Producing Television In a Live Performance Environment

by Marc Bauman :: Back to Articles

Having made a specialty of it for 25 years, I'm often asked for advice or assistance by producers doing television in a theatrical environment or other live performance environment.
I've found that program producers venturing into this world for the first time are often overwhelmed by the complexities and challenges that it presents – making this written introduction seem a useful resource for those faced with the prospect.

(What follows might seem "stating the obvious" to some readers, but be of value to others.)

First, why are you in a theater or other performance space?

It's because, sometimes, it's your best choice - and sometimes it's one that's already been made for you. For instance, in the case of 'Death of a Salesman', the decision was made early on to record the performance in the theater with a live audience in order to give the TV viewer the feel that they were watching the play as it was unfolding in real-time. In contrast, 'Our Town', (ironically for the same client), was a different assignment. In this case, we wanted the cameras to be intimate and not restricted by the conventional theatrical layout, but the cost of moving the production to a sound stage, both in real dollars and in down time for the cast were too great. So in this case we built out the stage by approximately 30 feet in order to create a level area allowing us to position the cameras wherever we needed them and get any camera angle we wanted. The simple (yet expensive), decision to build out the stage enabled us to capture the performance as intimately as possible.

For many kinds of productions (including award shows, tribute shows, variety programs, concerts – and even some corporate events) the "look" of a theater, its technical facilities (like a stage house and fly system for scene changes), and the ability to comfortably accommodate and reliably control access by a large audience often makes the choice of a theatrical venue the only way to go.

Or you may be taping or broadcasting a performance or concert that's already playing in such a venue (or on tour through them).

However, producing television in a theater or other live performance space is almost always more complex and more expensive than working in a studio, and for a variety of reasons.

Theaters are designed for efficient production of live performances – but not for television. In only one example, getting cameras into position, built, wired and faxed can often take many times longer than a traditional studio scenario. Theaters also have physical constraints you won't face in a studio – and legal ones (like local fire codes and access requirements). With a paid audience, if a camera position requires the removal of seats and/or obstructs patrons behind it, you may have to reimburse the live production for the lost ticket sales. There will be the labor costs associated with the removal and replacement of seats (if not the need to build platforms) for cameras, jibs, and dolly track.

Start Early

Potential issues with camera positions are only one reason why you should start pre-production as early as possible. It might seem a burden to do so, but plan to visit the venue as soon as practical to discuss camera positions with both your director and relevant building staff. This will define your options and their costs; familiarize you with the space, and help build your relationship with the building staff. To them, estimating the "seat kill" is an important matter. It allows the venue or live event promoter to hold back enough seats (and the right ones) so that unhappy patrons are kept to a minimum. (Keep some extra seats in reserve for last-minute needs).

Survey the television technical aspects with your technical manager or engineering supervisor. Where will the production truck(s) be parked and what is the cable route from them? The distance between truck and venue can impact what equipment you can use. Is line-of-sight for a satellite up-link a factor? Is there a back-up transmission path (fiber) available? Just like cameras, production trucks will present their own issues. Will you have to secure permission and/or permits for the truck locations? Will your proposed location impede traffic flow – including getting the equipment required by the live side of the event in and out of the building? Can the building supply enough additional power for the production trucks, or will you need a generator? Remember that the television production team will have additional "footprint" needs within the building beyond just cameras, for things like the RF station and an audio split, live voice-over announcer or other on camera talent, each of which will have their own specific space and technical requirements.

Consider your own "footprint"; your needs for things like a production office and crew catering. If you're creating the whole event, the building might be completely yours, but if you're televising an existing live production (especially one on tour), they probably have "first dibs" on space both inside and outside the building. That means not just space onstage, but dressing rooms, office space, dead case storage, and areas outside the building where they expect to park tour buses and trailers – and where you expect to put production trucks.

Determine the venue's schedule on either side of your event

This may sound obvious, but I'm surprised how often this is overlooked.

Televising a production might require more time than was originally anticipated by the venue (especially for what had previously been just a live show). When will the previous event really be completely out of the building? And will a "short turn-around" between their departure and your arrival (or between you and the next client) incur additional costs? If so, who's paying them?

What are your options to access the venue on either side of the original booking? It can be cheaper to work on more days and pay less in overtime. Simply pre-cabling with a few utilities and stagehands on the day before the production truck arrives can dramatically speed up your ESU day and get you on camera hours earlier.

Ask the venue to alert you before they accept additional bookings in the larger time window – this gives you the option to add to your schedule before you get "boxed in" by another event. If you need more time, don't despair. You might be able to negotiate some earlier access to the venue. On the live show side, they might have similar requirements and may agree to use your lighting and sound package for what it would cost them to hire their own. You get loaded-in earlier and with less overtime. They probably get more and better equipment than they could otherwise afford. Everybody wins.

