ABSTRACT
The greater the preparation, the smoother the shoot. To be properly prepared for an interior or exterior location, you should budget money and time for a site survey. The information you learn from a complete survey will not only affect your lighting approach, but it will affect your shooting schedule as well. The equipment required for a survey is minimal:
Take your light meter to measure existing light levels. Take the measurements at the same time of day every day as you plan to shoot in that location.
A 50-foot tape measure and/or a measuring wheel determines the exact dimensions of rooms, doors, windows, ceiling heights, outlet locations, and cable runs.
A quad-ruled planning pad and architect’s scale lets you make quick scale drawings of the room dimensions, and window and outlet locations.
A small screwdriver set gets you into breaker panels so you can determine the proper tiein equipment required and measure existing loads. It is embarrassing to kick a circuit breaker while on a shoot.
To help you figure out which outlets are on which circuits, use a nightlight or low voltage buzzer with an AC/DC adapter.
A clamp-on AC amp meter is a good optional item to have. With it you can measure loads on existing circuits without disconnecting the line being checked.
A helpful item is a wire gauge, which is used to determine proper fuse size for branch circuits. (An explanation of this follows later in the chapter.)
Use a digital camera to make a photo record that clarifies your drawings and illustrates any unusual situations. You can record views from windows that might be suitable as backgrounds for your shots.
A compass and watch are useful for determining room orientation and tracking the sun to learn how daylight coming through windows will affect your production.
Include a note pad on which to record names, titles, and phone numbers of key personnel on staff at the location. Make note of other important information about security procedures, house rules, and any unique information.
