Production errors

Rolling the wrong VT

A surprisingly easy mistake to make, particularly in a busy programme. The chances of this happening are greatly reduced if all tapes are clearly clocked, stating the story title and date. The vision mixer should always put the next tape on the preview monitor, so both of you can check it.

When it happens (sorry, ‘if’ it happens), immediately tell the presenter, sound and vision. Tell the presenter either to:

1. briefly reintroduce the correct VT or

2. go on to the next story.

Fade the sound from the wrong tape, then mix back to the presenter. Be aware that if you rolled the tape for the next story it will need to be recued.

Timing errors

If a VT finishes earlier than you expected, give an immediate ‘Standby’. Quickly check that the presenter is not doing anything untoward, then cut and cue on.

This is one of the reasons for always putting the next source up on the vision mixer early.

No sound

If you cut to a source and there is silence, you must restate what source you are using. Do not say ‘There is no sound’. That’s the one thing the sound department already know. What they want to know is where it should be.

Within a couple of seconds they will either get the audio there, or tell you it is lost before it reaches the studio. In that case you have no choice but to crash out.

Vision mixing

If the VM presses the wrong button, it’s usually pretty obvious. There is nothing you can do about it, and yelling at them will not make them perform any better – usually quite the reverse. State again clearly what you want, and if possible keep it simple. If they have been previewing all their shots you should have noticed that the wrong one was about to go to air.

Caption errors

You should always have a capgen preview monitor. Check spellings before putting up captions. You should notice, the VM should notice, the CG operator should notice.

© Sean Preston/GMTV Magazine

When errors happen on live programmes you usually have to make changes to the planned running order if you still want to fill the specified duration. Clear, accurate and calm decisions from the programme editors help smooth recoveries.