Facilities
1200 ft2 Studio with grid
690 ft2 180º green screen studio with grid
5 edit bays including 1 color correction bay
Final Cut, Premiere, Avid, Davinci Resolve Protools recording studio with Isolation booth and large recording room.
Camera
- Sony X70
- Canon C100
- Canon 7d
- Sony F55 Camera package: 4k raw recorder, Zeiss CP2 Prime lens set, O’connor 2065 head.
- Sony F3
- Blackmagic Cinema Camera
- Steadicam Scout
- JL Fisher 9 dolly
- Dana Dolly
- Lot’s of accessories, matteboxes, follow focus, filters, battery systems, video transmitters.
Sound
- Sound Devices 664 Recorder/Mixer
- Sound Devices 744t Recorder
- Sennheiser mkh50 shotgun mic
- Sanken CS3e shotgun mic
- Lectrosonic wireless systems
Grip and Electric
- Grip and Electric
- Loaded 5-ton Grip and Electric truck.
- HMI’s up to 1.8k
- Tungsten up to 6k
- Kino Flo up to 4’ 4bank
- LED systems.
- Stands up to Mombo Combo
- Rags up to 12×12
- Various types of clamps and rigging equipment.
- 1-ton locations/crafty/misc truck.
Post Production
- Macpro’s
- 40″ client monitors
- 4k TV
- FSI Broadcast Monitors
- Tangent color correction panel
Equipment Tutorial Videos
Frequently Asked Questions
The short answer is no. The cage is only staffed on checkout and return days. In rare circumstances, exceptions will be made if the student has permission from their instructor and provides sufficient documentation to the Film Technician and instructor as to why they need to checkout/return gear on a different day.
This is most often a connection issue. First turn off the switch. Try unplugging and plugging in both ends of the cable (repatch). If it is still not firing, wiggle both connections. If the light goes on and off momentarily then it is probably a bad cable. Try another cable.
If the light still doesn’t work it may be a blown globe. Do not attempt to remove or change the globe yourself. Call the Cage and then bring the light in. We will replace the globe or give you a new kit.
How do I white balance?
Watch this.
https://youtu.be/tNsrjpFeg_o?t=110
I am not getting any audio from the Sony x70
Watch this.
https://youtu.be/tNsrjpFeg_o?t=594
The x70 says “This media does not support recording and playback of XAVC movies”
This does not mean you have a bad SD card. You can still record onto this card. Simply change your record format from XAVC to AVCHD.
You cannot record XAVC onto SDHC (32gb and under) cards, only onto SDXC (64gb and above).
https://youtu.be/tNsrjpFeg_o?t=471
I am pressing iris, shutter buttons to change the values but nothing happens.
The camera is most likely set to full auto or partial auto.
How do I white balance?
Press, the WB button on the outside of the camera. White balance highlights on the screen. Cycle through the different options and select the one you want. If you want to do an auto white balance, navigate to
How do I change audio settings?
https://youtu.be/83YDpkNKYf4?list=PLRWNj5ehHqGw-VafQkThiAolN-e8tHoQm&t=459
How do I change the shutter?
https://youtu.be/83YDpkNKYf4?list=PLRWNj5ehHqGw-VafQkThiAolN-e8tHoQm&t=161
How do I tie a shemagh (tactical scarf, keffiyeh)?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m98F641jqFE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfp_GnY8b0E
What are other uses for the shemagh?
There are hundreds of uses but here are a few to get you started:
Dust Protection. Cover your face on motorcycles, trucks, and chicken buses.
Sun Protection. Great for when you’re stranded in mid-day heat without shade.
Towel. Small, lightweight, fast drying, but thick enough get the job done.
Ground Cloth. Keep your butt clean & dry when sitting on the ground.
Warmth. Wrap it around your neck as a scarf to keep warm.
Bag. Put stuff in middle, tie corners together. Instant hobo sack.
Sarong. Wrap around your waist for modesty. Shorter than a normal one.
Sweat Rag. Great for hiking, running, or other sweat-inducing activities.
Arm Sling. Sprain a wrist or break an arm? Temporary immobilization.
Emergency Bandage. Help stop bleeding & protect the wound.
Pillow. Thick & soft enough to ball up & use for bus rides/camping trips.
Weapon. Twist big rock up in the middle. Swing away. Instant self-defense tool!
Concealment. Often used to hide my camera in questionable neighborhoods.
Rope. Long enough to be rolled up to tie things together.
Water Filter. Fold multiple times & filter debris out of water before boiling.
Pot Holder. Take that boiling water you just filtered off the fire.
Keeping Cool. Soak in cold water and wrap around your neck.
Signal Flag. Large enough to wave and get someone’s attention.
Blanket. Decent for covering your upper or lower body.
Eye Mask. Sleep during the day or when lights are on.
We have industry standard facilities and equipment. Click here for a full list of SFCC Film Equipment.
Please be advised that some equipment requires a deposit and/or special permission. Call The Cage at 505-428-1911 for more information.
Equipment Checkout
Checkout & Return Hours
By Appointment only.
Schedule appointment on the equipment reservation link.
Check-out days
Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s
First day of check out January 28 & 29, 2025.
Last day of check out is May 7, 2025.
Reservations & Appointments required for all checkouts
- Equipment checkouts are for enrolled Production FILM students and faculty only.
- Equipment appointments are required for all checkouts. No walk-ins. Reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance, and no more than 7 days in advance.
- If student misses their appointment time it will then be canceled and they will not be able to check out that week.
- Students will keep equipment for one week and return on the same day and time they checked out.
- New students will need to set up an account before their first checkout.
- All students are required to sign the Cage Policies and Procedures agreement upon first checkout each semester.
- Student should not take it upon themselves to clean equipment. Equipment will be clean and sanitized before given to the students.
Check-out & return equipment :
Equipment reservation and appointment
To submit a request to use the Studio, Green Room, or Audio Room:
Studio Request form
To submit a request to use the Edit Bays:
Edit bay Request form
