Construction Post 21: Our production kit

Upon deciding what equipment we would use for the final round of production, we compiled everything into a kit list to keep track of it all. This list helped us remember what we needed to bring to the set and later return to the school's media department, as well as giving us an overview of what everything was used for.

The production equipment list. Click to enlarge.

The kit list was useful, as we had quite a lot of equipment- as well as the standard camera and directing equipment, we were using a dolly for camera movements and an extra light for certain shots, and we had borrowed some props also. Plus, other groups did not have the same set of equipment as us- thus, for both of these reasons, it was helpful to know what our group in particular had.

As part of the preparations for production, we also had to sign an equipment release so that the media department knew we could be trusted with the standard kit, as well as any extra things we were borrowing from them. This was done for the test shoot, and then updated for the main shoot due to the need for more/different equipment.

The equipment release form. It was a formal agreement between our group and our teachers that we would take care of everything we had borrowed from their department, and employ the required training to help us achieve these, and it even kept track of all the equipment we needed before we created an official kit list. As you can see I personally signed it and went through the training. Click to enlarge.

It was useful as it allowed us to borrow necessary equipment from the school's media department- they could not be expected to loan us anything without some sort of guarantee or agreement that we would take care of it, and it even ensured we had the training needed to work with all the equipment given to us.

Another document we produced for both shoots and updated in between them was a home shoot form. You may recognise it from Post 14. It served the same purpose, but with the role expanded to the main shoot.

The shoot organisation form. It finalised the details of every shoot, and was updated to reflect changes in timings, actors, and so on. It was also another layer of safety guarantee for the media department- they made sure we had everything planned carefully, and only signed this and allowed shoots to proceed once they were satisfied. Click to enlarge.

This was a useful sheet. It kept track of the majority of the shoot information so we didn't have to, and was comprehensive in it's coverage of shoot details.

Overall, preparing for production was a useful step as it ensured that both we and the media department were happy with arrangements. It stopped us from going astray before we had even started, and doesn't really require any improvements as everything went according to plan.