A Pre-Decision Checklist for Planning Your Next Live Show Workflow

A rundown is only useful if everyone is reading the same version. Ask who owns it, who may change it, and how a change reaches the gallery, the floor and the presenter. If the answer is that several people edit separate copies, fix that before you plan anything else.

Think about the level of detail too. A rundown that lists only story slugs leaves the director guessing about camera moves and graphics. One that lists every micro-action becomes unreadable at speed. Aim for timings, source, the camera or shot needed, and any audio or graphic cue attached to each item.

Decide in advance what happens when the show overruns or runs short. Naming the items that can be dropped or stretched, in order, is far calmer than deciding it live with the clock running.

A cue sheet should not be one document trying to serve everyone. The vision mixer needs transitions and source numbers, the sound engineer needs microphone opens and music levels, and the camera operators need shot numbers and where to be when. If one sheet carries it all, people stop reading it.

When I coach framing, the cue that matters most to an operator is the one that tells them what comes next before the red light moves. Check that your sheet gives each camera its next shot early enough to prepare, not just in time to react.

Test the sheet on someone who has not seen the show. If a newcomer cannot follow a segment from the paper alone, a tired crew member at the end of a long day will struggle too.

Most live problems are communication problems, not equipment ones. Ask who can talk to whom during the show, on which channel, and who is allowed to interrupt. Floor manager, director, producer and audio each need a clear line, and the presenter's earpiece needs its own rules.

Agree a short, shared vocabulary for common moments: ready, standby, go, stretch, wrap. It sounds small, but a crew using the same few words speaks less and is understood more. Quiet galleries are usually well-planned galleries.

Decide what happens when the main talkback fails. A backup, even a simple one such as hand signals from the floor manager, should be written into the plan and rehearsed at least once, not discovered in the middle of a bulletin.

A plan that looks sound on paper can fall apart at the first run. Before you decide it is ready, schedule a rehearsal that follows the real rundown at real speed, with the real people in their real seats. A walk-through in a meeting room will not expose a camera that cannot reach its mark in time.

During the run, watch for the places where people hesitate. Hesitation shows you where a cue is unclear, a handover is missing or a move is too tight. Note each one and fix the paperwork rather than telling people to try harder.

Keep the rehearsal honest about timing. If a segment ran long in practice, do not assume it will shrink on air. Adjust the rundown, then run that part again and see whether the change actually helped.

Last, be frank about the gaps. Some crews have strong producers but no habit of writing cue sheets. Others have tidy paperwork and weak communication. Work out which of the earlier points you could handle with an afternoon of effort, and which would benefit from an outside view.

If you do bring in help, ask what you will keep afterwards. Good planning leaves behind templates, a rundown format and a comms map your own crew can maintain, rather than a dependency on the person who wrote them.

Also agree what success looks like before you start: fewer late changes, a calmer gallery, shows that finish on time. A measure chosen in advance lets you judge honestly whether the new workflow is doing its job.