Before You Commission Stage Feeds: A Festival and Concert Checklist
A practical list of questions to settle with your feed provider before a concert or festival goes to air, from camera positions and power to delivery paths and backup routes.
Ewan Campbell · · 6 minutes to read
Start with what the feed is for
Before anyone talks about camera counts, decide where the pictures are going. A feed for a broadcast partner has different needs from one that only fills screens around a festival site, and a feed that does both needs a plan for each. Write down the destinations in plain terms: which broadcaster or streaming partner, which screens on site, and whether anything is recorded for later use.
From that list, the technical shape follows. A broadcaster will usually state a delivery format, a start time for line-up and a point of contact on their side. Site screens care more about latency and about what the audience sees between acts. Mixing the two without deciding is how a stage ends up with the right pictures in the wrong place.
It also helps to name one person on your side who can approve changes on the day. Feeds go wrong less often from equipment than from three people giving three instructions.
- Name every destination for the feed
- Agree who approves changes on the day
- Note whether a recording is needed
Camera positions and the view of the stage
Ask for a camera plan before the event, even a rough sketch. Positions at the front of house, on the stage sides and in the pit each give a different picture, and each needs a clear sightline that will still be clear when the crowd arrives and the lighting rig is fully lit. Tall positions suit wide shots; handheld work suits performers and audience.
Check who owns each position. Some are fixed by the venue or the production, and others have to be agreed with the promoter, the stage manager or the site safety team. A position that looks perfect on a plan can be lost to a barrier, a speaker stack or a sponsor banner.
Think too about the programme itself. A headline act with a lot of movement asks for more cameras than a seated acoustic set, and the plan should reflect the running order, not just the total number of cameras.
- Confirm a clear sightline for each position
- Check who controls each camera position
- Match camera count to the running order
Power, cabling and the weather
Outdoor sites in mid autumn bring wind, damp and short daylight, and all three affect a live feed. Ask where power comes from, whether it is shared with lighting and catering, and what happens if a generator trips. Camera and signal equipment should sit on a clean supply of its own wherever possible, with a short list of what must stay alive if power is limited.
Cable routes deserve the same attention. Long runs across public ground need protection from foot traffic and vehicles, and joins need to be kept dry. A route that is sensible on a dry afternoon can become a risk once the site is busy and the ground is wet.
Finally, agree what the crew wears and carries for the conditions. Operators who are cold and wet frame badly, and equipment without covers does not last a long evening.
- Separate power for signal equipment where possible
- Protect cable routes and keep joins dry
- Plan covers and clothing for wet weather
Routing, backup and what happens when something fails
Every live feed has a point where it can fail, so ask where yours are. A single link from the stage to the outside world is a single point of failure, and the question to put to any provider is what the second route is, how quickly it takes over and who decides to switch. A backup that nobody has tested is only a hope.
Ask for a short description of the signal path from camera to destination, in plain language. You do not need every technical detail, but you should be able to follow it. If the answer is vague, that tells you something.
Agree in advance what a fallback looks like to the viewer: a held graphic, a cut to a wide shot, or a switch to a reduced feed. Deciding this calmly beforehand is far better than deciding it during a fault.
- Ask for a second route and how it takes over
- Request a plain-language signal path
- Agree what viewers see during a fault
Delivery, timings and the people on the other end
A good feed still fails if the receiving end is not ready. Confirm the delivery time with each partner, the contact who will be watching, and the time set aside for a line-up check before the first act. Broadcasters often want a test window, and it is worth protecting even when the schedule on site is tight.
Check what metadata or identification the receiving team expects, and who supplies it. Ask too whether the feed is clean or carries graphics, and whether audio comes from the house mix or a separate feed. These details are easy to settle in an email a week before and hard to settle ten minutes before going live.
Keep a short contact sheet with names and numbers for the stage, the control point and every partner. On a busy site, mobile coverage is not always reliable, so note a second way to reach people.
- Book a line-up check with each partner
- Confirm graphics and audio source
- Keep a contact sheet with a second route
Terms, access and what to put in writing
Last, look at the practical agreement. Ask for a written quotation that says what is included, such as crew, cameras, signal equipment and travel, and what would change the price, such as extra positions, longer hours or a late change of venue. Confirm how invoicing works and what the cancellation terms are before the date is fixed.
Access matters as much as price. Crew need passes, a loading route and a place to set up before gates open. Ask the venue about rigging times and curfews, and about any limit on filming certain performers or areas.
Put the main points in one short document that everyone has seen. When the day arrives, that page settles most arguments before they start.
- Get inclusions and price changes in writing
- Confirm passes, loading and set-up times
- Share one short plan with everyone involved
No checklist replaces a conversation with the people who will actually run the feed, but it makes that conversation shorter and more useful. Go through destinations, positions, power, backup, delivery and terms in that order, and note any answer that sounds uncertain. If most of them are clear, you are in a good position to decide. If several are not, there is still time to ask.
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Ewan Campbell
Distribution ManagerEwan manages delivery to broadcasters and keeps feed schedules and file standards in order.
