Remote production support: a checklist to work through before you decide

The first question on this checklist is deliberately plain: what is the programme, and why does it need to be produced from more than one place? A panel discussion with guests in three towns asks for very different support from a live event with a roaming camera and a studio host. Write down the running time, the number of contributors, how many of them speak at once, and whether any of them will be on screen for the whole show or only for a short segment.

When we talk to a client at the start of a project, I ask for the running order as it stands, even if it is rough. It shows where the pressure points are: the handover between locations, the moment a guest joins, the segment where two feeds share the screen. A clear picture of the show lets everyone judge how much remote support is actually needed and where a small crew can stay relaxed.

It also helps to decide what a good evening looks like for the audience. If viewers mainly need to hear every contributor clearly, audio deserves most of your attention. If the picture carries the story, the weight shifts. Settle this before talking about equipment, because it shapes every later choice.

• Running time and number of locations
• Who speaks, and who only appears
• Whether the show is fully live or partly recorded

A remote show is only as steady as its weakest site. Before you decide, someone should visit or at least speak in detail to each location: where the camera will stand, how much light there is, whether the room is quiet, and where a laptop or encoder can sit safely out of the way. Rooms that look fine in a photograph are often noisy in practice, with a corridor, a ventilation unit or a road outside.

Ask about power as well. A single socket shared with a kettle is a poor foundation for a live show. Find out who will be at each place on the day, whether they are comfortable with the kit, and who they can phone if something looks wrong. A willing volunteer with clear instructions is worth more than an expert who has never seen the room.

Finally, note access. Can the equipment be set up the day before, or only an hour ahead of going live? Early access lets us test properly and settle nerves. Tight access means a simpler setup and a shorter list of things that can go wrong.

• Light, sound and power at each site
• Named person on the ground at every location
• Access time before the show starts

The speed quoted on a broadband contract is not the same as the speed you get at seven in the evening in a building shared with others. Run tests at the time of day the show will go out, and run them more than once. Look at how steady the connection is, not only how fast it is, because a feed that dips for two seconds does more harm than one that is modestly slower throughout.

Ask whether a wired connection is possible at each site. A cable to the router is nearly always calmer than wireless, and it removes one thing to explain to a nervous guest. If a site depends on a mobile signal, agree in advance what happens when it weakens, and whether a second route can be arranged.

Share the results with everyone involved. When a location knows its upload figure and what the show needs, a conversation about a problem takes minutes rather than the final hour before transmission.

• Test at the same hour as the broadcast
• Prefer cable to wireless where you can
• Agree a second route for any weak site

Remote production lives or dies on monitoring. Someone has to watch every incoming feed, hear every audio source and tell the gallery quickly when something drifts. Work out whether that person sits in the gallery, at a separate desk, or at one of the remote sites, and make sure they are not also cutting the show. Two jobs done at once are usually done less well.

Think about communication too. Contributors at distant sites need a way to hear the director that does not reach the audience, and a way to say that something has gone wrong. Agree a few short phrases beforehand so that a problem can be reported in seconds instead of explained at length while the programme is running.

Daniel Whitaker, who cuts many of our shows, insists on a quiet gallery. That habit starts with clear roles: each person knows what they watch, what they report and who decides. If you cannot say who owns each task from your own plan, the plan is not finished.

• One named person for feed monitoring
• Private talkback to every site
• Short, agreed phrases for faults

Every remote show should have a written answer to the question: what do we do if this fails? If a guest drops out, does the host carry on, does the show return to the studio, or does a prepared graphic fill the gap? Decide in advance, and make sure the person making the call knows they are allowed to.

Plan spare capacity where it matters most: a second audio route for the main presenter, a backup encoder, a phone number for each contributor in case the internet link fails but they can still talk. None of this needs to be elaborate. It needs to be thought through and written down, so the crew is following a plan instead of improvising.

Then rehearse at least one failure. Pulling a feed during a test run feels odd, but it shows quickly whether the crew reacts calmly and whether the messages reach the right people. Teams that have seen a fault once handle it far better when it happens for real.

• Written response for each likely failure
• Spare audio route for the main voice
• One rehearsal that includes a deliberate fault

The last part of the checklist is practical. List the people the show needs at each site and in the gallery, the hours for setup and testing, and the time after the show for packing away and a short review. A remote show that looks light on paper often asks for more preparation than a studio one, and the extra hours belong in the plan from the start.

Ask for a written quotation that says what is included and what would change it, such as an additional location, a longer rehearsal or a later start. Compare it with what you have learned from the earlier questions. If the quote and your own list of needs do not match, raise it before you commit, not on the day.

Finally, decide who on your side has the final say. Remote productions involve many voices, and a single decision-maker, reachable throughout the show, saves more minutes than any piece of equipment.

• People, setup hours and review time
• Written quote listing inclusions and variables
• One decision-maker reachable during the show