Remember that – even within your scheduled hours - the venue might not be all yours, especially when it's a multi-use facility, such as a performing arts complex, arena, theme park, or hotel. Other clients might have their own events booked within the same time period in the same or adjacent spaces that will impact (or be impacted by) you. Having a thorough knowledge of all the events happening in and around your time and space can prevent unexpected surprises that often end up as cost overruns.

There can be plenty of potential time and space conflicts both between your own departments and between them and the live production. And (for reasons explained in the full-length on-line version) assumptions made about an on camera "look-see" and rehearsal might not prove valid. Some things can only be done in a specific sequence. Some needs are contradictory. The lighting designer will need the room dark for focusing and programming. A vendor providing video projection or a video wall will need "dark time" for their adjustments. Either will make the work of other departments harder. The PA system will probably have to be "wrung out" at high volumes at some point. Your schedule also has to integrate with that of your talent. Especially in a concert tour situation, the artist may not arrive in the city until late in the show day, and may schedule promotional interviews and press appearances during a period you might assume that they're available for a "looksee" or rehearsal. In a multi-act concert situation, the headliner will be set onstage first and sound-checked early- to mid- afternoon, after which the opening act will be set and checked in reverse show order. This means that (just as you're getting cameras up) the headliner could be leaving the stage, not to return until show time. You also need to determine how long the performers will be onstage for sound check. Generally they too work in reverse order, starting with the backing musicians and working up to the principals who, if satisfied, may depart immediately. Don't assume that you'll get even a limited on-camera rehearsal unless you have confirmed one in advance.

Remember that time is far more constrained and expensive in a live event situation than it is in a studio production. In a studio, with an eye on the budget, you can start when you're ready and keep shooting until you're done. With a live audience (especially a paid one) if the ticket says the performance starts at 8PM, the show can't start much later; there might not be the ability for retakes; and if it goes late, a lot more people will be in overtime and potential penalties.

One reason for careful pre-production is the critical value of your time. If you spend a 20-hour day running from fire to fire, you're not doing much producing, you're basically just reacting. Some fire-fighting will always be necessary, but much of that can be prevented by anticipating and addressing issues in advance and by communicating the decisions about them to those who need to know before they arise. When two parties find themselves on opposite sides of a problem or issue, the clock and the meter are both ticking until it's resolved.

Staff (and Treat Staff) Appropriately

The added complexity and the tougher time and dollar penalties for errors and oversights require that you staff carefully and adequately.

How you staff depends upon the scope of your responsibilities and on the pre-production time available.

If you've got plenty of time for pre-production and there are likely to be few last-minute changes, you can do much of the work yourself with a small staff. If the production has to be pulled together at the last minute and/or there will be wild cards, there also won't be enough hours in your day (nor can you be in three places at once). Staff up, so that the higher workload can be addressed promptly and efficiently.

If you're creating the entire event, there will also be dimensions that don't arise in a studio situation. (For example, the "front of house" requirements of handling a large audience in such a facility). Many producers out-source this to the venue or to a local promoter, so that they can focus on the live event and television aspects.

Just as producers have a tech manager for the video side, some hire a "staging supervisor" to coordinate the specialized technical aspects of the staging of the live event. You will probably have neither the time nor the experience to address them yourself. A good staging supervisor will take the little stuff off your shoulders, and know which big stuff to put in front of you for an executive decision (with useful advice on the costs and trade-offs).

If you have plenty of time for pre-production and there are likely to be few last-minute changes, you might be able to do the work with a small staff. However, if the production must be pulled together at the last minute, there won't be enough hours in your day. Staff up, so that the higher workload can be addressed promptly and efficiently.

If you're televising an existing live production, you'll be doing less about the core live event and (hopefully) a lot more interfacing and coordination with that event's own management and production staff.

It's critical to remember that an existing live production that looks and sounds fine to an audience won't necessarily look or sound fine on television in its existing form. Some reasons are technical. A television camera doesn't see things in the same way, as does the human eye, so changes in the existing lighting design, supplementary equipment, and a separate lighting package for the audience and venue interior will often be required. Additional scenery might be needed and the way in which a live show is 'mic'd' and amplified will also need to be supplemented.

Both lighting and sound for television – especially for live events - are specialties. The technicians already working with a live event, while they might be skilled in their fields and experienced with their production, might not also have specific expertise in "translating to television" and, to put it diplomatically, you aren't signing their checks. They (understandably) must prioritize their relationship with their long-term employer over your needs. You'll be out of their lives in hours, or, at most, days. Consider hiring your own consultants to interface with the live event staff on your behalf. Do so on the basis of not just their experience and expertise, but their ability to work smoothly and effectively with others.

