Northwestern University in Qatar

Who can check out equipment?

The following people may check-out and use Northwestern University in Qatar media equipment:

• NU-Q students
• NU-Q faculty
• NU-Q staff

Students, faculty, and staff can check-out equipment at any time of day during the equipment cage operating hours, as long as they are checking small equipment items, or have a valid reservation.

All students working in groups should list all group members’ names in the note field of their reservation on WebCheckout. All group members should be present during the check-out and all members must sign the Equipment Checkout Form in order for the equipment liability to be shared among the group members. 

Community members

Non NU-Q community members are not permitted to check-out or use Northwestern University in Qatar media equipment. Checking-out equipment on behalf of other NU-Q students or non-NU-Q community members is not permitted.

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**Non-commercial means: Not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation (for profit).

Priority of Use

Equipment required for class instruction has priority over any equipment reservation or usage. During periods of class instruction, certain equipment types may be offline for up to the first eight weeks of the semester or until all class instruction is complete. Equipment access is based on the following priority:

1. First priority

During fall and spring academic semesters, students currently enrolled in Production classes at NU-Q have first priority usage.

• A. Students who are currently enrolled in a class whose syllabus has specified the use of Production equipment or facilities.
• B. Students who have been awarded Studio 20Q grants and have attended a pre-production meeting with the Production and Digital Media Services department. See: Studio 20Q top tab for more information.

2. Second Priority

Second priority includes faculty, students, and staff.

• A. Students who are not currently enrolled in a class whose syllabus has specified the use of Production equipment or facilities.
• B. Faculty and staff have access to equipment on a first come, first served basis.

Equipment reserved for classroom use and student usage takes precedence over any second priority check out.

Studio 20Q grant holders who wish to use any production equipment or facilities must adhere to the following requirements: 

• Studio 20Q acts as the liaison between grantees and the production department. All communication should be addressed to studio20Q@u.northwestern.edu 
• Schedule a pre-production meeting with the Production and Digital Media Services department by emailing production@qatar.northwestern.edu. The producer and director of the project are advised to attend this meeting.

• Submit a Production Schedule detailing proposed shooting and post-production dates. 

• Submit a Crew List. All crew members using NU-Q equipment or facilities must be current NU-Q students or alumni

• Submit an Equipment List. The equipment list is subject to approval depending on the current academic needs and the skillset of the film team members. Only students who have received training to use requested equipment by a Production and Digital Media Services Department member or have attained authorization through classes may check out and use the equipment. Students with no authorization or access to the equipment can receive individual or group training to be authorized to check out and use the equipment if requested by Studio 20Q.

         Please note that individual or group training requests are only available to students who have already completed a 100-level production class MIT-190.

• Once the list is approved, changes to the list will be considered if submitted 48 hours before the scheduled checkout date. Changes during the checkout might not be possible.
• The crew member who checks out a piece of equipment must be the one using the equipment. Students are not permitted to check out equipment for others to use.
  
• NU-Q Alumni may act as consultants on 20Q films, are permitted on set, can operate the equipment, and use NU-Q facilities. Alumni can check out equipment for 20Q projects by submitting a 20Q Alumni Special Request Form.
• Equipment checkout and check-in should be scheduled and finalized one week before the checkout date, including each department's check-in and checkout timetable.
• If the check-in time or date needs to be changed, a 20Q team member should notify the production department at least 48 hours in advance.