Hello.

I'm currently in film school and in preproduction.

A friend is currently filming a short (I wrote the script, just boasting a little) and is the first one of us to shoot. He's kinda like the guinea pig.

Anyway, he found out that to shoot a short, he needs to write a cheque for five thousand. Once they have this cheque they release the equipment.
This is on top of tuition, which was not cheap.

Is this normal?

On principle, I'm not going to pay. I'd rather use my own camera and lights.

Is the check ever cashed or is it just a safety in case you trash the equipment.

If it's just a deposit you get back, then yeah that is relatively standard. If you're actually paying that amount, then no its not...

Plus, you can buy some decent used equipment for that much anyhow

Yeah, the school should have insurance...paying a premium is normal, but you shouldn't have to pay full price, much less such an inflated one.

What school do you go to?

Sometimes a school will attach a lab fee or an insurance fee to your tuition, but for a school to ask for a check outright in order to get equipment is absurd.