Before You Book a Technical Crew: A Checklist for Live Shows

Before you speak to any crew provider, write down what the programme actually asks of the people in the room. A single interview with two guests needs a different crew from a panel show with four seats, a studio audience and a live graphics feed. List the camera positions, the number of microphones, the lighting states you expect to change during the broadcast and any cues that rely on the gallery talking to the floor.

I write this as a lighting designer who has stood on many floors in the last half hour before going live. The shows that run calmly are almost always the ones where the producer could say, in two sentences, what each technical person was there to do. If you cannot yet say it, the checklist below is the place to begin, and a conversation with a crew provider will go much faster once you can.

• Number of guests, presenters and camera angles
• Live graphics, playout or remote guests involved
• Length of the programme and of the rehearsal
• Whether the set is permanent or built for the day

A quotation that says four crew members tells you very little. Ask what each person does and who is responsible when something goes wrong. A camera operator should know the framing the director wants; a sound operator should know which microphones are open at which moment; a lighting operator should know the cue list. If one person is covering two roles, ask which tasks will be done before transmission and which during it.

It is also worth asking how the crew communicates. Talkback between gallery and floor needs to be tested, and everyone should know who gives the instruction to cut or hold. In my experience a smaller crew with clear roles is steadier than a larger one where responsibility is shared loosely, and a good provider will say so rather than simply selling you more people.

• Named role for every person on the quotation
• Who calls cues and who answers talkback
• Who decides when a fault is fixed or worked around

The most common gap in crew planning is time. A crew arriving an hour before transmission can plug in and hope; a crew with a proper set-up period can check camera exposure, balance faces against the background, run the audio levels and walk the presenters through their marks. Decide how long you need before the first rehearsal, how long the rehearsal itself takes and how much slack you want before going live.

For a season of programmes the picture changes. The first week usually needs longer, because positions, lighting states and intercom settings are being established. After that, a short check each day is enough if the settings have been written down and the same people return. Tell the provider which pattern you expect, so the quotation reflects it rather than surprising you later.

• Set-up, rehearsal and transmission as separate blocks
• Longer first session for a new season
• Time reserved for de-rig if the space is shared

Some crews work only with the equipment already in your studio; others bring their own cameras, microphones or lighting. Neither is wrong, but you should know which applies before the day. If the crew uses your gallery, ask whether they have seen the system and whether anyone has tested the vision mixer, intercom and playout together. If they bring equipment, ask what it is, how it is connected and what happens if a piece fails.

Spare parts matter more than they seem. A spare microphone, a spare cable run and a second talkback pack cost very little compared with a delayed programme. A provider who talks easily about what they carry as backup, and where it sits during transmission, has usually dealt with failures before and learned from them.

• Whose equipment is used for each position
• Spare microphones, cables and talkback packs
• Whether systems were tested together beforehand

A written quotation should state the dates, the hours, the roles, what is included and what would change the price, such as overrun, extra rehearsal or additional camera positions. Confirm how cancellation works and what the payment terms are, so nobody argues about them on the day. Ask who your single point of contact is and how to reach them if the schedule moves.

For a day booking, ask for a short written note afterwards listing any faults, settings changed and suggestions for next time. For a season booking, agree a regular point, perhaps after the first fortnight, to review what is working and what is not. These small habits keep the arrangement honest and make the second booking easier than the first.

• Written quotation with hours, roles and exclusions
• Named contact and a way to reach them on the day
• Short report after the first booking

A day booking suits an interview, a one-off panel or an event with a fixed date. You pay for the people for the hours you need, and the crew leaves when the programme ends. A season booking suits a regular show: the same faces learn the set, the presenters get used to them and small problems get solved once rather than every week.

The trade-off is flexibility. A season commits you to dates and to a team, while a day booking lets you change provider if the first experience disappoints. If you are unsure, book one programme first, use the checklist above to judge it and then decide whether to extend. It is a sensible way to learn how a crew works with your presenters before committing further.