Personally, this is one of those subjects that I had a very hard time wrapping my head around. So, for another installment of basic information (and an excuse for me to educate myself) I’m writing a primer on electricity.

There are four phrases you’ll hear in the electricity discussion: amps, watts, volts, and ohms. The most often used analogy is to that of a plumbing system.

Volts can be seen as the water pressure in the tank or reservoir.

The electrical current, which is measured in amps, is the equivalent of the water flow rate. In other words, amps are a measurement of how much electricity flows past a point in one second. You can see why the plumbing analogy is used so often, as “current” is used interchangeably here.

The water pressure can be increased (like when you put your thumb over the end of a hose), therefore increasing or decreasing the power of the water stream. Obviously, the current remains the same, but you get more power. This is called “resistance”, and is measured in ohms. Ohms can most easily be defined as the size of the pipe.

So, the power of an electrical system can be figured by a simple equation.

Power = Voltage x Current

Power is measured in Watts. So, Voltage x Amperage = Watts

For a simple example, here is a picture of one of our 3000W generators:
(insert photo here)
As you can see in the picture, the voltage is 120V. The two plugs on the left put out amperage (current) of 20A. The one on the right is 23.3A.

120V x 20A = 2400W

-and-

120V x 23.3A = 2796W

Let’s say you’re running this 3000W generator on a night shoot. You have one of our double-worklights plugged in, which takes about 1000W. You also have a stinger with a cube tap, and two space heaters plugged into it. The space heaters use minimal voltage. When your gaffer needs to plug in his 1K Fresnel, you’ll have plenty of wattage to spare.

Considering our climate, varied work environments, and long hours, it’s no surprise that fire safety is often at the forefront of our minds when considering the safety of production crews. Not too long ago, I was asked by a friend to explain the difference between the various fire extinguishers that we rent. In doing so, I discovered that there is sometimes a lack of knowledge as to how to stay compliant on set. Through a small amount of research, reading text that could be considered the worlds best non-pharmaceutical alternative to Ambien (check the link below, and you’ll be asleep within seconds), I filtered the information down to a few key points that (hopefully) won’t have you nodding off.

First off Cal OSHA is the government body that makes the rules. They require us to have our extinguishers inspected on a regular basis to make sure that when you pull the trigger, the fire is going to go out. Got questions? Call ‘em.

When looking at your set, there are three main points that you must take into consideration for compliance.

The first is storage. Fire extinguishers have to be mounted on a wall or placed inside a cabinet. All of our extinguishers include a truck mount. You also have to make sure that there is an open, clear path to the extinguisher at all times. What seems like a no-brainer can sometimes be difficult for production. With the massive amounts of equipment in constant motion, sometimes it takes a keen eye to make sure everyone is safe.

You also have to consider what kind of fires are possible on your set. The “ABC” on the side of most extinguishers often goes unnoticed, but holds much importance to Cal OSHA (and will to you also if you get an inspection, or a fire). The “ABC” represents the type of fires that can be extinguished by that particular unit. “Class A” fires include wood, paper, and textiles. “Class B” fires are caused by flammable liquids like gasoline. “Class C” fires are caused by electrical equipment. Unless you’re using pyrotechnics, or you’re shooting “Top Chef” (commercial or restaurant kitchen), or you have metal shavings or powder around, the “ABC” Fire Extinguisher is what you need.

The third consideration is, of course, how many fire extinguishers do you need, and where do you put ‘em? Cal OSHA wants to make sure that if any of your employees are working, and a fire breaks out, that they do not have to run too far to grab the extinguisher, race back, and put the fire out. So, take a look at your set. Imagine all the places on set that a fire could possibly happen, and make sure that there is a fire extinguisher within 75 feet of all “Class A” Hazards. For “Class B” liquid hazards, keep one within 50 feet. If all of your “Class C” electrical equipment is within these zones, then you’re good to go. You just set your fire extinguishers in place, let everyone know where they are, and have a great shoot!

If you want more information, contact Cal OSHA, or click here: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9811

This article is not legal advice. We do not make any warranty, expressed or implied, that your workplace is safe or compliant.

Thinking, “might as well see who it is”, I checked the message. It was from one of our clients, who happened to be working on a night shoot, and needed to pick up more supplies that morning. I wrote a quick reply, and as I rolled over to go back to sleep, I thought of all the late night emails I’ve received since I started working here.

It got me thinking today, that our clients must be the hardest working, think-on-their-feet, best problem solvers in the world. From a sideline perspective, I take pride in working with every last one of them.

No new products or services for this post. Nothing philosophical, or preachy today. No instructional info. Just much respect to all of you, and a big thank you for choosing to send your late night emails to us.

Thank you.

As usual, I will not get too technical (nor do I have the ability to). Just a simple overview for “the rest of us”. So without further ado, here are the four most common security mechanisms employed by our wireless internet routers:

The simplest and fastest mechanism to use is to turn off SSID Broadcasting. When you turn your box on, it continually broadcasts its identification. Every device within range will “see” that broadcast, and most will automatically connect to it if there is no other signal available. By turning off the broadcast, none of the devices know that there is an internet signal available. Producers instruct those allowed to use the junxion box to type the SSID number into their computers, and have the machines look for the box. The downside here is that the devices may not see the signal, but people will definitely notice others working on their computers. Some may (read: will) ask around until they find out the SSID. The ID will then spread like a Jr. High rumor. If you only need a few hours of exclusivity, or you’re working with a small crew, this might be a good option, as I can easily be done remotely.

The second option is called “MAC Filtering”. Every computer has what is called a “MAC Address” (No, it has nothing to do with your beloved Macintosh). Using this address, one can indicate a list of computers that are allowed to access the internet through the junxion box. Conversely, you can also indicate computers that are forbidden to use the box. This is a fairly good security method for small networks of just a few computers. But due to the requirement of manually entering each MAC Address, maintaining this function can be a pain for larger groups. For the one who is responsible for this, the probability of him or her accomplishing other tasks in a timely manner is small. It’s not really what you want to pay your crew for.

“WEP Encryption” can be an effective mechanism to keep unwanted machines off your network. WEP, which stands for, “Wired Equivalent Privacy”, is not really the “equivalent” of a hard wired network of computers. In order to use the internet signal from the junxion box, one must have a password, or “key” to do so. The problem is that time and time again it has been proven that given (sometimes less than) a day, even a fairly competent hacker could easily see sensitive information being passed on the network, like emails, usernames and passwords, sensitive or private documents, etc. This method will prevent unauthorized access, but might not protect sensitive information from nearby folks who really want to see it.

And so we arrive at “WPA”. This is the most effective security function available in our junxion boxes. As our supplier states, “It’s wonderful security”. WPA essentially works the same as WEP, except that WPA uses an additional function that addresses the WEP vulnerability previously discussed.

If you would like us to password protect your device, please feel free to ask us when ordering, and we’d be happy to make sure that you have the right security for your set’s internet access.