Why the paper comes first
Before anyone puts on a headset, the show exists as a document. Our callers and producers work from a rundown that lists every item in order, with timings, the camera or source each moment needs and who is responsible for it. It is not glamorous, but almost every calm night we have had in a control room began with a rundown that people had actually read.
We build it with the organiser, the stage manager and the sound lead, usually a week or so ahead. The aim is a single version that everyone shares, with a revision number in the corner so nobody works from last Tuesday's copy. When a running order changes late, the caller reissues the page and says so on talkback, rather than letting the change drift around the building by word of mouth.
This autumn we have been running several evening events where the stage times were firm but the content inside them moved. A rundown that separates fixed times from flexible ones makes those nights far easier to call.
- One shared rundown with a revision number
- Fixed times marked apart from flexible ones
- Changes reissued and announced on talkback
The cue sheet and how it is marked
The cue sheet is the caller's working copy. Each line is a numbered cue: a camera move, a lighting change, a graphic, a playback roll, a hand-over to the stage. We mark them in two stages, a standby and a go, so that every department hears a warning before it hears the instruction to act.
Numbering matters more than people expect. When a cue is added at the last rehearsal, we use a lettered insert, such as 41A, instead of renumbering the whole sheet. Renumbering is how a good crew ends up one cue behind without knowing it.
We print the sheet and keep a clean copy at the producer's position, because a screen can freeze and paper does not. Hannah, our production manager, checks that the cue sheet and the kit list agree, so that nothing is called that the room cannot deliver.
- Standby then go, for every cue
- Lettered inserts instead of renumbering
- A printed clean copy kept at the producer's desk
Talkback: few words, said the same way
A control room runs on talkback, and the discipline is in saying less. Our callers use a short, fixed vocabulary: standby camera two, camera two, go. Names come first, so the right person hears their own call and the others can carry on.
We agree channel layouts at the start of a booking. Usually the director and vision mixer share one line, camera operators another, and sound and stage management have their own. Keeping chatter off the cameras' channel is a courtesy that pays back the first time a shot needs to change in a hurry.
We also set a rule that nobody talks over a go. If a cue is being called, the line stays open for the caller alone. It sounds strict, but crews tell us it makes the room feel quieter, and a quiet room makes better decisions.
- Fixed phrases, names first
- Separate channels for cameras, sound and stage
- Nobody talks over a go
Rehearsal and the timing sheet
Where the schedule allows, we run a technical rehearsal with the cue sheet in hand. This is where the script meets the real building: a camera that cannot reach its position in the time we assumed, or a performer who walks a different line from the one on the plan.
During rehearsal the caller times each section against the rundown and notes the gaps. Those notes become the timing sheet, which shows the producer how far ahead or behind the show is at any point. Knowing you are ninety seconds long at the interval is useful; discovering it at the finale is not.
When there is no rehearsal, which happens at festivals more often than we would like, we use the sound check and the first act as a live rehearsal and adjust the sheet quietly. The method is the same, only compressed.
What the producer watches during the show
While the caller keeps the cues moving, the producer looks at the whole picture: the clock, the stage, the audience, the stream and the people in the room. Their job is to decide what gives when something goes wrong, and to say it plainly so the caller does not have to improvise a policy.
Typical decisions are small ones. Drop a link, shorten a speech introduction, hold a graphic until the next change of camera. Having agreed in advance who may make those calls avoids a pause where two people wait for each other.
We also keep a short log through the night, noting anything that did not go to script and why. It is not for blame. It makes the debrief quick, and it feeds straight into the next rundown.
- Clock, stage and stream watched together
- Cut decisions agreed before the doors open
- A brief log kept for the debrief
Keeping the method light
None of this needs special equipment. A good rundown, a clean cue sheet, a headset that works and a caller who has read the script will carry most shows. The tools only help if people actually use them, which is why we keep each one as short as the event allows.
Smaller events get a one-page rundown and a dozen cues. Larger productions get the full set, with inserts, timing sheet and a written contingency list. The size changes; the habits do not.
If you are planning an event and are unsure how much structure it needs, tell us the running time, the number of cameras and the number of departments involved. From that we can say honestly what level of paperwork will help, and what would simply add weight.
Cueing is mostly preparation made visible. A shared rundown, a numbered cue sheet, disciplined talkback and a producer who knows what may be cut let a crew stay calm when the night changes shape. None of it is complicated, and all of it needs doing before the show starts. If you would like us to look at your running order, the contact page is the place to begin.
