Equipment Checkout Policies and Procedures

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The Media Arts Program is blessed to be equipped with a wide variety of film equipment for curricular use. The equipment is managed and maintained by the Media Arts Lab. Equipment can be checked out from our two equipment checkout spaces, TMA Checkout (140 WCAS) and the FSSS Building at the LDS Motion Picture Studio.

Media Arts Equipment is reserved only for use in Media Arts classes and on MA faculty/MA-approved projects. Equipment cannot be checked out for students’ personal or commercial projects.

Equipment is assigned to students by the classes they are enrolled in. Each class list is reviewed and approved by the faculty of the course. If a student wishes to access equipment beyond what is assigned on the class list, they must request additional access through a Media Arts Lab Access Meeting.

Equipment Policies

In Order to Access Equipment the Following Conditions Need to Be Met:

Be enrolled in a class or have received special access status that has TMA departmental support.
Receive MAL training on the specific equipment requested.
Read and accept the MAL Equipment Access, Loss, Damage, and Penalty Policy.
Students must be in good academic standing with the department.

When You Are Checking Out Equipment:

During checkout, carefully examine equipment for any damages and properly prep the equipment before leaving. You are responsible for the condition of equipment upon check-in. This will save you from checking out broken equipment and help us to keep track of who might be responsible for damages.
Be responsible for the equipment you check out. Treat the equipment better than if it were your own.
Others should not use equipment you check out unless you are officially authorized to mentor them. You take personal financial responsibility for the equipment from the time it is checked out to the time it is checked in.
Do not lend the equipment out to others while it is checked out to you.
Equipment is not approved for personal or freelance work.
Do not mistreat, damage, or neglect the security of the equipment.
Do not leave it in a car or exposed to inclement weather.
Do not leave the state or country with equipment unless otherwise approved by the MAL Administrator and the proper documentation is filed.
Be aware that any damage to the equipment out of negligence will be assessed.
Do not force or manipulate equipment that does not function properly. Notify the appropriate MAL employee immediately and return the equipment promptly. Don’t try to fix it without proper authorization.
Be responsible for the content of your work and uphold the BYU honor code. MAL equipment will not be used for crude, indecent, or offensive capture, playback, or creation. If you do, you will be reported to the Honor Code Office and appropriately disciplined as issued by the department.
Follow the university copyright policy.

Using Media Arts Post-Production Facilities:

Do not, move, reconfigure, and/or disassemble any computer or router components. If this occurs, your lab privileges will be suspended. If there are damages to any equipment the fine policy will be applied and the lab users will lose their access to the labs indefinitely. The equipment has been set up to work properly. If there are any problems tell the lab supervisor immediately.

No food or beverages are allowed near MAL computers or in the high end editing rooms.
Store only approved project media on the MAL Server. Approved student project media left on lab computers or on the MAL Server after the project storage deadlines have passed will be disposed of by the lab supervisor.
Store project media in the labs at your own risk. Area personnel are not responsible for project media left in approved storage areas and will not be held responsible for missing project media.

Reservations

Since the number of students enrolled in the Media Arts program exceeds the amount of equipment available, all equipment must be reserved before a student may check it out.

The Media Arts Labs uses a web-based reservation system, Connect2, which is accessible to all current Media Arts students.

Once access is granted for a specific class or project, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the proper items are reserved for a designated pick-up time, and for the approved duration.

Class equipment use is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis: It is up to the student to find a time in the system where the equipment is available and work their schedule around the availability. The check-out employee cannot override existing reservations if the equipment is unavailable for the time selected.

Students may change reservations at any time up to their check-out time. If equipment is not checked out within 15 minutes of its reservation time, it will be deleted from the system to free up the equipment for other students. If you cannot pick up your reservation at the designated time, reschedule or delete the reservation to allow other students to access the equipment.

Connect2 will prevent students from reserving equipment if the student has 1) an outstanding late return, or 2) any fines. These should be cleared through access (or by approving a fine) before the student attempts to reserve equipment.

The equipment reservations for Advanced fiction and documentary Productions are handled by the Access Manager, who will create the reservation in the access meeting where the shooting dates and times are approved.

Media Arts Lab Equipment Check-In/Out Procedures

MA Check Out

Be sure to arrive early to the MA Check Out for your reservation. Being early will ensure that you have enough time to finish checking out your reservation before it expires in the system. Equipment may be picked up to 30 minutes before the indicated reservation time, assuming it is available.

Be aware that you may wait in line to pick up your equipment, especially during peak times ( Monday mornings and at the end of the semester). Plan ahead.

