On this page
The short answer
- List everything with a unique number, its serial and what it is worth.
- Label it with a code you can scan.
- Book it before a shoot, so two people cannot plan on the same lens.
- Check it out to a named person, and check it in with its condition.
- Pull broken gear off the shelf until it is fixed.
- Count the shelf every few months, and keep a list ready for your insurer.
What to record for each item
| Field | Why |
|---|---|
| Your number, like CAM-0001 | One name everybody uses, on the label and in conversation |
| Name and category | "A cam body", in Camera |
| Make, model, serial | Theft reports, insurance and warranty claims need the serial |
| Where it lives | The office, the van, a storage unit |
| Kit | The case it travels in |
| Value and price paid | What it would cost to replace, for insurance |
| Bought on, warranty until | For warranty repairs and your accountant |
| Condition notes | The scratch on the front element that was always there |
Track consumables differently. Nobody numbers AA batteries. Keep a count of each kind and a level at which to reorder.
Labels
A label carries your number and a code. A QR code works with any phone camera. A barcode, such as Code 128, is what most handheld scanners read best. Many studios print both.
| Printer or paper | Good for |
|---|---|
| Small thermal label printer (Brother, DYMO, Zebra) | Labeling as you go, one at a time |
| Sheets of 24 or 30 labels on an office printer | Labeling the whole inventory once |
Put an "If found" line with a phone number on the label. Gear left at a location comes back more often than you would think.
For what to pack on a given shoot, the free video shoot equipment checklist is a good start.
A check-out that people actually use
The best check-out is the one that takes ten seconds. A USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner types each code into the computer like a keyboard, so scanning a whole case out takes a minute. A phone camera works too.
| Moment | What to record |
|---|---|
| Booking | What, for whom, which project, which dates |
| Hand-over | Each item scanned out, who took it, a signature if you want one |
| Due back | The return date, and a reminder the day before |
| Return | Each item scanned back, its condition, and whether it needs a fix |
Booking ahead is what stops the two-shoots-one-lens problem. When the schedule says the B camera is out Thursday and Friday, nobody else plans on it.
A worked example
Here is a sample three-person studio with about 120 items: two camera kits, a lighting kit, a sound kit, a drone and loose lenses.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Monday | The producer books the A camera kit, two lenses and the sound kit for Thursday and Friday |
| Tuesday | An editor tries to book the 24-70 for Thursday. It shows as booked, so she takes the 24-105 |
| Wednesday evening | The shooter scans the cases out. 23 items, about two minutes |
| Friday evening | Everything is scanned back. One battery is marked dirty, and the slider is marked as needing a fix |
| The next week | The slider stays off bookings until the repair is marked done |
Nobody had to ask who has the slider, and nobody turned up to a shoot with a broken one.
Repairs and service
| Kind | Example | How to handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Something broke | A loose lens mount | Take it out of use until it is fixed, note who is fixing it and the cost |
| Something comes round | A sensor clean every 90 days, firmware updates | A schedule with a reminder before it is due |
Count the shelf
A stock-take is walking the shelves and scanning what is there. Do one at least twice a year and before an insurance renewal.
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| Seen | Where it should be |
| Missing | Should be here, was not found |
| Somewhere else | Found here, lives elsewhere |
| Here but booked out | On the shelf while a booking says it is out: a return nobody scanned |
| Short | Fewer batteries than the count says |
Gear that is out with someone is not missing. Check the bookings before you panic.
An insurance schedule
Insurers usually want a list of scheduled equipment: each item, its serial and its value. Keep it current, because a claim for a camera that is not on the list is a harder conversation. Check with your broker what your policy needs. Values are your own estimate unless you have an appraisal.
When to leave the spreadsheet
A spreadsheet is fine for 30 items and one person. It stops working when more than one person takes gear out, because the sheet is never updated in the moment. Signs it is time to move: double bookings, gear found in a van a week later, and nobody knowing whether the drone is repaired.
Doing it in Cutvey
Gear keeps your inventory with numbers, kits and places, prints labels for Brother, DYMO, Zebra and sheet labels, and scans with any keyboard scanner or the Cutvey app. Every check-out is a booking with clash warnings and reminders, returns note condition and open repairs, and stock-takes and the insurance schedule are built in. If you are coming from Cheqroom, Sortly or Booqable, import their export and your old stickers keep scanning. Gear is on every paid plan. See Set up your gear inventory and Book, check out and return gear.