A Checklist Before You Book Technical Training for Your Crew
Questions to settle before commissioning a half-day or full-day session on gallery operation, vision mixing and camera work, so the time in the room is spent on the right things.
Start with who will actually be in the room
Before anything else, write down the names or at least the roles of the people who will attend. A session aimed at a mixed group of runners, junior camera operators and a vision mixer tends to satisfy nobody. In my work as a workflow producer I have seen more sessions go sideways because of an unclear audience than because of any equipment problem.
Group people by what they do on a live day. Gallery operators need to rehearse cue calls and transitions; camera operators need time behind a lens with a director's voice in their ears. If both groups must attend, consider whether the session can split into two blocks, or whether one longer day suits you better than a short one.
Also note experience levels honestly. A crew that has run studio shows for years needs a different pace from people on their first outside broadcast. Tell the trainer which is which, and the session can be built around real gaps rather than a generic syllabus.
- List attendees by role, not just headcount
- Mark who is new and who is experienced
- Decide whether one group or two is sensible
Name the skills you want to see improve
Our sessions cover gallery operation, vision mixing and camera work, but a half day cannot cover all three in depth. Pick the one or two that matter most for your next few productions, and say so plainly when you enquire. A vague wish to get the team up to standard produces a vague day.
Think about recent problems. Were shots late because of slow cutting? Did the gallery lose track of which camera was on air? Were framing and focus inconsistent across a long programme? Concrete observations from real shows are the best brief a trainer can receive.
It helps to separate technique from habit. Technique can be taught in a session; habit usually needs repetition afterwards. If your difficulty is the second kind, plan for the crew to practise between sessions, and treat the training day as the starting point rather than the cure.
- Choose one or two priorities for the day
- Bring examples from recent shows
- Separate teachable technique from ingrained habit
Half day or full day: how to choose
A half day suits a focused topic: one control room position, a single camera discipline, or a refresher before an event. It keeps attendance easy and lets people return to normal duties by the afternoon. A full day gives room for a proper rehearsal sequence, where the crew works through a mock programme from start to finish.
Consider how much practical time you need. Concentration drops in the later hours of any session, so a full day should be built with breaks and a change of activity, not a long run of talking. Ask how the hours will be split between demonstration and hands-on work.
If your team is small, a full day can be hard to release them for. In that case two separate half days, a few weeks apart, often work better than one long block, because people have time to apply what they learned before returning for the next part.
- Half day for one clear topic
- Full day when a mock programme run matters
- Two half days if releasing staff is difficult
Check the room, the kit and the access
Decide where the session will happen. Training in your own gallery or studio means the crew learns on the equipment they will use, which is a real advantage. A neutral room may be easier to schedule but cannot reproduce your routing, your intercom habits or your particular desk.
Confirm that the equipment will be free for the whole session and that nobody needs to interrupt it for a live feed or a maintenance task. Cameras, monitors and the vision mixer should be powered and working before the trainer arrives, so the first hour is not spent on faults.
Think about access too. Does the building need passes arranged, is there parking for a trainer carrying kit, and can the room be made quiet enough to hear a talkback call? Small practical matters like these decide whether a session starts on time.
- Prefer your own gallery where possible
- Reserve equipment for the full session
- Arrange passes, parking and a quiet room
Agree what happens after the session
A session has little value if nothing carries on from it. Before you commit, ask what you will have afterwards: notes on what was covered, a short list of exercises the crew can repeat, or a summary of points to watch on the next live show. Agree this in advance rather than hoping for it.
Decide who inside your team will own the follow-up. One person, often the studio manager or a senior operator, should be responsible for making sure the exercises are repeated and the new habits are checked on real productions.
It is also sensible to plan a small test. Pick an upcoming programme and watch for the specific problems you named at the start. If they have eased, the session did its job; if not, you have clear evidence for what the next one should address.
- Ask what written notes you will receive
- Name one person to own the follow-up
- Choose a real programme to judge the results
Settle the practical terms in writing
Finally, confirm the details that are easy to leave vague: the date, the start and finish times, the number of attendees, the location and what the price covers. Prices for sessions are set out on the prices page, and a written quotation confirms them for your particular booking.
Ask what happens if the date has to move. Live production schedules change, and a sensible arrangement for rescheduling saves awkward conversations later. The payment and refund policy sets out how cancellations are handled, so read it before you agree a date.
Send your enquiry through the contact page with the points from this list: who attends, what you want to improve, the length you prefer and where it will take place. With those answers in hand, the reply can be specific rather than a series of questions.
- Confirm date, times, venue and attendee numbers
- Check what the quoted price includes
- Read the cancellation terms before agreeing a date
Good training starts well before the trainer arrives. Know who is attending, choose the skills that matter most, pick a length that fits your schedule, prepare the room and agree what follows. If you can answer these points, a half day or full day becomes a focused piece of work rather than a general talk, and your crew leaves with something they can use on the next live show.