A live production organization can have its own inertia and internal politics. They're in the habit of (and budgeted to) do things in a certain way. I have often had to spend time touring with an existing production just to learn their production process in order to figure out how to interface my television needs to their world. They're already working hard, and may be less than happy about the added demands and distractions of dealing with television. Some modern productions are also cost-controlled to a degree that a member of the Fortune 100 would admire. When television gets involved, their costs (and their profits) will be impacted.

Because successfully translating a live production to television may well require changes in "how we always do things", one of the most important roles that a producer can serve is in getting the live event's principals onboard - and sending a message to their staff and crew to regard television as an important opportunity, and not a transient annoyance.

More generally, in staffing, consider where "a hundred wise could be a thousand foolish". Those experienced in the field know the pressure points where a delay (including one caused by a staffer who isn't both highly competent and fast) can put the entire production on hold. If the cameras aren't up or the intercom system doesn't functional on schedule, everybody's on hold, and the meter's running.

(One such key position is your video engineer (or "shader"). Making a half-dozen cameras look both good and the same under the stresses of a live performance on limited rehearsal is an art, and often quite difficult.)

Before you spend all your money on hardware, make certain that you have the best staff and crew you can afford. And treat them right. They might be day players, but they appreciate a producer who respects them and their contribution. Earn their loyalty and they'll go the extra mile for you.

Consider the bonus you get by hiring experienced people who work together frequently. They've already developed an understanding of each other's needs and they have relationships they'll want to maintain because they'll be working together again soon - so they'll quickly and informally work out (or avoid) many problems and issues, without having to drag you in.

Hiring an experienced local line producer, production manager, and/or staging supervisor also gets you access to their recommendations on the most appropriate staff, crew, and vendors.

An army marches on it. It's the way to a man's heart. And their stomachs will tell your staff and crew something about you. When craft service is spare and runs out, or catering (if any) is a barely edible variation on the dreaded chicken and pasta, you send a message that you don't value their contribution. If you're shooting an outdoor event, it might be a comfortable 65 degrees in the truck, but camera and console operators and others who must remain at their positions in the broiling heat for hours on end need a steady supply of water and other healthy fluids if they are to remain efficient (and even safe).

On certain days or at certain times of the day, catering a meal should be considered for a variety of reasons, including getting back to rehearsals faster; a lack of local alternatives for a "walk-away" around the venue; and (under some deals) picking up an additional half-hour of work at no additional cost other than the catering.

Note that some venues (including hotels, arenas, and convention centers) have, or contract in-house catering services. "Food and beverage" is an important profit center for them because of a substantial markup. That can make both craft service and catering easier to arrange – and far more expensive than you might have budgeted. Determine both cost and quality before you get sticker shock. (When you're shooting a concert, there'll generally be a caterer on-site for the tour, with whom you can make arrangements – at a "per-head" charge, generally monitored by a meal ticket system.)

Remember that you'll also either have to develop your own credential system or coordinate with that of the live event, so that your staff and crew can get past security.

Communicate

There actually was an era when people managed to do television and special events before cell phones, email, PDAs, overnight express, fax machines, or ATMs. Glued to our cells and our Blackberries, our days are now filled with "communicating" - but there seems to be less and less actual communication going on. In effect, we're now eating potato chips all day, without ever stopping for a real meal. When faced with the higher workload of this kind of production, one of the first things to go by the boards is real communication. If the schedule keeps changing, you might not issue one, even in draft form. And the contact sheet is becoming an endangered species.

As we know, there can also be important benefits to having a paper trail. To repeat the old alleged Goldwynism: "a verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on". If there's an issue that might later become a dispute (such as with the venue), summarize your understanding in writing and offer the recipient the opportunity to clarify or object.

Budget Realistically

As we also know, if you budgeted $12 for something that ultimately proves to cost $10, you're a hero; but if you only budgeted $8...

An accurate and conservative budget is one key to your success. Without considerable prior experience - or a staff with it - there are plenty of opportunities for underestimating budget lines (or even missing them entirely).

A few thoughts:
If you're venturing into the field for the first time and don't have the experience, hire it. Coordinating producers, production managers, and staging supervisors with experience are available as independents.

If money is tight, involve your production staff. Truly creative people are also creative about the efficient use of resources. If you've assembled a good production team they can and will work with you to produce a quality product for less than you might have thought.

