In this time of heavy mobile phone use — especially if you are on set and constantly on the lookout for the next day’s castings for stand-in work — you may find that your smartphone doesn’t have enough of a charge to carry you through a full day on set.

Keep in mind that a “full day on set” can be 8 hours, 10 hours, 12 hours, 14 hours, 16 hours — or even more than 16 hours!

That’s why bringing your own power supply to set — so that you can charge your phone — is really helpful.

Below are some pointers on buying portable chargers for your mobile phone for when you are standing in on a TV or film set. (And if you have a stand-in in your family, a portable charger can be a great gift!)

First Off: Why Bring a Portable Charger?

Of course, you don’t have to bring your own charger with you to set. But why you should is at least twofold:

• You aren’t ever separated from your phone when it is charging.
• Portable chargers are so inexpensive that the investment is well worth it.

Separation Anxiety

If you don’t bring your charger to set when you are standing in, when you need to charge your phone, you are likely going to be in search of a power outlet. Then, when you go to stand in, you are separated from your phone, meaning it could be moved or stolen while it is charging.

Some sets don’t have many outlets, meaning there may be some competition in jockeying to plug in your phone. You might arrive late to the outlet game and find you can’t charge your phone when you need to. Or if you do find an outlet, sometimes rude people will unplug your phone and plug in theirs!

A distro box, featuring power outlets on the side

Sometimes you will find a distro box with open outlets (a piece of electrical equipment used to distribute power on a film or television set), and you’ll try to plug in your phone into it for a charge. Not only are you separated from you phone still, but also you are plugged into the film’s equipment — which is not there to charge your phone!

If you plug your phone into a distro box, the production may need to use an outlet that you’re using or may need to suddenly move the distro box (say, should it end up in the shot). This means your charging phone could be tossed aside without regard in light of the urgency to get the shot.

And if you are standing in while this is happening, you might not know it’s happening — or you might not be able to leave your mark to get your charging phone when it is happening!

Very Affordable

Power chargers are often $50 or less. Spending even $50 on such a valuable piece of equipment for you when you stand in means you save a lot of separation anxiety and the possibility of theft or damage to your charging phone.

But you don’t have to even spend $50 on a power charger. Sometimes they are even less than $10 and they can provide a nice amount of juice as the battery indicator on your phone starts to dwindle.

What to Look for in a Phone Charger

When buying a portable charger for your mobile phone, there are a few factors to consider.

Keep in mind that each person’s preferences are different, so not all portable charges work for everyone’s needs. By far, one of the most important features of a charger is its capacity. There are other factors that will influence whether you buy one charger or another.

Look at the Capacity (mAh)

The capacity is one of the most important features of a portable charger. It basically measures how much of a charge the charger stores.

Capacity is usually written in the advertising copy for the charger, or written physically on the charger itself. Sometimes it is in very small type.

Capacity is measured in milliamp hours (abbreviated “mAh”). That number may not mean much to you, but there are a few very general ranges of mAh you will see as you shop around. Here is what they roughly translate to in terms of recharging your mobile phone:

• 2000 mAh — You might get one full charge or a partial charge from a portable charger with this small of capacity.
• 5000 mAh — You might get one and a half full charges from a portable charger of this capacity. But a really long day of heavy use or weak cell signals might mean you drain this down to zero and are left without power as your day goes on.
• 8000 mAh – You might get two full charges from a portable charger of this capacity. It should have enough juice for most long days on set.
• 10,000 mAh — Enough to fully charge your phone several times a day — more than enough power for a full day of heavy phone use on set.
• Above 10,000 mAh — Overkill for charging your phone on set, but helpful if you are charging more than just your phone or are staying overnight on a job and need the extra power.

Understand the Weight

In general, the smaller the capacity, the lighter weight and smaller size the portable charger will be.

Likewise, the larger the capacity, the heavier the weight and the bulkier the size will be for the portable charger.

For portable chargers of about 2000 mAh, these are often impressively small and lightweight. They are sometimes tubular or cylindrical and may look or be a bit “cheap.” If you’re lucky, you’ll score one of these as a gift on a job or as a giveaway. These will usually fit in many people’s pockets and provide a nice little boost of charge should you need it on a short day of stand-in work or a day of light use of your smartphone.

