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Operations

Coordinate Cues and Streams

Lighting, screens and audio can each be excellent and still produce a messy show if they move at different moments. Operations is the discipline that makes them move together, and carries the result to an online audience.

Map your production systems

A system map is a one-page view of what each department needs from the others. Fill it in with your suppliers during planning. Every arrow between two columns is a handoff, and every handoff is a place where something can be forgotten.

System dependency map
SystemNeeds from othersGives to othersHandoff risk
LightingRunning order, camera positions, screen levelsLit faces, colour balance for camerasCamera flicker, faces too dark against LED
LED / projectionContent at correct resolution, switcher feedImage for room, IMAG for back rowsWrong aspect ratio, late slide changes
AudioSpeaker list, playback files, seating planRoom mix, stream mix, assistive feedUnpatched video audio, muted microphones
Cameras / visionLighting states, presentation outputsProgramme feed to screens and encoderUnbalanced white balance, no confidence monitor
StreamingProgramme video, stream mix, bandwidthOnline audience, recordingUnstable upload, missing audio
Stage managementCue sheets from every departmentCalls, timing, standbysOutdated running order

One voice calls the show

In theatre and large events, a stage manager or show caller gives the cues. Each department hears "standby" and then "go" on a talkback system such as Clear-Com or Riedel. This keeps lighting, video, audio and the stage crew moving on one count rather than reacting to each other.

The show caller works from a cue sheet that merges every department's cues against the running order. Producers should make sure the latest running order reaches that person first, then the departments.

Some shows use SMPTE timecode to lock lighting, video and audio to a playback track. That is powerful for repeatable sequences, such as an opening film, but live speeches still need a human caller.

Stage manager at a backstage desk wearing a talkback headset, following a printed cue sheet with a pen

Taking the room online

A stream takes the programme feed from the vision switcher and the stream mix from the audio console into an encoder. This can be a hardware encoder or software such as OBS Studio or vMix. The encoder sends to a platform using RTMP or, increasingly, SRT, which handles unreliable networks better. Inside the venue, NDI can move video between computers over the network.

Ask for a dedicated, wired internet connection with upload capacity comfortably above the stream bitrate, often double, and a backup path such as a bonded cellular unit. Record locally as well; a recording saves the content if the connection fails.

Loudness matters online. Broadcast standards like EBU R128 target consistent loudness, and platforms normalise audio differently. Agree a target with your audio engineer so speakers and videos sit at a similar level.

Streaming operator checking encoder status and audio meters at a control desk beside the stage

Stage to stream signal path

  1. Stagelit and miked
  2. Cameras + slidessources
  3. Vision switcherprogramme feed
  4. Audio consolestream mix
  5. EncoderSRT or RTMP
  6. Platform + recordingviewers and archive

The rehearsal sequence

Rehearsals are where departments meet each other. A practical sequence for a one-day conference:

  1. Technical check: each system powered and tested on its own.
  2. Integration check: lighting states viewed through cameras and on the stream.
  3. Content run: every slide deck and video played through the switcher.
  4. Cue-to-cue: show caller runs every transition, skipping long talks.
  5. Presenter rehearsal: walk-ons, microphones, confidence monitors.
  6. Test stream to a private link, watched on a phone off-site.
  7. Doors: house open, preset states, stream holding slide live.
Responsibility matrix: show operations
TaskProducer / organizerStage managerTechnical leads
Running order versionsOwns and signs offDistributesBuild cues from it
Cue sheetReviewsCompiles and callsProvide department cues
Comms plan—Defines channelsInstall and test
Internet and backupBooks with venue—Test and monitor
Go / no-go before doorsDecides with leadsReports statusConfirm readiness
Qualified work only. Backstage cable routes, power distribution and any overhead equipment remain the responsibility of qualified crew and the venue's safety process. Operations planning coordinates people and timing; it does not replace their sign-off.

Have questions before doors? See our cue questions or reach the production desk.