Start with what the deck has to do
Before anyone talks about equipment, write down what the programme needs on the day. How many cameras will feed the deck, how many graphics and replay sources, and how many outputs leave it? A deck specified for six inputs behaves very differently from one that has to cope with twelve, and finding that out on the morning of the show is expensive for everyone.
I ask producers to describe the running order in plain words rather than as a kit list. A two-hour panel with a handful of lower thirds asks for something quite unlike a match with replays and a remote contributor. Once the job is described, the size of the deck and the crew follows from it, rather than the other way round.
If your plans are still loose, say so. A rough range of cameras and sources is more useful than a confident number that changes twice before the day.
- Number of cameras and other sources
- Number and type of outputs
- Graphics, replay or remote contributors
- Length of the broadcast and any rehearsal
Know the venue before the van arrives
A portable deck is only portable if it can get through the door. Ask who holds the keys, where the equipment can be unloaded, whether there is a lift, and how far the cable run is from the deck position to the furthest camera. I have seen good plans lose an hour to a narrow stairwell nobody mentioned.
Power matters as much as space. Find out what supply the room has, whether circuits are shared with lighting or catering, and whether the deck can sit somewhere quiet enough for the crew to hear intercom. A corner behind a speaker stack is a poor place to cut a live show.
If a visit is possible, take it. If not, photographs of the deck position, the camera positions and the loading route, together with a rough floor plan, let us plan the cabling and flag problems early.
- Loading route, lifts and stairs
- Mains supply and shared circuits
- Deck position and sightlines
- Cable distance to each camera
What the crew covers, and what stays with you
Renting a deck with a technical crew means the people who set it up also run it, which removes the handover problem. Be clear about who does what. Our crew builds the deck, tests every signal path, runs intercom checks and operates during the broadcast. Camera operators, presenters, lighting and the editorial side usually sit with the client or other suppliers.
Ask for the crew size in writing and what each person is responsible for. A vision mixer cutting the show is a different role from an engineer watching signal and monitoring, and on a longer day you may want both on hand rather than one person doing two jobs.
Agree who the crew takes decisions from during the show. One named contact on your side, normally the producer or director, keeps instructions short and avoids two people asking for different things at the same moment.
- Crew size and the role of each member
- Who gives instructions during the show
- Which suppliers handle cameras and lighting
Settle the schedule, including the quiet hours
Most of the work in an outside broadcast happens before the first live second. Build-up, cabling, signal checks and a run-through all need time, and de-rigging comes afterwards. Ask what arrival time the crew needs and be honest about when the venue is actually available, since those two rarely match without a conversation.
A rehearsal, even a short one, pays for itself. It is where cue timing, graphics and camera shots get agreed, and where nervous presenters settle down. If the schedule allows only a sound check, tell us and we will plan around it, but we would rather know than assume.
Also ask what happens if the programme overruns. Crew hours, venue access and transport home all depend on the answer, and it is easier to agree a plan before the day than to improvise at the end of a long shift.
- Crew arrival and build time
- Rehearsal or run-through slot
- Overrun arrangements and finish time
Check the signal chain and the backup plan
Where does the finished programme go? A recording, a feed to a venue screen, a link to a transmission point and a stream each need different outputs and checks. Confirm the destination, the format it expects, and who on the receiving end will be listening for the feed on the day.
Then ask what happens when something fails. A good crew carries spare cables, adapters and a second route for the most important signals, and can tell you which single failures would be noticed by the audience and which would not. That conversation tells you more about a supplier than a long equipment list.
Intercom deserves its own question. If the camera operators cannot hear the director clearly, the best deck in the world will not save the show. Ask how it is provided and whether anyone is testing it before doors open.
- Output format and destination
- Spare cables and a second signal route
- Intercom coverage for every operator
Get it in writing and ask for the price breakdown
Before you decide, ask for a written quotation that lists the deck, the crew, transport, setup time and anything optional, so you can compare it with other quotes line by line. Our prices page explains how ordering works: an enquiry through the contact page, a written quotation, then an invoice paid by bank transfer.
Look at what changes the figure. Extra cameras, a second day, a longer cable run or an earlier call time all alter the plan, and a clear quotation says so. If a figure seems low, check what has been left out rather than assuming it has been saved.
Finally, read the cancellation terms in the payment and refund policy before you commit, and keep the quotation with the venue booking so both are visible to whoever takes over the file.
- Itemised deck, crew and transport
- What would change the price
- Cancellation terms before booking
A production deck with a crew is easiest to book when the programme, the venue, the schedule and the backup plan have each been talked through once, in plain words and in writing. Take this list to the first conversation, answer what you can, and mark the rest as open. Anything left open is where we start, and it is far cheaper to settle it now than at the venue door on the morning of the show.
