filmmaking on any level is strenuous work. Keep yourself healthy and mentally sharp by getting enough sleep and eating well during your production period. Also, allow your crew to do the same. Without rest, your thinking and coordination will be blunt and you’ll lack the energy to deal with the general intensity level of filmmaking. No one is an exception. Also, be sensitive to driving times. If you’re shooting 250 miles from home and expect to wrap at midnight, arrange for hotel accommodations; do not ask anyone to drive 4 hours to get home after a 12-hour workday.
Weather
The entire production team must be aware of the expected weather conditions and dress appropriately. In cold conditions, wear warmer clothes than you would normally wear on a cold day. When you are working in low temperatures for hours, the cold eventually seeps in. Have a plan for somewhere to warm up, even if only a car with a good heater. In extremely hot weather, lots of drinking water is especially crucial and if you’re outside, protect your crew from sun exposure. This means providing sunblock and shade in the form of tarps and umbrellas, which also protect equipment from direct sun. Finally, don’t shoot in hostile weather just to stay on schedule. Ice storms, rainstorms, heavy snow, and gale force winds not only make for a miserable experience and compromised footage, but are simply dangerous. Don’t risk injury to personnel and damage to equipment; just reschedule. If you are shooting somewhere such as a sea coast or a mountain top where extreme weather is a real possibility, make sure to double check with the national weather service (www.weather.gov in the United States; https://weather.gc.ca/ in Canada), and check for coastal flood advisories or storm warnings before heading out.
Risky Locations
If, during the location scout or survey, you discover that a location is not structurally secure, that there are hazardous materials on the site (asbestos, flammable or toxic compounds), or that the electrical wiring presents a danger, then simply look for another location. It’s also best to avoid dangerous locations like steep cliffs, soft riverbanks, and busy highways. When you must shoot in neighborhoods with high crime rates, your best bet is to find out from local organizations where it is safe to be and when, and have other crew with you.
Water
If you are shooting on a boat or near any large body of water, do not use 120/240V electricity at all. Rather, since you’ll be outdoors, use bounce boards or battery-powered lights. Additionally, life vests and safety lines are mandatory. Don’t use “tippy” boats, and don’t overload boats. While waterproof housing exists for cameras, most equipment will sustain serious damage if it gets wet.
Air
Another area where safety is a concern is the sky. If you are planning an aerial shot, your best bet will probably be someone at a local airport who has worked with camera crews before and has a special camera mount. An aerial shot can add something special to a documentary, but must be prepared for carefully. Sometimes the best way to get a shot is by removing the door of a plane, for instance. This means the cameraperson and equipment must be tied in very carefully. In addition, aerial photography may involve special permissions. By and large, this type of shooting is out of the range of this book, but in an age where a few hundred dollars will get you a drone with a camera mount, the future of aerial cinematography is destined to grow in unexpected ways that offer new thrills and accompanying dangers. If you plan on using a drone, make sure you check with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (in the United States) or the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the United Kingdom, to find out what the laws are, and think very carefully about the safety issues involved in sending up a drone where you plan to.
Security
In addition to safety, you must think about the security of people, equipment, and personal belongings when you are shooting, especially on location. Theft of equipment and the personal belongings of cast and crew is a common problem on film sets. A producer must ensure that the staging area for equipment is secure and that everyone has a safe place to store their personal belongings while they are on set. This is especially challenging when you are shooting in a public exterior location. In some cases, you may need to assign a person the job of locking away and watching over people’s belongings. Never leave valuables and equipment in a car. Cars get broken into all the time. One colleague tells a story of driving home from a long shoot with her cinematographer and stopping to have a bite to eat. They tried to find a bonded (insured) parking lot because they had some equipment in the van, but they couldn’t find one so they parked on a fairly busy street. When they returned to the van, all the locks had been popped off and the equipment was gone. In this instance, she was lucky on three counts: (1) she had paid extra for theft insurance when she rented the van, (2) the cinematographer did what any professional would do: he took the camera into the restaurant with him, and (3) the thieves were not interested in all those DigiBeta tapes in the van and left them behind. These contained all the footage they had shot up to that point!
