There are tons and tons of ways to use a C-stand, which make them a must-have piece of equipment when shooting a film.

But using them isn't as easy as it looks. Seriously -- if you're looking at a C-stand and thinking, "What's the big deal? Just loosen those knobby things, pull out those bars, and plop a light on it," then your chances of accidentally knocking a light over and busting your buddy in the head just went up 10,000%. In this great tutorial, the folks over at RocketJump Film School help us out with terminology, safety precautions, and even a few tricks to ensure that nothing falls down and goes boom.

In case you couldn't watch the video, here are a few of the key C-stand tips RocketJump mentions:

Keep the big leg under the weight, because it provides the most support.

because it provides the most support. ALWAYS put a sandbag on the big leg, because the other legs are too short to keep the sandbag off of the floor (bag on floor = less support).

because the other legs are too short to keep the sandbag off of the floor (bag on floor = less support). Keep the knuckles on the right side, because if the arm ever becomes loose and starts to fall, it'll self-tighten.

Near the end of the video they talk a little bit about soldiering C-stands, as well as how to safely walk around with them so as to not impale someone through the face.

What C-stand tips and tricks do you know? Feel free to comment below!