Before You Commit: A Checklist for Planning a Live Broadcast

The first item on any checklist is the technical run sheet, because every other decision hangs from it. Before anyone talks about cameras or desks, ask whether there is a single written sequence of the show that lists each cue, each source change, each lighting state and each audio event in order. If the sequence only exists in the producer's head, the plan is not ready to be priced or staffed.

A useful run sheet is read by people with different jobs. The vision mixer looks for camera and graphics changes, the lighting operator for state changes, the audio lead for open and closed microphones. Check that each of them can find their own line without reading everyone else's. If that is not possible, split the sheet into one shared version and several working copies before you decide anything further.

• Every cue has a number and a named owner
• Timings are marked as fixed or flexible
• Backup actions are written next to risky cues
• One version is declared current

A signal flow diagram is the second thing to ask for. Where does each camera feed go, which sources reach the mixer, how does the programme leave the building, and where does the return feed come back? A paragraph of prose can hide a gap that a diagram shows at once, such as a monitor with no source or a talkback path that stops halfway.

When you review the drawing, follow one signal from start to finish with a finger or a pen. Do this for video, for programme audio and for communications separately. Ask what happens to each path if one cable, one converter or one power strip fails. You do not need every answer to be a duplicate path, but you do need to know which failures would stop the show and which would only inconvenience it.

• Each path is traced from source to destination
• Single points of failure are marked on the drawing
• Labels on the drawing match labels on the equipment

A crew plan is more than a list of roles. Decide whether it shows who arrives when, who is responsible for rigging, who tests which system, and who is allowed to make a change once the show is running. Many live productions run well on the day and stumble in the hours before, because nobody was named for the awkward jobs such as cable runs, power distribution or final line checks.

Check also how breaks are covered. A show that lasts several hours needs relief for the people watching screens and listening to feeds, and the plan should say who steps in and how the handover is done. If a role is held by one person for the whole day with no cover, ask whether that is a real choice or an oversight, and write the answer into the plan.

• Call times differ by role and are written down
• Handover points are named for long shows
• Authority to change the plan on the day is clear

Rehearsal is where a plan meets the room. Before you decide, find out how much time is set aside for a technical rehearsal and a full run, and whether the venue allows access early enough to use it. A beautiful diagram means little if the first time the camera positions are tried is five minutes before doors open.

Ask what is tested in that time. A good rehearsal checks cue timings, talkback, monitoring levels, lighting states and the route the programme takes out of the building. It also checks the people: whether the caller's instructions are heard clearly and whether operators know what to do when something does not go to plan. If rehearsal time is the first thing cut when schedules tighten, say so before the booking is confirmed.

• Technical rehearsal and full run are both listed
• Venue access times match the rehearsal plan
• Failure drills are included, even short ones

Finally, ask what documents you will hold when the planning is finished. The run sheet, the signal flow drawings and the crew plan should be yours to use, in a form that others on your team can open and edit. A set of files that only the author can read is a dependency, not a deliverable.

It is also worth asking how the documents are kept up to date as the event changes. Last-minute alterations are normal, and a plan with no revision marks quickly turns into three conflicting versions. Agree who updates the master, how changes are announced to the crew, and when the plan is frozen. These are small administrative points, yet they are often what separates a calm show day from a confused one.

• Files are in open, editable formats
• Each revision carries a date and an initial
• A freeze time is agreed before the event