Preparing a Live Show Crew: A Practical Guide from Rehearsal to Transmission

Most problems on a live show begin with a running order that exists only in the producer's head. Before anyone rigs a light or patches a camera, put the programme on paper: segments, durations, who is on set, which sources are needed and where the breaks fall. Keep it to a page or two so that a floor manager can glance at it mid-rehearsal.

Share it with the gallery team, the camera operators and the lighting desk at the same time, not in sequence. When each department receives the same version, questions surface early and nobody works from an outdated copy. Number every revision and write the time on it, so the crew can tell at a glance which one is current.

As the lighting designer on many of our jobs, I find the running order also tells me where the set must change quickly, which decides how I build my cues. A two-minute interview that follows a four-minute report needs a different plan from one that follows a studio discussion.

• Segment, duration and talent for every item
• Sources needed in each segment
• Break points and return cues
• Revision number and time on every copy

A role card is a single sheet describing one person's job on the day: where they stand or sit, what they watch, whom they take instructions from and what they do if something fails. It sounds formal, but on a live show it removes the vague overlap that leads to two people doing the same task while a third is left undone.

Write the cards in plain language and keep to one responsibility per line. A camera operator's card might say which shots to hold for each segment, which talent to favour and when to reframe. The gallery director's card lists the cue calls in order and the point at which the director hands over to the vision mixer.

Hand the cards out at the first rehearsal, not on the day of transmission. People need a chance to say what is unclear, and you need to hear it while there is still time to change the plan.

• One person, one instruction line
• Fallback action for each likely failure
• Named point of contact for questions

A single full run-through tires everyone and hides faults behind the general pace. Rehearse in layers instead. Begin with a technical check on its own: sources live, audio levels set, intercom working, graphics loading. Only when that is steady move to a stumble-through of the programme with cues but no pressure.

Then run the difficult segments separately. Handovers between studio and remote guests, quick set changes and anything involving playback deserve their own repetitions. A thirty-second transition that has been practised five times is far safer than one that has been rehearsed once inside a full run.

Finish with a complete timed run as close to transmission conditions as you can manage, with talent in position and the gallery working to the clock. Note every fault on a shared list and close each one before the next run begins.

• Technical check before any programme run
• Difficult transitions rehearsed in isolation
• Final run timed to the transmission clock

On air, the intercom is the show's nervous system. Agree one voice for cue calls and keep everyone else off the main channel unless it is urgent. Side conversations belong on a separate talkback group, and the director should be able to hear that the channel is quiet before calling the next shot.

Standardise the wording. A cue such as ready camera two, take two is understood in a heartbeat; a casual suggestion about shot choice is not. Fixed phrases cut the time between thought and action and make it easier for a new operator to follow along without guessing.

Agree in advance who may interrupt the director and with what. A short phrase for a fault, such as problem on source three, lets the director decide whether to cut away without a long explanation. Practise it during rehearsal so nobody hesitates when it matters.

• One voice for cue calls
• Separate group for side conversations
• Fixed phrases for faults and standby

Live television fails in familiar ways: a source drops, a radio microphone cuts out, a guest arrives late, a lighting cue fires early. List the ten most likely faults for your show and decide in advance what the gallery does about each. The answer should be a simple action, such as switch to the wide shot or take the backup microphone.

Put the list where the director and vision mixer can see it, and rehearse at least two of the failures deliberately. A crew that has handled a planned fault calmly is far better placed to deal with an unplanned one, because the habit of staying quiet and acting on a rule is already built.

Check the backup paths themselves before every show. A spare microphone that was never switched on, or a backup feed that points at the wrong input, offers no protection at all. A short written test, ticked off by name, takes minutes and protects the whole transmission.

• List likely faults with a single response each
• Rehearse two failures on purpose
• Test every backup path before going to air

In the last thirty minutes, the aim is calm. Run through the opening sequence once, confirm the clock, check that talent are miked and comfortable, and make sure every crew member has their card and their position. Avoid new changes unless something is plainly broken; late tinkering causes more faults than it fixes.

Hold a brief standby call with everyone on intercom. The director states the opening cue, the first break and any known risk, and each department answers in turn. It takes under two minutes and leaves nobody uncertain about what happens in the first segment.

After the show, gather the crew briefly while memory is fresh. Ask what went well, what nearly went wrong and what should change next time. Write the answers down and file them with the running order, so the next programme begins from what this one taught you.

• Opening sequence checked once, no late changes
• Standby call with an answer from each department
• Short review while the show is fresh