What Live Show Workflow Planning Costs and What Moves the Price

What you are paying for

Live show workflow planning is mostly thinking time put on paper before anyone switches a camera on. When a client asks what it costs, I start by explaining what the fee actually buys: a run sheet that says what happens minute by minute, a cue structure that tells each department when to move, and briefings that make sure everyone has heard the same plan at the same time.

None of that is equipment, and none of it is glamorous, which is why it is the part people most often try to trim. In my experience as a camera operator, though, a show with a good plan feels calm from the first cue, while a show without one is held together by shouting over talkback. The fee covers the preparation that makes the first of those more likely.

Our prices page sets out the figures for each service in pounds sterling, with what is included. This article explains the reasoning behind those figures, so you can see why one enquiry lands higher than another.

The size of the show comes first

The biggest driver is simply how much show there is. A twenty-minute news bulletin with one presenter and a handful of packages needs a short run sheet and a simple cue list. A two-hour panel programme with guests, music and audience interaction needs far more detail, because every extra segment is another set of transitions that someone has to plan and rehearse.

We think about it in segments rather than minutes. Each segment has an opening cue, a camera plan, a sound plan, and a handover to the next one. More segments means more of each, and the planning time grows with them, though not in a straight line, since repeated formats share a lot of structure.

If you can tell us roughly how many segments, guests and playback items you expect, we can give a firmer written quotation than if we only know the running time.

• Number of segments and guest changes
• Playback items, graphics and live inserts
• Whether the format repeats week to week

How many people need briefing

Team size changes the price more than people expect. Planning for six crew is largely one conversation. Planning for twenty-five, spread across a gallery, a stage, a sound position and a floor team, means several briefings, because each group needs different detail and cannot all be pulled into one room for long.

We usually write the briefing material once and then deliver it in the form each group can use: a full cue sheet for the gallery, a shorter running order for floor staff, and a one-page summary for anyone joining late. Each version takes time to prepare and check, and that time is reflected in the quotation.

Where a venue team and a visiting broadcaster are both involved, we allow for an extra alignment session. It is rarely wasted, because most misunderstandings on the night come from two groups who each assumed the other had the answer.

Rehearsal and on-site time

Planning on paper is one thing; testing it in the room is another. Whether the price includes a rehearsal, and how long that rehearsal runs, is one of the clearest levers on the total. A walk-through of cues without cameras live is cheaper than a full technical rehearsal with talent, and both are cheaper than discovering a problem during transmission.

We are open about this when we quote. If a client wants the plan delivered and then runs the show themselves, the cost is lower and we say what they will need to check. If they want us present for rehearsal or the broadcast itself, that time is added separately and shown as its own line.

Travel from Swansea is a smaller factor, but for venues further away we note it in the quotation rather than folding it into other figures.

• Paper plan only, or plan plus rehearsal
• Our presence on the day, if wanted
• Travel beyond the Swansea area

Notice, changes and late information

Timing affects cost in a quiet way. A plan prepared with a few weeks' notice can be built carefully and revised once or twice. A plan needed in a few days is still possible, but it leaves little room to correct things, and we may need to set aside other work, which the quotation reflects.

Changes after the plan is agreed are the other common source of extra cost. A new guest, a rearranged order or a late addition of live music means revisiting cues, briefings and camera plans. Small alterations are covered within reason; larger restructures are quoted as extra work and agreed in writing before we start.

We would rather tell you early that a change will affect the price than surprise you on the invoice. That is why every quotation says what it assumes about the running order.

How the figure reaches you

The process is straightforward. You send an enquiry through the contact page describing the show, its length, the team and the date. We reply with questions if something is unclear, then send a written quotation that lists what is included and what would change it.

Once you confirm in writing, we begin the planning, and the invoice follows, payable by bank transfer. Cancellations and refunds follow the payment and refund policy, which is worth reading before you commit to a date.

Nothing is bought through the website itself, and there is no obligation in asking. A short conversation about your show is usually enough for us to say whether the work is small, medium or substantial, and roughly where it will sit against the prices we publish.

The price of workflow planning follows the size of the show, the number of people to brief, the amount of rehearsal and how much notice we have. None of these is hidden, and each can be discussed before anything is agreed. If you are weighing up a live production this autumn or beyond, send us the outline through the contact page and we will answer with a written quotation that shows what is in it and what would shift it.