As you get into the 5000 and 8000 mAh range, frequently these are about the size of a smartphone or slightly smaller. They may be designed to piggyback behind your phone so that you can easily hold your phone while it is also powering. In such a case, usually the slimmer the charger the better, because then you can have your phone charging in your pocket without as much bulk. But usually when you get into this capacity range, there will be an understandable bulk factor — but usually not a bulk factor that is a huge problem.

When you get into the 10000 mAh range, it becomes a bit of a tradeoff. You will have plenty of charge for your day, so you can be confident you’ll have a powered phone. But the weight and bulk of the charger will likely go up, so you’ll need to make sure you have big enough pockets to carry it.

Weight will become an even bigger carrying factor for 20000 mAh chargers, which are not needed when working on a set in most situations.

And as for the feel of the weights: A 2000 mAh charger won’t feel like much of anything in your pocket, but a 10000 mAh charger will feel like a bulky or heavy wallet. It won’t be that heavy, but it will won’t be feather light.

Charging and Recharging Speed

Portable chargers are charged themselves by USB cables plugged into the wall. Most of the ones you would want to use when standing in can be fully charged overnight.

As you get into higher capacities, the amount of time it takes to fully charge a portable charger increases, but some may come with a design that allows for, say, a 10000 mAh to be fully charged in 5 hours.

If you are on the same production several days in a row, you will likely have enough time to fully recharge a spent charger. But if you are bouncing around on different productions with shorter turnaround times, it’s possible that if you wrap really late and are called in really early for a different job, you might not have enough time to fully recharge a spent charger. That’s when it’s important to look for a charger that can be “quickly” recharged.

As for the speed of charging your phone with a charger, look at buyer reviews or any advertising copy that explains how fast devices are charged. In general, portable chargers recharge phones at a respectable pace, with some probably doing it faster than others.

Interface with Your Phone

Most portable chargers are separate entities that you attach to your phone with a cable to recharge it.

For these chargers, make sure also to purchase a cable to connect your charger to your phone. Most chargers have one to two female USB ports. If you have, say, a modern iPhone, make sure you also purchase a USB cable with Lightning connector. The cable you purchase probably should be on the short side so that you can reduce bulk you are carrying.

You can really save on bulk by buying a portable charger with a cable built in. My preferred portable charger for my iPhone is the UGREEN Portable Charger 10000mAh Power Bank with MFi Lightning Cable (pictured left).

This charger’s Lightning cable folds into the charger, meaning I don’t need to bring an awkward, twisty cable with me to set. I simply stack my iPhone onto the charger and plug the short charging cable into my iPhone. While on the heavier side, this charger has plenty of capacity at 10000 mAh and charges quickly overnight. (It may be out of stock. There may be other brands selling similar designs.)

Some portable chargers actually are cases that not only charge your phone but help to protect it. These are helpful in reducing the amount of equipment you are bringing to set, though they make your phone bulkier for the entire day compared to having a detachable charger you can put away when not being used. These kinds of chargers can tend to be more expensive than $50. When buying these chargers, make sure they are designed for your model of smartphone!

Other Considerations

Different chargers offer different features that may make a difference to you!

Brand name chargers might offer more quality and performance than off-brand chargers, but that’s tough to say outright. Myself, I trust the Anker brand of portable chargers, but I’ve had good fortune with off-brand portable chargers — as well as with no-name brands.

Some chargers have more than one USB port, allowing you to charge more than one device at a time. If you need to simultaneously charge more than one device, consider getting a portable charger with more than one USB port.

Also, some chargers will have a flashlight built into them, which can be handy when you are trying to read sides on a dark set.

Some portable chargers also double as hand warmers! Keep in mind when buying these to charge your phone, some of the charge will be spent when you also use them as hand warmers — meaning they might offer your smartphone less of an emergency charge when you need it.

That said, some normal portable chargers may emit a small amount of heat when in use, so they might accidentally double as a single hand warmer when you’re charging your phone!

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are a ton of different types of portable chargers for your smartphone that you can use when you are standing in. Just browsing Amazon shows an immense array of choices.

However, using the above criteria, you should be able to find just the right portable charger for your needs on set. Usually for less than $50, you can find a device that really saves you when you’re in a pinch!

What portable charger do you recommend for stand-ins? Is there something that you look for when shopping for portable chargers? Do you not use a portable charger and have a trick for finding power on set? Share your views in the comments below!