Making live injects work
There is only one way to make sure the inject will work smoothly, and that is to run through all the variables before it goes to air. Even if a producer has already done so, find 30 seconds to go through it again. The person in front of the camera will be under enormous pressure and may have forgotten some detail, or the plan may have changed without anyone informing them.
Confirm exactly when you expect them to be on air. Remind them of the name of your presenter in the studio. Tell them the format of the item. Will it a be question and answer session (‘John is at [location], John what did the Prime Minister say this morning?’) or is it a straight throw (‘Over to John at [location].’)? Try to warn the OB presenter what the question will be – it stops the programme looking stupid if they don’t know the answer.
Some companies like to have reporters live at locations leading into VTs. You must know exactly how they are going to finish their introduction as you have to roll the tape off the back of it. Find out precisely what they are going to say, and write it down before you forget.
At the end of the VT, are you cutting back to the studio or to the OB again? Be sure to let everyone know in advance, and as it happens be very clear who you are cueing. For example, as the VT finishes, say ‘Coming to John at [location]. Cut and cue John’.
It sounds pedantic. It works. Sound, vision mixers and presenters love it.
As the time for the inject approaches, give them a countdown. It is particularly useful if you can give them a two- and a one-minute warning.
Single camera units may have limited power and choose to keep lights switched off until the last moment. It is entirely reasonable of you as a director to expect them to be switched on at one minute to on air. Don’t worry about it before that as long as the OB has said they are happy.
Let the OB know if they will be in shot before they start speaking. This is very common – we often use 2-way boxes on screen as the studio presenter introduces the OB presenter. You don’t want the OB camera operator checking their focus or making a last-minute adjustment to the exposure when you have already cut them to air.
Similarly at the end of an inject, the presenter at the OB should continue to look into the camera on a steady shot until you have cleared them. There is nothing worse than seeing someone taking off their microphone before you have cut off their picture.
The popularity of single camera units doing live injects increased as their sensitivity improved (needing fewer lights), and the size, weight and power consumption of She camera decreased.
Secret or undercover filming on video used to be … tricky.