Gear also gets stolen when there are not enough people loading or returning equipment. One person must be assigned the job of watching the vehicle while others take equipment inside or out. Loss also often happens on messy, disorganized sets, or when set striking is rushed. Leaving equipment in a hallway while the entire crew is in the apartment shooting is asking for it to get stolen.
Security also means providing a safe way to get to and from the location. If people must travel home late, drive them or pay for a cab.
Electricity and Safety
Documentary production’s lighting needs can mean adding thousands of watts of power to systems that usually handle much smaller loads. Electricity is dangerous stuff and must be treated properly. A few safety principles and a bit of common sense are all it takes to ensure a safe and successful production experience.
How Much Electricity?
Before you start plugging lights in, you need to determine how much electrical power you have at your location and how it’s distributed. This will help you figure out how many lights you can work with, and where they can be set up and plugged in. Below is a simple procedure that can be done during your location survey to determine how much power you will have, and where it is. This will save you a lot of time and labor by keeping you from lugging more lights than you could possibly use to the location, or by keeping you from having to completely overhaul your lighting scheme when you discover the lighting plan you envisioned isn’t possible given the true electrical situation at the location.
- Locate the breaker box (or fuse box) for your particular location (Figure 16.4). A breaker box brings the raw power from the utility company into a building and breaks it out into various circuits distributed throughout the rooms. Each circuit is rated in amps (short for “amperes”) and has a dedicated breaker switch (or fuse) with the amp rating written right on it. The amp rating tells us how much electricity can safely flow through that circuit. Common circuit ratings found in homes and apartments in the United States (and any country where 120V power is standard) are 15 amps (most rooms) and 20 amps (rooms that use heavy-draw appliances, like kitchens and bathrooms), but you’ll need to check your breaker box to be sure. If you exceed the circuit’s rating by plugging in too many lights, the breaker will trip and cut the electricity. With a fuse, a metal filament embedded in the fuse melts and breaks the connection, and it must be replaced. If a breaker trips, you can simply reset it with the flick of a switch, but when you do so you must make very sure you reduce the amount of electricity you are drawing on that circuit or it will trip again. The purpose of breakers and fuses is to keep the building from burning down. Excess electrical load causes the internal wiring in the walls to heat up so much that the insulation melts, leaving super hot and exposed wires to short circuit and possibly start a fire.
- The next step is to determine which wall outlets are on which circuits. To determine the distribution, simply turn on one breaker at a time and plug a small lamp or a circuit tester (highly recommended) into each outlet (Figure 16.5). Take note of which breaker controls which outlets throughout your location. Occasionally breakers will be labeled “kitchen,” “living room,” “master bedroom,” etc., but these labels are often wrong, so it’s best to simply figure out for yourself which outlets are connected to which circuit.
- Calculate the amount of electricity you can draw from each circuit. To determine how many watts of lighting you can plug into any single circuit, use the following formula: watts = volts x amps. We already know what amps are and their rating can be read straight off the breaker of each circuit. The next step is to know the voltage of your system. Volts (voltage) are the measure of the electromotive force of the electrical current. In the United States, a normal AC outlet will vary from 110 to 120 volts. To give ourselves some margin for safety, it’s always best to use the conservative figure 110 volts for our calculations. So in a situation where the circuit breaker is listed for 15 amps we can do the following calculation: 110 (volts) x 15 (amps) = 1,650 watts. This means we can plug in up to 1,650 watts of light on each 15-amp circuit. For a 20-amp circuit breaker, it would be: 110 (volts) x 20 (amps) = 2,200 watts.
If you’re using 220V power, and a 10-amp circuit, the equation would go: 220 volts x 10 amps = 2,200 watts. However, it is not safe to go right up to the limit of any circuit. As wires start to heat up, fuses can blow. Also, be careful to take into account or unplug any appliances at the location that draw power. It’s easy to forget that the refrigerator is plugged into the kitchen’s 20-amp circuit. If lights adding up to 2,100 watts are plugged in while the refrigerator compressor is off, invariably the fridge will kick back on just in the middle of an interview, and BLAM!—the breaker trips and the lights go out.
■ Figure 16.4 Electricity on location. A lighting crew has carefully labeled this household breaker box after determining where each circuit is located and what the amperage rating is.
