Technicians working with equipment in the screen, media and entertainment industries typically apply the skills and knowledge described in this unit. Under the supervision of a technical director or senior production staff, they are responsible for basic repairs and maintenance of equipment and facilities needed for a wide range of productions.

Complex repairs requiring specific mechanical, electrical or electronic skills are referred to specialist service technicians, e.g. major electrical repairs are carried out by licensed electricians.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Undertake routine maintenance of equipment

1. Clean and maintain equipment, cables and accessories according to organisational procedures

2. Conduct safety checks on equipment according to manufacturer instructions and OHS guidelines

3. Check and replace spares and consumables and ensure production equipment is ready and available to productions at specified locations

4. Complete required documentation to ensure accurate records of checked and maintained items, and provide copies to relevant personnel

Attend to the repair of production equipment

5. Recognise faults and safely shut down equipment if necessary, following manufacturer instructions and organisational procedures

6. Isolate fault to specific equipment or parts of equipment using fault detection procedures, and determine nature of repair requirements

7. Tag faulty production equipment according to organisational procedures

8. Make minor repairs to faulty equipment according to safety requirements and manufacturer instructions and within level of own responsibility

9. Refer complex repairs to technical specialists or licensed personnel in consultation with relevant personnel

10. Where appropriate, have technical specialists pilot the repair from a remote location

11. Discuss faults and repair needs with technical specialists, demonstrating correct use of terminology

Review and document maintenance activity

12. Undertake simple modifications to equipment, ensuring current safety measures and deadlines are met

13. Complete documentation according to organisational procedures and distribute to relevant personnel as required

14. Review repair and maintenance activities to ensure compliance with legislation and organisational procedures

Required skills

technical skills sufficient to:

test for and diagnose faults in equipment

undertake minor repairs on faulty equipment

conduct general maintenance of equipment

re-assemble equipment under repair and re-align as required

tag or label equipment according to its repair status

use safe electrical work practices

use appropriate tools for detecting and repairing faults

demonstrate good equipment storage techniques to enhance overall maintenance

self-management and planning skills sufficient to work under pressure and meet deadlines

literacy skills sufficient to:

interpret service documentation and manuals, e.g. specifications and manufacturer instructions

complete fault and maintenance reports

communication skills sufficient to:

work effectively as a team member

liaise with technical specialists

provide reports to relevant personnel on equipment status

Required knowledge

typical maintenance needs and schedules for the range of equipment in use

cleaning agents, equipment and techniques

techniques and processes for the detection of faults for specified equipment

common faults and associated repair procedures for the range of equipment in use

spare parts and sub-assemblies used in either sound, lighting or vision equipment repair and maintenance

effects of not operating and maintaining equipment in optimal conditions, e.g.effect of bad ventilation on equipment

meaning and use of electrical measurements, including voltage, current resistance, insulation and power sources (AC/DC)

legal and licensing issues that impact on the repair and maintenance of equipment, including the role of the restricted electrical licence, testing and tagging certification, and limitations on the type of work that can be undertaken without a licence

sources of products, supplies and equipment

affect of technology on production equipment

duty of care to colleagues and general public

OHS and public safety legislation and regulations as they apply to technical maintenance activities

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the following is essential:

ability to undertake routine repairs and maintenance on equipment used in a specified production area

correct selection and use of tools

application of logical fault detection procedures

correct interpretation of service and technical manuals

knowledge of the technical features of major types of equipment in a specified production area

knowledge of OHS principles and issues in relation to the repair and maintenance of equipment in a specified production area.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

practical demonstration of skills within an environment with a range of operational and industry-current equipment on which the candidate can work

completion of fault detection, repair and maintenance tasks within typical workplace time constraints

access to a venue where repairs and maintenance can be completed

access to the tools required to complete repair and maintenance tasks

access to appropriate learning and assessment support when required

use of culturally appropriate processes and techniques appropriate to the language and literacy capacity of learners and the work being performed.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance

direct observation of the candidate undertaking repair and maintenance tasks

inspection of items repaired or maintained by the candidate

review of repair report prepared by the candidate

written or oral questioning to test knowledge of typical production equipment and OHS issues and regulations.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

