Recently, we posted about workflow efficiency on video productions and one of the things we mentioned was learning how to wrap your cables properly and safely. Safely because it helps minimise the chances of them fraying in the middle and properly because it means you shouldn’t ever see another tangle again. No more tangles means a longer life for your cable and an easier time for you on set because you don’t have to untangle them. Learning how to wrap cables properly is a skill that takes hardly any time at all to learn, but it’s one that’ll stick with you for the rest of your life with any long cables you might have to deal with. But how do you do it? Well, this video from YouTube channel Vistek goes through all of the surprising complexity of wrapping up cables and how to make sure yours stand the test of time!
You’d think that wrapping cables would be simple and… well, it is. But only if you know how. The technique shown in the video has been the standard in the film and other industries for decades and it will massively increase the life of your expensive long cables.
But learning how to wrap is only one half of the problem. You also need to tie off the ends, too. You can tuck the ends inside the loop. Once. Only once. Don’t tuck and twist it around a whole bunch of times. Never use gaffer tape or duct tape. Even if it’s the type that doesn’t leave a residue, if the cable sits unused for months, it’s going to leave a residue. Use hook & loop (Velcro) straps instead. I buy my hook & loop on long rolls and just cut off as I need. Have you been wrapping your cables wrong for years?
