Deadpool 2

Cool Air has had a significant role in the in B.C.’s film and television industry for decades, so the Location Department for the massive production codenamed “Love Machine” knew they could trust us with all their cooling requirements. Throughout their shoot we provided equipment at locations and stages all over the lower mainland; the most involved project was this converted substation near Surrey.

The Challenge

The building was never intended to be a sound stage so the amenities we usually make use of for cooling film sets didn’t exist. Most importantly, there was little access to water; just one hydrant hundreds of feet from the building and no mouse-holes to get hoses inside. There weren’t any side doors we could block off to use for duct to blow cool air inside. Furthermore, the production had several tents in the area that needed to be kept cool as well.

The Solution

Three 20 ton air-cooled units situated outside with the cold air ducted into the building via vents on the roof were used as the main defense against the heat, and a single 30-ton water-cooled unit was placed just inside the entrance to provide spot-cooling to specific points of the set as needed. For the tents, a variety of air-cooled units ranging from 4 to 12 tons was used.

The Result

The 60 tons of cooling pumped into the stage kept the temperature to a reasonable level despite the enormous amount of people and equipment in the space producing heat. In between scenes the additional 30-ton unit was utilized to supply cold air to whichever area inside the set the next scene was to be shot in, as that was where the concentration of lights and people would be most dense. In the tents, the crew and cast were kept comfortable by our equipment cooling the lunch, wardrobe, Hair & Makeup, and Background holding tents even when they were filled with people. Cool Air helped make a long shoot during a very hot summer easier to get through.

Equipment Used

• Three ACI20V23 – air-cooled industrial 20 ton units
• Three ACI10V23 – air-cooled industrial 10 ton units
• Two ACI12H23 – air-cooled industrial 12 ton units
• Two ACI4V23 – air-cooled industrial 4 ton units
• One WCI30V23 – water-cooled industrial 30 ton unit