Start with what viewers need to read
Most conversations about replay and graphics begin with equipment, but the better starting point is the audience. Ask what a viewer in the room, or watching online, needs to understand that the pictures alone do not tell them. Usually that means names and titles for speakers or performers, a running order, a score or a sponsor line, and sometimes a short piece of information such as a venue notice or a hashtag.
Write that list down before you speak to any crew. Each item becomes either a lower-third, a full-screen graphic or a permanent corner element, and each needs a decision about how long it stays up and who approves the wording. Organisers who arrive with this list find the quote is simpler, the rehearsal is shorter and the operator spends the show cueing graphics instead of asking what to type.
A useful test is to imagine the show with the sound off. Would a stranger know who is on stage and what is happening next? If not, the graphics plan needs more work.
- List every name, title and caption you expect to show
- Decide which items are permanent and which appear on cue
- Name one person who approves spelling and wording
Decide whether you really need instant replay
Replay suits some events far better than others. A stage production with a fixed script rarely needs it, while a festival main stage, a sports-style competition or a live panel with audience reaction can use a quick replay to show a moment twice. The question is not whether replay is impressive but whether it helps the audience follow the event.
Be honest about how many moments are likely to be worth repeating. If the answer is two or three across an evening, a simpler arrangement may be enough, with the operator marking clips from a camera feed and playing them back at natural pauses. If you expect dozens, you will want a dedicated replay operator working alongside the vision mixer, because the two jobs compete for attention.
Also think about where the replay goes. Some events show it only on the stream, others on the big screens in the room. That choice changes the signal routing and sometimes the number of outputs needed from the desk.
- Estimate how many replay moments the event will have
- Say whether replay goes to screens, the stream or both
- Check the desk has enough outputs for the plan
Check the kit and the connections
Once the content is settled, look at what the operator will be working with. Replay and graphics both need to take pictures in and put pictures out, so ask which cameras feed the replay system, how many inputs are free on the switcher and where the graphics output joins the programme signal. A neat plan on paper can fall apart if the only spare input is already used by a presentation laptop.
Ask what the operator brings and what the venue supplies. A graphics workstation, a replay recorder and a monitor each need power, a sensible desk position and clean cabling. If the control room is temporary, measure the space and confirm there is room for one more person without anyone sitting behind a stack of cases.
Finally, ask about backup. A second copy of the graphics file on a separate drive, and a recorded feed running alongside the replay system, cost very little compared with losing either mid-show.
- Confirm free inputs and outputs on the switcher
- Agree who supplies the workstation, monitors and power
- Keep a second copy of graphics files and a backup recording
Agree how files and names reach the operator
Late changes are the most common source of stress on the graphics side, so agree early how information arrives. A single shared spreadsheet or document, owned by one person, is far safer than names sent in separate messages through the afternoon. The operator can then build the graphics from one source and check them against it.
Ask for logos in a format with a transparent background, and for the fonts and colours you want used if you have them. If you have none, say so, and the operator can propose a clean, readable style that suits the venue and the stream. Keep text short; anything longer than two lines on a lower-third is hard to read in the few seconds it is on screen.
Set a cut-off time for changes before doors open. After that point, corrections go through one named contact and are made between items, not during them.
- Use one shared document as the single source of names
- Supply logos with transparent backgrounds where possible
- Set a cut-off for text changes before the show begins
Plan the rehearsal and the cueing
Graphics and replay are only as good as the cues that trigger them. Find out who will call them: the show caller working from the script, the vision mixer, or the operator acting on their own judgement. Each approach works, but it should be chosen in advance and written into the running order, with every graphic tied to a specific moment.
Ask for a run-through, even a short one. Seeing every graphic appear once, against a real camera feed, catches misspellings, clashes with the picture and text that sits too close to the edge of the frame. It also lets the operator practise the replay clip timing so the first real one is not also the first attempt.
If a full rehearsal is not possible, agree at least a line check and a test of each graphic template before the audience arrives. Ten calm minutes there save a great deal later.
- Decide who calls each graphic and replay cue
- Tie every graphic to a line in the running order
- Run at least a line check and a template test
Settle sign-off and what happens when it goes wrong
Last, decide who has the final word. Live graphics sometimes need to be pulled quickly: a wrong name, a sponsor line that should not appear, a replay that shows something unsuitable. One named person with authority to say stop, and an operator who knows to take the graphic down immediately, keeps small errors small.
Agree a plain fallback too. If the graphics system fails, the show should still make sense, so know which items can be spoken aloud by a presenter or shown on a simple backup slide. Operators prefer a clear instruction beforehand to improvising under the lights.
Keep the checklist itself short and share it with everyone involved, from the organiser to the show caller. A single page that everyone has read is worth more than a thorough document that nobody opens.
- Name the person who can order a graphic taken down
- Agree a simple fallback if the graphics system fails
- Share the final checklist with the whole crew
A replay and graphics operator can make a live show easier to follow, but the value comes from decisions made well before the event: what viewers need to read, whether replay earns its place, how files arrive and who calls each cue. Work through these points with your crew, keep the answers on one page and bring it to the first conversation. If something on the list is unclear, say so and we will talk it through.
