Film Locations Glossary
Cable ramp
What is a cable ramp?
Also called cable cover, or cable crossing.
A cable ramp is the moulded cover laid over cable runs where crew or the public have to walk or drive across them.
On location it is both a safety measure and a permit condition: exposed cable across a public sidewalk is the classic trip hazard that draws a complaint or a stop-work. Ramps and mats are budgeted per location and are part of what makes a sidewalk run more expensive than it looks.
Example
A lighting run crosses 20 feet of public sidewalk. Permit conditions require ramped covers and a clear pedestrian path, so the department budgets ramps, mats, and a lockup to steer foot traffic around the crossing.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Specified on the site plan and inspected by the permit monitor on the day.
Common mistake
Running cable across a public sidewalk under a mat and calling it done. Permit conditions usually specify ramped covers and a clear pedestrian path, and an inspector will stop the run.
Related questions
- How do productions run cable across a sidewalk legally?
- In ramped covers that maintain an accessible pedestrian route, as specified in the permit conditions, often with a lockup directing foot traffic.
- Who is responsible for trip hazards at a location?
- The production. It is a workplace safety obligation as well as a permit condition, and it is the most common cause of a public complaint at a location.