How we now run a camera systems review for a studio

What the service covers

Camera Systems Advice is the part of updateslo that deals with the cameras themselves: the specification of studio cameras, the setup of robotic heads and the arrangement of camera control units. Over the past few months we have settled on a clearer way of delivering it, and this note describes that arrangement for anyone who has asked how an engagement actually begins and ends.

The work is advisory. We recommend what suits your studio and your programme formats, we explain why, and we write it down so your own engineers or your chosen supplier can act on it. We do not sell cameras, and nothing in a recommendation depends on a particular manufacturer being used.

A typical client is a studio manager or technical lead who has either a new space to equip or an existing camera package that no longer fits the shows being made. The service suits both, and the steps are broadly the same in each case.

What we ask you to send first

Before anyone travels, we ask for a short written brief. It need not be polished. What helps most is a plain description of the programmes the studio makes, how many cameras you expect to run at once, and whether the output is live, recorded or both.

We also ask for the studio floor dimensions, the grid or ceiling height, and a note of where the gallery sits in relation to the floor. If you already have cameras, a list of models and ages is far more useful than a general description. Photographs of the current camera positions and cable routes save a surprising amount of time.

Finally, tell us who will operate the system day to day. A studio run by a small crew of generalists needs different control and remote options from one with dedicated camera operators and a shading engineer.

• Programme formats and live or recorded output
• Number of cameras in use at one time
• Floor dimensions, grid height and gallery position
• Existing equipment list and photographs

The on-site review

The visit is usually a single day. I look at the floor, the positions where cameras will actually stand, and the paths cables take to the gallery. Sightlines matter here: a camera that cannot see the set from where the floor plan puts it is a problem no specification will solve.

For robotic heads, I check mounting points, the travel the heads need and whether the studio is quiet enough for the motors to go unnoticed on air. For pedestal cameras I look at floor surface and the space operators need to move without tripping over cable.

In the gallery I walk through how the camera control units will be arranged, who sits where and what they can see. The aim is that shading and switching can happen without anyone craning round a colleague. I make notes as I go and talk the crew through anything that looks doubtful, so nothing in the report comes as a surprise.

Specifying cameras and control units

Specification is where the written work begins. For each camera position I set out the type of camera suited to it, the lens range needed for the shots your formats rely on, and the support, whether pedestal, fixed mount or robotic head. I also say what can be reused from your existing kit and what is better replaced.

Control units are treated as a system, not as an afterthought. I describe how many units are needed, how they connect, what the shading position requires and how a spare camera or unit would be brought into use if one failed during a live programme.

Where there is a genuine choice between two reasonable options, I set both out with the trade-offs and say which I would choose and why. You can disagree, and the reasoning is there to argue with.

What you receive afterwards

Within a short time of the visit you receive a written report. It contains the camera specification for each position, a diagram of the proposed camera and cable layout, a gallery arrangement for control and shading, and a plain list of points that need a decision from you.

The report is written so that someone who was not at the visit can follow it. We have found that the person who eventually orders the equipment is often not the person who met us, and a document that only makes sense with the author in the room is of little use.

If your supplier or installer has questions about the report, we are glad to answer them by email or phone. Clarifying a recommendation after the event is part of the service and is not charged separately.

• Camera specification for each position
• Camera and cable layout diagram
• Gallery arrangement for control and shading
• List of open decisions for your team

Scope and limits

It is worth being clear about what the service does not include. We do not install equipment, we do not carry out the cabling, and we do not commission the system on your behalf unless that has been agreed in writing as a separate piece of work. The advice stops where the installation begins.

Fees for camera systems advice are listed on the prices page, along with what the quoted figure includes and what would change it. Studios with several rooms or unusual layouts may need more than one visit, and we say so in the written quotation before any work starts.

If you are unsure whether a review is what you need, a short enquiry through the contact page is enough to find out. We will tell you honestly if a quick phone conversation would serve you better.

A camera systems review is meant to leave a studio with decisions it can act on: which cameras, which heads, how the control units are arranged and why. If you are planning a new studio or reconsidering an ageing camera package this season, send us a short brief through the contact page and we will reply with how we would approach it and what it would cost.