Trust the locals. Most live performance venues have a technical director or production manager on staff. Their function is to interface with outside productions on their requirements and they generally know their building and have had experiences (good and bad) with previous television productions. They can be an important resource. But don't simply tell them what you think you need – especially in the areas of scheduling and labor – inform them of your goals. With their specific knowledge of the building, of past productions, and of their labor contracts, their estimates are likely to be more realistic than yours - and at least worth considering. I often see outside producers and production managers trying to second-guess a venue's staff in estimating crew size. I have always (well...almost always), found it best to trust the venue's advice on determining crew size. They know the intricacies of how things get done in their space, and the capabilities of the local labor. I often see outside producers trying to second-guess them in estimating costs. I'm not suggesting that you give up authority or control here, but rather, listen to the voices of experience. Often, in an attempt to save on a person or two, the task at hand is compromised and an additional hour or two of overtime ensues in order to accomplish the work. An unexpected hour of overtime on a full crew is almost always more costly than the additional person that would have made the work run more smoothly in the first place.

Local Labor

Labor is likely to be your biggest cost center, and the one most difficult to understand.

You generally hire a studio on a 4-wall basis and staff your entire production as you see fit.

However, most performance venues have (and will insist on the use of) their own house crew on the live event side – and not just where a union contract requires it, but to protect their facility. In all but colleges and the smallest venues, that crew is likely to be union.

Beyond the typical positions required by the television production, working in a live performance environment involves additional labor requirements and costs.

First, there's the labor required to set-up and run the live performance at the core of your production. If you're shooting an existing show in front of a paid audience, generally, that labor is paid for from the show side. However, if you arguably increase their costs over what they would have paid for the live show alone (for example, for rehearsals, changes in lighting, by hitting OT or a meal penalty, or by extending their load-out) they might look to you for the difference.

Second, there's the cost of supplementing their production with the labor for additional TV-related elements like additional lighting, sound, scenery, seat removal, and camera platforms. That cost will be yours.

Third, there may be the costs of using union labor to perform or assist with work that your utilities and A2s would normally do themselves. In some venues, union workers may have jurisdiction over moving/handling equipment and/or running cable. You might be paying for two bodies to handle one task.

Generally, union work in theaters or other live performance venues is performed by IATSE stagehands (although in some venues, the IBEW divides jurisdiction with them as well). Contracts differ, even between venues in the same city and, in addition to the terms of a written contract, there can be work rules and precedents arrived at over time - one more reason to consult the venue's production management staff, if not hire your own staging supervisor familiar with the venue.

Your labor costs can be amplified by various markups. Union contracts include additional percentages for benefits, applied above gross wages. In New York, a base/straight time rate of between $30 and $50 per hour can be increased by 45% in benefits. Union or not, where local labor is billed through the venue, they may mark it up, resulting in base rates in some venues as high as $120-$180/hour for straight time. Add overtime, minimum calls and crew sizes, meal penalties, differentials for work outside certain hours, and short turnarounds…it adds up fast.

Venue labor is there to help – but not to assemble your production from a pile of gear. They might try, but that's neither an efficient nor cost-effective solution. Experienced producers hire their own "production" technicians to plan, organize, and supervise the technical aspects of the live event side.

In most venues, technicians that you hire on the live event side (or who come with a vendor's gear) will be able to work freely alongside a house crew on that equipment you bring in – but seldom with house equipment already there. In a few venues in some cities, absent a prior "pink contract" arrangement, they won't be able to do much "hands on" assembly of even their own gear.

You Can't Fix It...

A career is something that lasts beyond a single project. Much as we focus on this production, as professionals, our ultimate goal must be not just doing well by this one production, but of also nurturing our relationship with our present client - and to generate positive results that will lead to others.

When confronted by the challenges and demands of producing television in a live event context, also keep this longer view in mind.

· You get few (if any) second chances in this arena – if it's not on tape after the first pass, you may never get it.

· Part of being professional is looking professional; of sending the message to all concerned that you're up to the job. Much of that is about preparation and proper staffing.

· And bottom line: your reputation is one thing you can't "fix in post".

Winner of six Emmy awards and nominated for 42, and recipient of the 2000 David Wolper Producer of the Year Award from the PGA, Marc Bauman has been producing television in live event environments for twenty-five years. Supervising producer of Live from Lincoln Center since 1981, he helps originate live television productions from the 8 major performance venues at Lincoln Center in New York including the Metropolitan Opera House, New York State Theater, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Vivian Beaumont Theater, The Juilliard School, The Kaplan Penthouse and The Rose Theaters at Jazz@ Lincoln Center. In a parallel career as an independent producer and consultant he has worked on productions in a wide variety of venues for PBS, NBC, HBO, Showtime, MTV, CMT, VH1, Comedy Central, BET and A&E among others in both the United States and Europe.