Why a fixed figure is rarely the honest answer
People often ask me for a single price for camera movement planning, and I understand why. A budget holder wants one line to put in a sheet. The difficulty is that two programmes with the same running time can need very different amounts of planning, so any figure given without questions would be a guess dressed up as a quote.
What we do instead is price the work from a short description of the programme. We look at how many cameras move, what kind of equipment moves them, how often the format changes and how many people on the floor need the plan in their hands. Each of those has a clear effect on the hours involved.
The quotation we write after your enquiry sets those hours out in plain terms, so you can see what each part of the total pays for and challenge any line that does not match your production.
The number and type of moves
The largest single driver is the moves themselves. A fixed pedestal camera on a news set needs a framing note and little else. A dolly on rails, a jib with a long reach or a robotic head with stored positions each need a mapped path, timings against the running order and a check that the move clears furniture, lights and cables.
Robotic moves tend to take more preparation at the start, because positions have to be defined and tested, but they repeat reliably once set. Manual dolly and jib work takes less set-up on paper but needs more detail about marks and cues for the operator.
We count moves per programme, not per camera. A single complicated jib sweep across an opening title can take longer to plan than a whole bulletin of simple shots, and the quotation reflects that.
- Fixed or pedestal positions: lightest planning
- Dolly and rail moves: path, marks and timing
- Jib work: reach, clearance and cue points
- Robotic heads: stored positions and test runs
Studio layout and how often it changes
A studio that keeps the same set week after week lets us plan once and revise lightly. A studio that rebuilds its set for each recording, or shares the floor between several programmes in a day, needs a fresh plan each time or a set of plans that can be swapped quickly.
Layout also decides the risk of conflict. Where lighting rigs hang low, where cable runs cross the floor and where scenery is moved during the show all affect which camera paths are safe. We check these against the floor plan you send us, and a cluttered or frequently changing floor takes longer to resolve.
If you can supply a current floor plan and the lighting plot, that saves real time and is reflected in the price. If neither exists, we can work from measurements and photographs, but expect that to add hours.
Live against recorded, and the cost of change
Live programmes cost more to plan than recorded ones, and the reason is not complicated. In a recording a move that fails can be repeated. Live, it cannot, so the plan needs tighter timings, a fallback for each critical move and a clear call from the gallery about who decides when something is dropped.
Late changes matter as well. A running order that is fixed a week ahead is cheap to plan around. One that shifts on the day means revisions to the plan, and we say in the quotation how many rounds of revision are included and how further changes are charged.
We would rather tell you this at the start than surprise you in the invoice. Most overruns we see come from a format that was described as stable and then was not.
Sharing the plan with the floor crew
Part of the price is the format in which the plan reaches the people using it. A plan that only the planner understands is of little use at six in the morning. We produce move sheets, floor marks and cue notes that camera operators, floor managers and the gallery can all read, and we agree the layout with you in advance.
If your crews are used to a particular style of sheet, we follow it. If you have none, we propose a simple one. Additional briefings, such as a walk-through with the operators before a first live show, are listed as separate items so you can include or leave them out.
Printed copies, large-format floor diagrams and extra distribution lists are small items but they do appear on the quotation when asked for.
What to send us before you ask for a quotation
The quickest route to an accurate figure is a short enquiry through the contact page with the basics set out. Tell us the programme format, how many cameras and what moves them, whether it is live or recorded, how often the set changes and when you need the plan.
From that we write a quotation that states what is included, what would change the total and the price in pounds sterling. Once you confirm in writing, we issue an invoice, payable by bank transfer, and the work begins. If plans change, cancellations and refunds follow our payment and refund policy.
If you are unsure about any of the details, say so. A rough description is enough to begin the conversation, and we would sooner ask a question than assume an answer.
- Programme format and running time
- Cameras, and what moves each one
- Live or recorded
- Floor plan and lighting plot, if you have them
- Date the plan is needed
The cost of camera movement planning follows the work: how many moves, how complex the equipment, how settled the studio and format are, and how much has to be explained to the crew. None of that is hidden. Send us a clear description, and we will return a written quotation in which each line can be traced to something your programme actually needs.