All students are required to test their equipment at the MA Check Out before leaving. Please plan on 15-20 minutes to review your equipment to make sure everything is in working order or for missing or broken parts. If you discover any problems with the equipment after leaving the check out you may be liable for loss or damage. The MA Check Out staff does their best to check the returning equipment for damage or missing items, but due to the high quantity of check-ins and check-outs that arrive, they may miss something.

Note: If the reservation is in your name, you must show up personally to pick it up. The MA Check Out Staff will not check out equipment to spouses, friends, or other students working on your project.

Equipment Check-In

Equipment must be returned before it is scheduled for return. You are not allowed to complete a check-in if any pieces of your reservation are missing. The late fees are set up so you will be accountable and responsible to return all pieces of equipment on time. If there is some extenuating circumstance, reach out to the MAL Administrator. Much of the equipment is in high demand and if it does not come back on time you could be delaying another student’s project. For information about the late return policy look at the Fines & Fees section of the handbook.

FSSS Equipment Check-In/Out Procedures

FSSS Check Out

Before Check Out

Access to FSSS equipment must be approved through a MAL access meeting. In order to receive access, the Producer needs to prepare a list of desired equipment on the TMA Production Equipment Request Form. This form needs to be completed and approved by your faculty advisor before requesting an access meeting. Receiving access means that the project is cleared to proceed with check-out procedures. Note: The producer should be the one that is in contact with the FSSS, not the director.

Before equipment can be checked out, the producer needs to coordinate with all Key Crew members (DP, 1st AC, Gaffer, Key Grip) to set up a check-out time so that they can all be present during checkout in order to inspect the equipment they will be using for damages. This is to avoid any questions about damaged equipment upon its return.

There are no scheduled hours for the FSSS, so an appointment is absolutely necessary. The access meeting should be made at least one week in advance of the check-out time. In case of emergencies, contact the MAL Administrator. After the appointment is made, the equipment needs to be reserved on Connect2. Each Key Crew member needs to make their own reservations. (DP reserves camera equipment, gaffer reserves light, Sound reserves sound equipment, etc.) It is recommended that the equipment be reserved a half-hour after the scheduled pick-up time to avoid the erasure of any reservations.

During Check Out

Please be on time for your checkout appointment at the FSSS. If you are more than 20 minutes late, the project will be fined $10. The FSSS has a right to close the facility after 30 minutes. Rescheduling will then be required. You should plan on spending at least 30-60 minutes at the FSSS during checkout. All Key Crew members should be present for this process. It is not the job of the FSSS personnel to load the equipment into your vehicles.

FSSS Check In

Just like when you check out equipment, in order to check in equipment, the producer must make an appointment with the FSSS Area Supervisor. This typically happens at an access meeting. On Saturdays, check-in will need to be completed before 11pm. Equipment should all be returned at once, do not try to drop it off in shifts. It will only be checked in once the equipment has been returned. Please also have a number of crew members there to help unload. It is the FSSS personnel’s job to supervise putting away the equipment, not to unload the vehicles.

Responsible area heads (DP, 1st AC, Gaffer, Key Grip) should be present for check-in. The equipment should be returned in the same or better condition than it was when it was checked out. Fines may be charged for excessive filth or disorganization. The area heads are responsible for inspecting all equipment and ensuring they are in acceptable condition for check-in. If any damages occur or are discovered, they need to be reported before leaving the facility. If damages are not reported upon return, the project may lose access to equipment.

DO NOT drop off your equipment without helping to put it away. If this happens, the project will immediately be fined $50.

DO NOT leave unattended equipment in the FSSS vicinity. Late fees are applied in full for any equipment left without being officially checked in.

If equipment is returned late, Connect2 accounts will be locked.

LDS Motion Picture Studio Access

We are blessed to have a relationship with the LDS Motion Picture Studio which allows BYU to gain access to their facilities for support of student filmmaking when possible. Since the facility is not owned and operated by BYU, we must follow very specific rules and regulations when requesting and using their facilities. The LDS MPS has asked that only faculty-supported projects sanctioned by BYU TMA faculty and administrators gain access. They also have requested a process for requesting access which may include:

- Review from TMA Media Arts staff/admin

- Submission of script, storyboards, and shooting schedules

- A tech scout meeting with MPS representatives before filming

- A review of any hazardous or safety issues that may occur while filming

As part of this process, you will be required to fill out the following form: https://form.jotform.com/byutma/mps-access.

Requests for access to MPS resources must be received no less than 2 weeks before the requested shooting date. This is to ensure there is enough time for proper vetting.

Once you fill out the form and your information is reviewed, A project account will be created, and all information will be sent to the proper MPS representative. If approved by TMA and MPS, a meeting will be set up for your project and MPS employees to discuss your request. Your producer must be in attendance at these meetings.