What newsrooms ask us most about multi-camera live event coverage
The questions we hear most from editors before commissioning coverage of a concert, festival or public event: crew size, feeds, turnaround and what to settle before the day.
The question behind most enquiries
When an editor rings about a festival or a public event, the first question is nearly always the same: what will we actually get, and by when? It sounds simple, yet the honest answer depends on the shape of the event, the size of the segment it is feeding and the hour the bulletin goes to air. Over the past twelve years we have found it easier to answer in stages rather than with one figure.
So this note takes the questions in the order they usually arrive. None of them is difficult, but each one changes how we plan the day, and settling them early saves a great deal of telephone traffic on the morning itself.
Autumn brings its own version of this conversation. Daylight is shorter, outdoor events finish earlier or run into floodlit evenings, and weather decides more than anyone would like. We will come back to that below.
How many cameras do we really need?
Newsrooms often assume more cameras mean a better segment. In practice the number should follow the story you are telling. A single stage with a headline act and a short bulletin slot may need two operators: one wide position that stays put and one handheld camera that moves between performers, crowd and backstage.
A larger site with several stages or a procession across town is different. There we usually add a roaming operator for atmosphere and a fixed position for establishing shots, so the editor is never short of cutaways when the main action is hard to reach.
We would rather recommend a smaller crew that covers the story cleanly than a large one that produces hours of footage nobody has time to review. Helen Marsden, who plans our crews, talks this through with you before anything is confirmed, and the plan is written down in the quotation.
- One stage and a short slot: usually two operators
- Several stages or a moving event: add a roaming camera
- Always agree what the bulletin needs before choosing crew size
What turnaround can you promise?
Turnaround is the question we are careful with. Delivery depends on what is wanted: a few clean clips within the hour is a very different job from a cut, captioned package with graphics. We agree the format and the delivery time with you in advance and put both in writing, so nobody is guessing when the event is under way.
Where the bulletin is close to the event, we can arrange for footage to be sorted and cut at the venue or from a nearby base, so material does not wait for a long journey back. Priya Nair and the edit team then work to the running order you give us.
What we will not do is promise speed we cannot back up. If a venue has poor connectivity or the finish time is uncertain, we say so at planning stage and suggest a delivery pattern that still reaches your gallery in time.
Who handles permissions and access?
Access is the part editors worry about least and the part that most often causes delay. Public events usually have a press contact, and larger festivals issue accreditation in advance. We ask for the organiser's details when you commission us and we apply for crew access ourselves, but the organiser has the final say on where cameras may stand.
Some venues restrict tripods, backstage areas or filming of particular acts. We ask about these limits early, because they shape which positions we plan for. Where an act cannot be filmed at all, we tell you before the day so the editor can plan around the gap.
We do not film anywhere we have not been admitted, and we do not use footage in ways the access terms rule out. If your newsroom has its own accreditation, we are happy to work under it.
- Send us the organiser's press contact
- Tell us about any footage restrictions you already know
- Confirm whether your newsroom holds its own accreditation
What happens if the weather turns?
In mid autumn this question comes up more than any other. Rain, wind and early dusk are normal for a Sussex outdoor event, and our crews plan for them: rain covers for cameras, spare batteries kept warm, and lighting checks done before the headline slot rather than during it.
Weather can also change the story itself. A wet festival crowd can make better television than a dry one, and the operators are briefed to look for that rather than wait for the weather to pass. We would rather capture the day as it is.
Where conditions make filming unsafe, we stop and speak to you straight away. Cancellation and changes follow the written payment and refund policy, and we explain it in the quotation rather than leave it to be discovered later.
What should we send before the day?
A short brief goes a long way. The most useful items are the running order, the bulletin slot and its length, the delivery format your gallery expects and a named person we can reach on the day. If you already know the angle, tell us; if you do not, we will suggest one after speaking to the organiser.
We also ask which clips need captions, whether you want a presenter's piece to camera and how you would like files named and sent. These sound minor, yet they are what separates a smooth handover from a late-evening scramble.
Enquiries go through the contact page. We reply with questions, then send a written quotation. Once you confirm it, we issue an invoice payable by bank transfer, and the crew is booked.
- Running order and bulletin slot length
- Preferred delivery format and file naming
- A named contact reachable on the day
- Any captions, graphics or pieces to camera
Most of what editors ask us about live coverage comes down to the same few points: crew size, delivery time, access, weather and the brief. Settle those early and the day itself tends to be calm. If you have an event in mind, use the contact page and tell us the date, the venue and the slot, and we will come back with a plan and a written quotation.