DIT Triage - Environment
Symptom: Physical environment issues: power, weather, space, and crew/client interference.
Organized by category rather than strict yes/no flow. Jump to the relevant section.
Power Issues
1. Main power lost?
UPS connected — You have 10-15 minutes of runtime (typical 600VA UPS with laptop + monitor + router). Prioritize: save your session (Cmd+S in Capture One), inform the client, and wait for power restoration.
No UPS — Laptop switches to battery. Battery runtime under tethering load: ~2-3 hours for a MacBook Pro M-series (Apple Silicon), ~1-1.5 hours for an Intel MacBook Pro. Less if driving an external display. The router and external monitor will die immediately. Fall back to wired-only on laptop screen until power returns. → SOP_DIT_Wired_Only
Generator changeover — Brief power interruption. If UPS is present, it bridges the gap. If not, the laptop survives on battery, but the router and monitor reboot — budget 60 seconds for network recovery.
2. Generator power causing erratic behavior?
Generators produce noisy power with voltage fluctuations. MacBook chargers handle this well, but cheaper monitors and routers may behave erratically — flickering, rebooting, or losing signal.
Yes — Fix: Put a UPS between the generator and the DIT station. The UPS acts as a power conditioner, smoothing voltage fluctuations. Even a small UPS provides clean power regardless of generator quality.
Brown-outs (voltage sag below ~100V) → MacBook charger disengages, laptop silently switches to battery. You may not notice until the battery is low. Monitor the battery icon.
No → Next.
3. No power at video village?
The DIT station has power but the client review area does not (e.g., outdoor location, remote set area).
Yes — Options:
- Battery-powered field monitor (SmallHD, Atomos with V-mount battery): 2-5 hours runtime depending on screen size and brightness.
- iPad on battery + Capture Pilot/Live for Studio via Wi-Fi: iPad battery lasts 8-10 hours.
- Long extension cord from the DIT station to video village (check voltage drop: >100 feet of standard extension cord can drop voltage enough to cause issues with monitors).
No → Next.
4. Crew member unplugged DIT equipment?
This happens. Someone needs power for a charger, a light, or a monitor and unplugs the nearest available cable.
Immediate: Replug. Check what was affected (router reboot? monitor lost signal? laptop on battery?). Recover each component. If the router rebooted, budget 60 seconds for network recovery — iPads should auto-reconnect. If they don’t → DIT Triage - iPad Disconnected.
Prevention: Label ALL DIT power cables with bright gaffer tape: “DIT — DO NOT UNPLUG.” Communicate to the gaffer/best boy at the start of the day. If possible, get a dedicated circuit.
Weather / Physical
5. Monitor glare (outdoor shoot)?
Direct sunlight or bright ambient light washing out the monitor.
Yes — See 4. Monitor glare making the display unreadable (outdoor shoot)? for the full fix list.
No → Next.
6. Rain or moisture?
Light rain — Cover the laptop with a clear rain cover (Pelican case lids, large Ziploc bags, dedicated laptop rain covers). Cover the router. The monitor is likely weatherproof if it’s a field monitor, but check.
Heavy rain — Move the entire DIT station under cover. If no cover is available, shut down and protect equipment. No shot is worth a fried laptop.
High humidity (>80%) — Watch for condensation on cold surfaces (laptop screen, monitor, lenses). If bringing equipment from air-conditioned indoors to a hot, humid exterior, allow 15-30 minutes for acclimatization before powering on.
Condensation already formed — Do NOT power on the equipment. Wait for surfaces to dry. Use a gentle air blower if available. Powering on wet electronics risks short circuits.
7. Wind?
Strong wind causes: tether cables swinging (strain on camera and laptop connectors), monitor hoods blowing off, lightweight routers/accessories falling from tables.
Yes — Fix: Gaffer tape cables to surfaces at regular intervals. Weigh down or clamp the monitor. Secure the router (attach to a surface or put it in a protected position). Use a cable strain relief (TetherTools JerkStopper) to prevent cable swing from reaching the camera connector.
Extreme wind: consider moving the DIT station to a sheltered position or inside a vehicle/tent.
No → Next.
8. Temperature extremes?
Cold (below 10C / 50F) — Apple-rated operating range for MacBooks is 10-35C. Below 10C, the battery drains faster, the screen may respond slowly, and the laptop may shut down to protect the battery. Keep the laptop warm (insulated surface, hand warmers nearby but NOT on the laptop). Bring the laptop inside periodically to warm up.
Hot (above 35C / 95F) — The laptop will thermal throttle and may display a temperature warning. Keep out of direct sunlight. Use a shade or umbrella over the DIT station. A laptop stand with ventilation helps. If the temperature warning appears, stop tethering, let it cool, and resume. Worst case: → EC - Thermal Throttling
9. Cable trip hazards?
The tether cable, HDMI cable, power cables, and Ethernet cable are all trip hazards on set.
Prevention: Gaffer tape all cables to the floor at transition points. Use cable ramps over high-traffic paths. Leave slack in cables at both ends (don’t run them taut). Run cables along walls or table edges, never across open walkways.
Types of gaffer tape: standard 2” matte black for most surfaces. Use paper/artist’s tape on finished floors (regular gaffer can pull up finish). Never use duct tape on set (leaves residue).
People
10. Client picked up the iPad and walked out of Wi-Fi range?
The iPad disconnected because the client wandered too far from the router.
Yes — Fix: Retrieve the iPad politely. Explain the range limitation. Offer to set up a second viewing area closer to where the client wants to be, or reposition the router for better coverage.
Prevention: Brief the client at the start: “The iPad works within about 30 feet of our station. If you need to take it farther, let me know and I’ll adjust the setup.”
If the client insists on roaming far: consider using Capture One Live (cloud-based, works anywhere with internet) instead of Capture Pilot (local network only). This requires internet access — if the DIT router has no WAN uplink, you’ll need to connect the laptop to a separate internet source (venue Wi-Fi, phone hotspot).
No → Next.
11. Art director or client touching Capture One directly?
Someone is adjusting settings, moving images, or rating directly on the DIT laptop without going through the DIT.
Immediate: Politely redirect. “I’m managing the software — tell me what you’d like to see and I’ll pull it up.”
Prevention: Brief at the start: “I’ll be driving the software. If you want to see a specific image or compare shots, just tell me and I’ll pull it up. The iPad is for browsing and rating.” If they keep touching the laptop, consider locking the screen between active tethering periods (Ctrl+Cmd+Q to lock).
If the client wants hands-on control: position a second display where they can review (Client Viewer on Studio, or Capture Pilot on iPad), and keep the primary workspace on the laptop screen for DIT control only.
12. Multi-client rating conflicts?
Agency and brand are both at video village, both rating, and they disagree.
Yes — Protocol:
- Designate rating lanes: “Agency will use stars (1-5) for their picks. Brand will use color tags (green/yellow/red) for theirs.”
- If both are on separate iPads with Capture Pilot, each can rate independently — but their ratings write to the same file. Use stars for one and color tags for the other.
- If conflicts escalate, ask the photographer or art director to make the final call. The DIT does not arbitrate creative decisions.
- If using Live for Studio, each iPad can browse independently but ratings are synced. Warn both parties that they’ll see each other’s ratings.
No conflicts → Environment assessment complete. Proceed with the shoot.