CUFCAM201A Assist with a basic camera shoot

CUFLGT301A Prepare, install and test lighting equipment.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Maintenance of equipment may include:

camera and sound equipment, including:

cleaning and dusting equipment

cleaning microphones and replacing inserts

replacing batteries

cleaning heads on recorders and playback units

checking continuity of cables

correct storage of equipment

aligning and adjusting recording and playback units

cleaning recording playback medium

making back-up copies of recordings

lighting equipment, including:

cleaning exteriors and interiors of lanterns, bulbs, lenses, reflector assembly and lantern accessories

checking cables for intact insulation, operational restraining glands and correct fitting of plug tops

logging lamp hours and replacement

maintaining lighting dimmers, control desks and faders:

trimming top and bottom settings in analogue systems

connectors

continuity of cables

socket outlets

dimmer curve in digital dimmers

checking equipment, including:

focus knobs and mechanisms

Par Lamps

colour runners

locking knobs and clamping mechanisms

shutters and barn doors

safety chains

lamp bases

lamp alignment

light leakage

continuity and polarity of power and data cables

maintaining control desks, including:

cleaning surface of control desk and peripherals

cleaning faders and push-button switches

checking that all connectors are in good order

checking operation of desk and peripherals

modifying operator position

checking and cleaning disk drive and back-up system

where a person has a restricted electrical licence, maintenance may include checking:

that jug plugs or other connectors are in good working order

that internal wiring is correctly connected and in good condition

continuity of earth

continuity of circuit from plug top to lamp

that there is no connection between earth and either neutral or active wires

vision systems, including:

dusting and cleaning exteriors and interiors of all types of vision systems

cleaning lenses

cleaning microphones and replacing inserts

cleaning heads on recorders and playback units

checking cords and cables are in good condition with insulation intact

checking locking and clamping mechanisms are in good order

testing and replacing batteries

aligning and adjusting playback equipment

checking and replacing globes

checking control units, focus and slide trays

checking and cleaning screens

replacing consumable or readily exchangeable parts, e.g. globes, batteries, gels, filters, screens and lenses

checking and storing audiovisual materials and copying materials

preparing back-up copies of materials.

Accessories may include:

camera mounts

batteries and battery packs

lighting accessories, e.g.:

focus knobs and mechanisms

suspension bolts and brackets

shutters and barn doors

safety chains

lamp bases

lamp alignment

sound accessories, e.g.:

microphone leads

windsocks

brackets and stands

connectors

fuses

spare faders

headphones

vision system accessories, e.g.:

truss

rostrums and lecterns

curtaining

masking

trolleys

stands

mounting brackets

chains and other rigging (within scope of licensing requirements)

camera pedestals

camera controls, e.g. hot head.

Organisational procedures may include:

documenting repair and maintenance activities

providing back-up materials

updating contact lists for repair specialists and suppliers

writing and attaching labels to faulty equipment.

Spares and consumables may include:

batteries

cables

connectors

disks, e.g. DVD and CD

filters

fuses

gels

globes

head cleaners

lenses

pegs and screws

screens

soldering iron and solder

springs

tapes

test tapes

testing equipment

voltmeter.

Equipment may include:

lighting, including:

lanterns and luminaires

fresnels

moving lights

control desk peripherals

dimmers

mirror balls

strobe lights

smoke machines

fog machines

accessories

sound, including:

microphones of all types

amplifiers

speakers

mixing desk

effects rack

tape machines

headphones and headsets

digital recorders

CD and DVD players

sequencer and sampler

test equipment, e.g. voltmeters and diagnostic tools

two-way communication devices

vision systems, including:

lenses

cameras and accessories

control desks

mixers

camera control unit (CCU)

monitors

screens.

Productions may include:

animations

backstage monitoring

documentaries

events and performances

feature films

festivals

front of house displays

interactive media productions

live theatre

outside broadcasts

short films

sporting events.

Locations may include:

attractions and theme parks

auditoriums and classrooms

clubs and hotels

conference venues

film locations

outdoor venues

outside broadcasts

public spaces and buildings

studios

theatres.

Documentation may include:

back-up materials

equipment diagrams and design specifications

fault reports

inventories

maintenance schedules

manufacturer instructions

operating manuals

supplier information.

Relevant personnel may include:

camera crews

clients

designers

editors

graphic artists

heads of departments

lighting directors

photographers

sound technicians and engineers

staging or lighting crew

suppliers

technical producers and directors

technical specialists

vision operators.

Minor repairs may be:

for camera and sound equipment, e.g.:

replacing or tagging items that do not require electrical or electronic skills

making up leads

replacing connectors

replacing parts of microphones and stands

replacing fuses and faders

for lighting equipment, e.g.:

replacing faulty globes in lanterns, work lights, emergency lights, dressing-rooms and other areas of a venue

replacing defective colour

replacing blown fuses in dimmers

replacing faulty control desk faders and push-button switches

replacing faulty control desk cards or modules

for vision systems, e.g.:

any instance where a faulty item can be removed and replaced simply and tagged without specific electrical or electronic skills

changing blown globes

replacing fuses, faders, parts of microphone stands and sound equipment connectors

exchanging parts of equipment, such as cables, lenses, trays, microphones, sound recording and playback equipment

changing faulty control systems, mixers, patch bays, cables, remote units, speakers and projectors.

Licensed personnel may include:

accredited equipment specialists, e.g. for telephony

qualified electricians

riggers.

Unit sector

Construction and maintenance - general maintenance

This unit contains employability skills.