Equipment Use Policy

Facility Allocation Policies

During most of Access Tucson’s existence it was not difficult for people to access cameras, studios, and editing time. As our membership base grew, long wait times for production facilities began to develop. The Board of Directors decided that it was necessary to create a way for all of our membership to have equal access to production resources.

Facilities Allocation

Each Access Tucson member receives an $10,000 facilities allocation to spend annually. The Access Tucson rate sheet lists the cost for each facility resource. These rates are based on the actual annual costs to provide and upkeep equipment and they reflect comparable market rates for production facilities. This allocation still allows producers to create extensive productions and weekly series, but insures that all our membership will have production resources available to them.

Members will be “charged” for each reservation unless the reservation is canceled with 24 hours notice. Members will be charged for any facilities used, with or without an advance reservation.

Sharing Allocations

An Access Tucson Producer is defined as the member who is responsible for organizing the resources necessary to create his or her own First Amendment expression. The producer determines the content, schedules and cancels equipment reservations, and submits the program for cablecasting.

There may be only one producer of a public access program. While it is common for Access Tucson members to collaborate on public access programs, there must be one person who is listed as the producer of record who controls the content of the program and whose resources will be used for the program.

The remote multi-camera production resources may have two producers collaborate and share the allocation cost.

Anniversary Dates

The Facilities Anniversary date is based on the date that you became an Access Tucson member. On this date your Facilities Allocation will be renewed to $10,000. Unused portions of your allocation from the previous year will not be added to your new allocation. You get the $10,000 annually that’s it.

Class Fees

Some Access Tucson classes are offered free of charge, other production courses require a fee. Class fees may not be paid through you facilities allocation. Class scholarships are available for those that are unable to afford class fees. Scholarship applications are available at the front desk.

No Shows

If you “no-show” (don’t call and don’t show up) for any reservation, $500 will be deducted from your facilities allocation.

Field Equipment Check-Out & Check-In

You can reserve a camcorder and field production equipment for a maximum of 48 hours or over a weekend. Extensions are possible but must be approved by the Deputy Director. You will be scheduled to come at specific dates and times to check the equipment out, and to check it in. You are expected to come on time for these appointments. When you come for your checkout, you will set up all of your reserved equipment and perform a test recording to determine that everything is working properly. A staff member will make a complete list of your equipment checkout and you will sign a checkout form stating your responsibility for the items on the list. This checkout process takes approximately 30 minutes.

When you come to check in your equipment, you will again set up all the production equipment for a test recording. The check-in process will also take about 30 minutes. The staff member will check the items on the list and make sure that everything is in order. You may make arrangements for someone else to check out or check in your equipment if that person has the appropriate Access Tucson certification and is approved by you to work on your project.

Studio Reservations

Studio reservations may be scheduled in blocks of up to 6 hours. Extensions are possible but must be approved by the Deputy Director. At the start of your studio production time, the facilitator will check the studio to make sure the lights have been left in the "house normal" position, props have been put away, the studio and control room are clean and the cameras have been properly stored. It is your responsibility to meet these requirements at the end of your production. The facilitator will checkout all scheduled equipment on request. You must notify Access Tucson in advance of any changes to your studio production. Without notice, Access Tucson may not be able to provide the technical support necessary for your production.

Cancellations & No Shows

If you need to cancel an appointment or an equipment reservation, just call the Access Tucson front desk. You do not need to speak to a Facilitator. If you cancel at least 24 hours in advance you will not be penalized and Access Tucson may make your reservation available for other members.

If you are more than 15 minutes late for your reservation and have not called to make other arrangements, your reservation will be noted as a No-Show and your reserved equipment may be given to someone else. A No-Show will also result in a $500 deduction from your facilities allocation in addition to the reserved equipment charges. If you accumulate three no-shows or six late cancellations within a three-month period, all your future equipment reservations may be canceled. These rules also apply for facilitation appointments and Access Tucson classes.

Standby

All Access Tucson facilities are available on a first come first serve basis. This includes facility reservations that have been canceled or unused. If you wish to take advantage of these cancellations we encourage you to call the day you would like to use the facility or the evening before between 9:30 and 10:00pm. All facilities are available on this stand-by basis, including production equipment reservations, facilitation appointments, and classes.

Completing Your Project

Once your program is completed (or the end is in sight!) make a Cablecast Appointment at the front desk. They can also provide you with a handout about the specific requirements for submitting your tape. During your appointment you will be able to consult with the Program Manager about which times and dates are available to cablecast your program.

If the time slot you want is unavailable; you will have an opportunity to change it. Every six months Access Tucson holds a cablecast "lottery" to ensure that everyone has an opportunity for scheduling prime time slots for programming.