What live graphics and playout cost, and what moves the price

When a client asks what real-time graphics and playout will cost, the honest first answer is that we price people and preparation, not equipment sitting in a corner. An operator spends a show running lower thirds, replays and clips to the second, and that person has usually spent time before the day checking names, spellings, templates and the order of items. Those hours are the bulk of the figure.

The second part is the kit and its set-up: a graphics machine, playout software, a monitor for the operator and the connections into your vision mixer. If we are working in your own gallery, much of this already exists and the price reflects only the operating. If we bring it, the set-up and de-rigging time is included in the quotation.

• Operator time during rehearsal and transmission
• Preparation of templates, names and clips
• Equipment, if you need us to supply it
• Set-up and take-down on the day

A one-hour panel with six lower thirds and a single opening sequence is a light job. A four-hour live event with sponsor strips, scoreboards, a running order that moves and a stack of pre-recorded clips is a different one. The operator is concentrating for the whole duration either way, so longer shows need more time on the clock and, past a certain point, a second pair of hands to allow for breaks.

We would rather say this early than surprise you. If a programme runs long, we quote for the full booked period including rehearsal, and we write down what happens if it overruns, so there is no argument on the night about who pays for the extra half hour.

Graphics are the most variable part of any quotation. If you already own a set of templates that match your branding, we load them, test them and run them. If you need new lower thirds, a bug, a ticker or a full-screen layout, someone has to design and build them, and that is billed as separate preparation time rather than hidden inside the operating fee.

Changes late in the process cost more than changes early. A spelling corrected the week before is a minute of work. A change to the layout of every graphic on the morning of transmission means rebuilding and retesting, and we would tell you that plainly when you ask. Sending us final text and logos in good time is the single easiest way to keep this part of the price down.

• Existing templates: load and test only
• New templates: design and build time added
• Late layout changes: retesting time added

Replays sound simple and are not. Capturing action, marking the right moment and getting it to air within seconds needs a dedicated input from your cameras and a person who is watching the programme rather than the clock. If you want replays, we plan for that extra feed and for the operator time it takes, and it appears as its own line in the quotation.

Playout of pre-made clips, stings and adverts is steadier work, but it still depends on how many items there are and how tightly they are timed. A running order of ten clean cues is easy to price. One that changes during transmission needs a more experienced operator and a longer rehearsal, and that shapes the figure more than the number of clips does.

Rehearsal time is worth paying for, and we usually advise at least a run-through of the opening and the first few cues. It is the cheapest insurance a live show has, because a mistake found in rehearsal costs minutes and the same mistake on air costs far more in confidence.

Location matters in a practical way. Working in your gallery in or near Lancaster keeps travel to a minimum. Working elsewhere adds travel time and sometimes an overnight stay, which we list separately. If the graphics can be operated remotely from our own room, with your programme feed sent to us, that can reduce the cost, although it depends on the link and on how much you want to change on the day.

• Rehearsal slots added to the booked period
• Travel and any overnight costs listed separately
• Remote operation possible if the feed link is reliable

The most useful thing you can send us is a running order, even a rough one, together with the length of the show, the number of cameras, and whether you already have templates. From that we can write a quotation that sets out what is included, what would change the price, and what is outside it. We do not quote from a single sentence over the phone and hope it holds.

Ordering follows the usual route on this site: an enquiry through the contact page, a written quotation or confirmation from us, then an invoice paid by bank transfer. If your plans change, cancellations and refunds follow our payment and refund policy, which is worth reading before you confirm so that nothing in it is a surprise.