sewer shot

Nick Norton · July 3, 2008

Filming a music video, and one shot i had in mind was a silhoutted figure standing on the edge or inside of this sewer tunnel.

However, there is a few inches of water in the tunnel... and i planned on using a 1k fresnel and a generator to power it.

If i keep the extension cords above the water (taped them to the wall of the tunnel) should i be worry free?

any suggestions are welcome-

nicholas

Adrian Sierkowski · July 3, 2008

Keep the cords (AND ESPECIALLY THE CONNECTORS) dry and you should be ok. I've had 1K open face's outside in a rain storm, shielded by umbrellas w/o much problem. Also look for a ground force interupt (i believe that's the proper term) which is pretty required around water.

The one thing I would worry about would be the tape falling off. . . See if you can get some masonry screws and drill into the pipe to help hang would/could be a suggestion.

Doug Brantner · July 3, 2008

GFCI = Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt, ie. the outlets in your bathroom with the Test/Reset buttons that trip the circuit if you drop the hair dryer in the sink by accident.

Try something like this or have an Electrician make you one. Plug it into the Genny first, away from the water, and run your stinger from it.

I agree, definitely use something more secure than gaff tape- it doesn't stick well to damp/dusty surfaces.

This goes without saying, but make sure your light stand is secure too, you definitely don't want the light head falling into the water either.

Be careful.

Andrew Koch · July 3, 2008

Make sure your generator is grounded. In Los Angeles, you can have a "floating ground" where everything is grounded back to the generator, which means no metal parts of the generator can touch the ground. You can usually do this with a block of wood. Laws are different for each city and this may not be permitted where you are. Some cities will require you to drive a huge metal stake deep into the ground (I believe it is at least 8 ft) and attach it to the grounding wire. You need to be properly grounded for a GFCI to function properly.

Definitely get a GFCI. Taping the cable is definitely not a safe way to go. This will help make it somewhat safer, but I am still not sure if this would be a safe setup. Talk to a licensed electrician because if anything goes wrong and someone gets hurt, telling the the authorities that you heard it was safe on an internet forum won't cut it. This is not meant as a criticism of this forum. The people on this forum are very smart and knowledgeable and usually the info is solid. I'm just saying this so you can legally cover your behind.