Blog
Notes from the gallery on switching, streaming, control room layout and running live shows, written by the people who do the work.
Our articles cover the everyday craft of live production, from cueing and camera plans to signal routing and stream monitoring. A new piece appears about once a day, so there is usually something fresh to read.
· Live switchingHow to Prepare a Multi-Camera Shoot for Clean Live Switching
A practical guide to getting a multi-camera show ready for the vision mixer: camera plans, shot lists, talkback and rehearsal habits that make the live cut calmer and cleaner.
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· Live streamingA Checklist for Live Streaming Production Before You Commit
Before you book a crew for an online event, run through these questions on audience, signal path, graphics, monitoring and fallback, so the stream you choose suits the show you are planning.
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· Control roomsSix Control Room Fit-Out Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Most problems in a new production gallery start on the drawing board. Callum Hartley walks through six fit-out mistakes we see often, and the plain habits that prevent them.
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· CostsWhat Production Management Costs and What Moves the Price
A plain look at how production management is priced for television and streaming shoots, which factors push the figure up or down, and what to settle before a producer is booked.
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· Customer storyOne Saturday of replay and graphics, seen from the gallery
A short story about Marcus, a community arena organiser, and the afternoon our real-time video operators took on replay, graphics and screen feeds for his live event.
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· Seasonal adviceAutumn and winter festival broadcast: what to settle early
Priya Nair on planning stage and screen coverage for the colder months: weather, daylight, power and a crew that stays sharp through long evenings.
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· Trade termsWhat a vision mixer means by a take, a cut and a dissolve
A plain-words guide to the commands a vision mixer uses all day in multi-camera switching, and why the choice between a cut and a mix changes how a programme feels.
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· Live streamingOne encoder or two: choosing a backup path for a live stream
A single encoder is simpler to run, a paired setup costs more and asks more of the crew. Priya compares the two for live streams and says which she recommends and why.
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· Behind the scenesInside a gallery build: how we lay out a control room
A technical engineer walks through the practical order of a control room fit-out, from desk positions and sightlines to signal paths, and the small decisions that keep a long broadcast day steady.
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· Production managementWho Actually Runs the Show? Production Management Questions Answered
The question we hear most is what a production manager does once cameras are rolling. Priya Nair answers it from the gallery, with the crews, schedules and cues in front of her.
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· Company newsWhat our operators now handle during a live show: replay, graphics and playout
A look at how real-time video operation sits inside our live crews: who runs replay, graphics, playout and screen feeds, and how that work is organised on a show day.
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· Festival BroadcastThe Kit and Methods Behind Our Festival and Concert Broadcasts
A producer's look at the gear, cabling habits and rehearsal methods our mobile crews lean on when a stage show has to reach screens without a hitch.
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· SwitchingA Checklist to Work Through Before Choosing Multi-Camera Switching
Priya Nair sets out the questions worth answering before you book a vision mixer: cameras, cue sheets, talkback, intercut pace and rehearsal time, so the live cut matches what you have planned.
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· Live streamingStreaming Mistakes We See Often and How to Avoid Them
A streaming producer looks at the slips that most often damage a live stream, from encoding settings to monitoring, and the simple habits that keep a broadcast steady from start to finish.
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· Control roomsWhat a Control Room Fit-Out Costs and What Moves the Price
A plain look at what shapes the price of a production gallery build, from room size and signal routing to furniture, cabling and the time needed to commission it.
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· Customer caseOne Saturday broadcast and the schedule that held it together
Priya Nair tells how production management steadied a two-stage evening broadcast for a small events team, from the first call sheet to the last cue, as seen from the gallery.
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· Seasonal adviceReal-Time Video Operation: Getting Ready for the Darker Months
Replay, graphics, playout and screen feeds all work harder as autumn events move indoors and evenings shorten. Here is how we prepare our operators for the coming months.
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· Trade termsReading a festival running order: the rules a broadcast crew works by
A plain-words guide to the terms on a festival call sheet, from changeover and stage clock to talkback and cue, and why each one matters to a mobile crew covering stages and screens.
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