Electrical and Set Safety for Film Crews
Working safely on set: safety roles and culture, electrical fundamentals, generators, distribution and tie-ins under the Canadian Electrical Code, cables, grounding and GFCI protection, fixtures and fire, rigging, working at heights under provincial OHS and CSA standards, weather and water, vehicles and railways, stunts, effects, pyrotechnics and firearms, fatigue and a location safety plan, with Ontario film guidelines and Actsafe practice.
CINE-340 Year 3 3 credits 12 lessons · 5 h 43 min
Offered by HSM University · Cinematography
This is the Canadian version of this course. See the American version.
What you'll learn
- Explain why film sets are hazardous, identify safety roles and legal duties in Canada and the US, and apply the hierarchy of controls and risk scoring
- Use voltage, current, resistance, power and power factor to calculate fixture and package loads on 120 V and 120/208 V three-phase systems
- Plan generators, distribution and load balancing, calculate neutral current, voltage drop and fuel use, and explain the rules for tie-ins
- Inspect and route cables and connectors, explain grounding, bonding and ground fault protection, and manage wet locations and power lines
- Handle tungsten, HMI and LED fixtures safely, prevent burns and fires, choose flicker-safe shutter speeds and manage UV, strobes and lasers
- Apply working load limits, sling angle tension, stand stability and overhead rigging principles to grip and rigging work
- Select ladders, scaffolds, lifts and fall protection, calculate ladder set-up and fall clearance, and compare Canadian and US thresholds
- Set weather criteria for wind, lightning, heat and cold, calculate wind force, lightning distance, WBGT and noise dose, and plan water safety
- Plan camera car, traffic and railway safety using stopping distances, controlled roads, spotters and railway permission
- Describe how stunts, special effects, pyrotechnics and firearms are planned and controlled, and what changed after the Rust shooting
- Assess and control fatigue using turnaround arithmetic, prior sleep checks, union and employment rules, and wellbeing supports
- Prepare an emergency plan, report and investigate incidents under Canadian and US rules, and write a complete safety plan for a location shoot
Course content
12 lessons · 5 h 43 min total · final exam
- 1 Safety on a film set: hazards, roles and culture 29 min · quiz
- 2 Electrical fundamentals for set lighting 29 min · quiz
- 3 Power distribution, generators and tie-ins 32 min · quiz
- 4 Cables, connectors, grounding and wet locations 25 min · quiz
- 5 Lighting fixtures: LED, HMI, tungsten, heat, UV and fire 27 min · quiz
- 6 Rigging, overhead loads and grip equipment 29 min · quiz
- 7 Working at heights: ladders, scaffolds, lifts and fall protection 27 min · quiz
- 8 Weather, water and the outdoor environment 30 min · quiz
- 9 Vehicles, camera cars, railways and traffic on location 27 min · quiz
- 10 Stunts, special effects, pyrotechnics and firearms on set 25 min · quiz
- 11 Fatigue, hours of work and crew wellbeing 28 min · quiz
- 12 Emergency planning, incident reporting and capstone safety plan 35 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
Working safely on set: safety roles and culture, electrical fundamentals, generators, distribution and tie-ins under the Canadian Electrical Code, cables, grounding and GFCI protection, fixtures and fire, rigging, working at heights under provincial OHS and CSA standards, weather and water, vehicles and railways, stunts, effects, pyrotechnics and firearms, fatigue and a location safety plan, with Ontario film guidelines and Actsafe practice.
Part of the Film & Photography stream, typically taken in year 3.