■ Figure 16.5 Circuit testers will tell you whether the circuit is properly wired, with a “hot,” a “return,” and a ground. Many circuits are improperly grounded or wired.
Electrical Loads and Time
The length of time that lights are on is another factor that can push a circuit to the breaking point as cables heat up. A provision in the National Electrical Code states that if an electrical load is run continuously for more than three hours (as we often do on a location) then it must be considered a “continuous load.” A circuit that has a continuous load must be de-rated to 80 percent of the posted protection. So if we plan to power our lights on a 20-amp circuit for more than three hours continuously, we must rate that circuit (and do our calculations) at 16 amps (110 x 16 = 1,760 watts). For a circuit that is ordinarily 15 amps, our continuous load calculation must be made with a 12-amp rating (110 x 12 = 1,320 watts).2
The math sounds complicated, but the point is to be careful, especially keeping film lights operating for long periods of time. A good practice is to turn off lights any time you are taking a break from shooting.
Splitting the Load
If you do not have access to the breaker or fuse box, then you will need to be extremely cautious when you plug in lights. If you blow a fuse, it’s “lights out” for the rest of the shoot. The best strategy is to bring plenty of heavy-duty extension cords so that you can “split the load.” That means that you may be shooting in the living room, but you’ve plugged the key light into the kitchen circuit while your fill is powered from a different circuit in the bedroom.
Lighting Safety Tips
■ Figure 16.6 Lights should always be set up with the cable flush against the stand (a), stabilized with sandbags (b), and cables taped to the floor to prevent accidents (c).
- The first rule of safety is to use common sense at all times. Things can become quite hectic on a shoot, but you should always take your time and do things correctly. Never cut corners on safety to save time and don’t try to get away with untested, unsafe jury-rigging.
- Never attempt to do things that require the expertise of a trained and certified electrician. This includes doing repairs on high wattage lights, opening up breaker boxes to “tie into the mains,” and rewiring outlets.
- Maintain a professional attitude toward your equipment. Abused and manhandled gear will break and, in the case of lighting equipment, can give you a severe shock. Keep an eye out for fraying cables or loose connectors.
- Lights get very hot and can burn everything from hands to walls. Keep flammable items away from them. When bouncing lights off walls, keep them back far enough that they will not blister the paint. Be aware of all flammable materials on the set, such as curtains, and keep lights clear. Always wear leather-palmed grip gloves when handling hot lights. Never put gaffer’s tape in direct contact with the unit’s housing or even the barn doors, as it will melt. Use clothespins or clamps instead. When you are hanging lights from the ceiling, be very careful where you place them. A hot light can set off the automatic sprinkler system for a whole room or building!
- Gels designated as “tough” (tough spun, tough blue, etc.) are flame resistant and can be used near lights but will melt if not mounted properly. Also, carefully handle any scrims that are used on lights (Chapter 11), as they also get super hot.
- Always turn off lights when they are not in use. After a shoot, turn them off and let them cool down completely, on their stands, before you pack them away.
- Never touch the bulb of a professional light, even if it is cool. Lamps get extremely hot and can obviously burn you, but touching a cool lamp with your bare fingers is also dangerous because your fingers leave oil on the bulb. The oil cooks when the lamp is turned on and eventually it can cause the bulb to explode. Always use the plastic or paper sheath provided with a new lamp to handle the bulb.
- Electricity and water do not mix. When shooting scenes involving water, like bathtubs and swimming pools, it’s best to go with available light. If you must use lighting for interior bathroom scenes, use battery-powered lights and do not set up lights where they could fall into the water.
- When setting up a light stand or a C-stand, try to keep the weight as evenly distributed as possible to avoid having the stand topple over. Use a sandbag to stabilize every stand (Figure 16.6, left).
- Do not use home extension cables for your film lights. Typically they are not rated properly for heavy use. Make sure you have heavy-duty industrial extension cables that are rated for the amperage you are using.
- Keep your cables neat. Use extensions so that cables fall straight down from the unit to the ground rather than stretching out diagonally to reach an outlet (Figure 16.6, right). Tape down your cables with gaffer’s tape (called “dressing cables”), and always coil unused cables and put them out of the way, safely in the staging area.
- All hanging lights, barn doors, and any other item rigged overhead should be secured with a safety chain.