On every call, confirm with the director or TD the camera number, position, signal path, format, return feed, tally, comms channel and who owns shading. The camera check-in records the same checks; this page explains them.
House camera map
Convention stated September 12, 2026
Camera positions, switcher inputs and comms points
Camera
Position
Switcher
Comms point
1
Pit, stage-right side toward center · 16×
Input 1
Pink video-comms patch downstage right, daisy-chained on to Camera 3
2
Front of house · 22×
Input 2
Front-of-house patch panel, house-left side of the booth
Your camera lands on the multiview tile with its number. If it does not, stop there. Equipment details and open reads: Camera equipment.
Do not build from an assumption
Rack fiber converters in the rack do not prove a camera-end converter is on your body. One body was photographed with one fitted on September 14; that does not generalize to the other two, and another frame shows a body on a single coax. Inspect the body you are building and confirm the live path before you connect it.
Stop conditions
Do not change the camera ID, system format, reference, return routing, white balance, shader values, PTZ settings or stored presets without director or TD approval.
Do not connect or disconnect hybrid SMPTE fiber until the responsible technician confirms fiber power is off.
Do not use an SMPTE connector that is dirty, wet, damaged or uncapped. Isolate it and report it.
Do not declare a camera ready from picture alone. Return, tally, comms, control and lens operation must also pass.
Comms format
Camera first, then the symptom and its impact: “Camera 2, soft at wide, need a back focus check.” Keep the channel clear while the director is calling shots.
Default shot, coverage priorities, framing rules and restricted angles.
Who owns iris, white balance, gain, shutter and color in rehearsal and in the show.
Open faults for your position.
02 · Build
Build the camera safely
Seat the spreader or feet fully, level the head, and set the brakes and locks before the camera goes on.
Support the camera body before opening the plate lock. Identify the release on the actual head in front of you; the three head models remain unread, so no button or handle position is verified here.
Support the body while you seat the plate in the receiver, then retighten the handle. Confirm the release cannot open by accident and test-lift before you let go.
Attach the lens, viewfinder, pan handle, zoom and focus demands and any supports.
Dress cables with a service loop for full pan and tilt, out of walkways, pinch points and the operator's feet.
Balance last: unlock tilt while supporting the camera, set fore and aft balance, then pan and tilt drag for smooth starts and stops.
03 · Signal path
Establish the path you have
If a camera-end fiber converter is fitted
Confirm the matching rack converter and its camera channel.
With fiber power confirmed off, inspect, clean if authorized, and connect the capped SMPTE path without twisting or loading the connector.
Confirm the camera-feed and return jumpers at the body.
Confirm stable fiber power before removing any local power.
If no converter is fitted
Confirm local camera power.
Confirm the direct SDI feed to the assigned switcher input.
Confirm the SDI return and control path to the camera input.
At front of house, confirm reclocking or distribution rather than assuming a long SDI run is valid.
Handle with care
Do not force connectors. Remove lens caps carefully; the B4 mount is the fragile point on these rigs. Camera 2's right side handle clamp is broken and runs on a magic arm, so do not try to tighten it. Carry the correct Allen key for the handle, and recheck every latch, clamp and lock before power goes on.
Connect the assigned Clear-Com beltpack and headset to the correct video-comms patch.
Set headset level conservatively and confirm sidetone and the listen path.
Test talk and listen with the director, then the call light if it is used.
Cameras 1 and 3: the pink patch feeds Camera 1's beltpack XLR in, and Camera 1's loop-through feeds Camera 3. Camera 3's comms depend on Camera 1's beltpack staying connected and powered.
Fiber talkback is unused at FMP. Do not connect a headset to the 5-pin XLR on a camera fiber converter. The audio department manages Clear-Com.
05 · Commission
Prove every path
Camera output and switcher format match: 1080i. Frame rate is unrecorded; read it at the switcher.
The right image appears on the expected switcher input.
Camera ID matches the switcher input and tally. A wrong ID makes a live camera look dead on the control panel.
The return feed reaches the viewfinder. Confirm Returns 1, 2 and 3 at the rack converter rather than inferring them.
Preview and program tally respond.
Shading control moves only your camera.
Zoom, focus, iris and demands respond through their range.
Zebra and focus assist are set on the front SDI output only, never the main SDI.
Cables stay safe through the full operating range.
Reference and genlock are not in use at FMP. Skip them unless the TD says otherwise.
06 · Picture
White balance, exposure, viewfinder
Coordinate with the shader or TD before changing any image parameter.
Balance on a neutral white target under representative show light, filling the frame as directed, and store it in the assigned preset.
Check the result against the other cameras. Do not re-balance once central shading begins.
Use ND, iris, gain and shutter only within the agreed exposure plan. Do not close the iris so far that depth of field hides a focus problem.
Configure overlays on the operator's monitor output and confirm none reach the main camera feed.
Camera 1 watch items
Two separate faults are open. The front SDI output failed, which made the viewfinder unusable and put the operator on the body LCD. Separately, shading control was lost and the selectable return behaved unpredictably; Return 2 restored a usable viewfinder feed. Do not collapse them into one return-path fault unless a controlled test proves a common cause.
Run the back-focus check whenever a lens and body are paired differently, or a shot is sharp at telephoto and soft at wide. Zoom in, focus a detailed chart, zoom out without touching focus. If it goes soft, adjust with the procedure for the exact lens on the body.
Only one 16× barrel has been read, and it is not tagged to a position, so do not assume the lens in front of you is that model.
Protect the live shot. Make deliberate starts and stops, keep the horizon and headroom, avoid radical reframing while on tally unless directed, and call hazards or failures early.
The director or TD acknowledges the camera as ready.
Camera 4
The catwalk PTZ has its own controller and checks. FMP-8 remains Investigating: symptom C has a verified menu-exit procedure; symptoms A and B remain open. Follow the current PTZ restrictions.
Power → physical connections → camera output → assigned input → common format
Camera number and last known good point
Image, no return or shading control
Return jumper and path → camera input → camera ID → switcher return and control routing
Return-path fault. Do not disturb the working camera feed
No tally
Camera ID → switcher assignment → preview and program state → return path
Tally or control fault
No comms
Patch → XLR and daisy chain → beltpack power → headset → talk and listen controls
Position and the last point where comms work
Soft after zooming wide
Normal focus at telephoto → telephoto-to-wide test → the lens's back-focus procedure
Lens and body pairing, with the exact symptom
PTZ will not pan and tilt together
See the open FMP-8 symptom A checks on the catwalk PTZ page
Open FMP-8 symptom A
Report faults with the camera number, symptom, time, observed state, workaround, and whether the problem reproduced. Record them in the camera check-out so they reach the fault log.