Training referenceTonight's director, stage plot, restrictions, and verified assignments control. This guide stores local notes only and does not submit operational records.Open operator workflows
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The operators stay. The caller changes.
FMP camera positions are worked by Local operators on house nights and on most tour nights. Tours occasionally pay to bring their own operators and have ours shadow, but they usually defer to the house crew. This guide is built so a Local operator can walk in on any night, ask seven questions, fill one card, and cut clean for a director they met an hour ago.
Mode AHouse
House cameras
CallsHead of VideoOperatesLocal operatorsUseAll tabs
Mode BMost common tour night
Tour cameras, deferred to house
CallsTour directorOperatesLocal operatorsUse02, 03, 04, 06, 08
Mode COccasional
Tour cameras, shadowed
CallsTour directorOperatesTour operators, Local shadowsUse02, 03, 06 (shadow hands the house notes over)
How this guide is split
| Layer | Tabs | Who reads it | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | 02 · 03 · 04 | Every Local operator, every night | Deliver usable shots to any caller without being told twice |
| Director | 05 | Head of Video, anyone calling a house show | Calling discipline, ownership, cutting on the music |
| Venue | 06 · 07 · 08 | Everyone, and worth sharing with tour directors | What is specific to the FMP bowl: plot, IMAG, PTZ limits, preshow |
The one rule
Before any cut, the next shot must show the viewer something the current shot does not. Operators make that possible by never offering the same frame as the live camera.
Operator layer
Deliver for a caller you don't know
A new director will not know your position, your glass, or the room. They assume you will default somewhere useful. These rules hold on house and tour nights alike.
Core operator rules
| Rule | What it means on the stick | Why it survives any caller |
|---|---|---|
| Know your home, return to it | After any call finishes, go back to your assigned subject without being asked | The director can always find you |
| Compose ahead | Off tally, frame the next likely shot before the call comes | Unfamiliar callers are often late; be ready early |
| Hold on tally | No reframes on air unless slow and motivated. Let the performer move inside a stable frame | A searching live frame reads as a production catching up |
| Offer contrast | Never match the frame size and angle of the camera that is live | Gives the director a real cut instead of a jump |
| Watch the music | Anticipate fills, solos, walks, entrances, and lighting hits | You see the stage better than the video position does |
| Safe camera stays put | If you are named safe camera, you do not wander for a pretty shot | The one rule that saves a show with a new caller |
| Match the comms style | Offer shots on headset only if the director asked for offers | Some callers want quiet channels; ask at the meeting |
| Focus and exposure are yours | Stay sharp through zoom moves; flag exposure problems to shading off air | Nobody in the truck can fix a soft shot fast enough |
Position discipline
FOHLong lens sticks
Sustained tight work
- Best glass and most stable platform; usually the lead vocal
- Frame, hold, follow naturally. No constant reframing
- Watch headroom against stage height; aim near performer eye level when the platform allows
PitSC/SR and SL
Players and angles
- Own a player, not the whole stage
- Low angles on guitar and bass read strong on IMAG
- Keep clear of security lanes and performer no go zones
- Do not shoot into the drum riser from below; you get cymbals and a kick drum head
PTZPresets only
No live moves
- The house PTZ will not drive pan and tilt together cleanly when following a mark
- Recall presets only while off program, then trim small if needed
- Tell every tour director this at the camera meeting
Tour addHandheld / shoulder
Motivated movement
- Move for entrances, solos, reveals, or walking with the artist
- Permission to hold; you do not need to move every second
- Keep horizons intentional; never let two roaming cameras leave stage coverage together
Shadowing a tour operator (Mode C)
| Do | Why |
|---|---|
| Hand over the house notes first: PTZ limits, cable paths, pit boundaries, IMAG wall layout | The tour op knows the show, you know the room |
| Stay on headset and know the call style they are using | You may be asked to take the position mid show |
| Watch their home and secondary so you can match them | If they step off, the director should not notice the swap |
Before doors, every tour night
Seven questions, one card
Ask these at the camera meeting. If there is no meeting, grab the director on headset during checks. Fill the card for your position before doors.
Ask the director
| # | Ask | Catches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | How are you numbering us? By number or by position? | Tour calling "Pit Left" while the house sheet says Cam 3 |
| 2 | What is my home, and who is your safe camera? | Two operators both thinking they are free to roam |
| 3 | "Ready, take" or just "take"? | Missed cuts from mismatched calling habits |
| 4 | Do you want shot offers on headset, or quiet? | Comms clutter or missed opportunities |
| 5 | IMAG notes: no shoot sides, crowd shots, restricted angles? | An artist complaint after song one |
| 6 | Any walk ons, B stage, guests, or pyro I am framing around? | Blown reveals and unsafe positions |
| 7 | Tour gear or house gear on my position? | An unfamiliar body, lens, or zoom demand at the downbeat |
Operator card
Position card
■ STANDING NOTE · PTZ is presets only, no live moves. Director has been told:
Saves in this browser only.
Plain text version
SHOW / DATE: ______________ CALLER: ______________ Mode: A House / B Tour deferred / C Tour shadowed My position: ________ Called as: ________ Home: ______________________ Secondary: _________________ Safe camera tonight: ________ (Me? Y / N) Call style: Ready+Take / Take only Shot offers: Welcome / Quiet IMAG restrictions: _________________ Walk ons / guests / B stage / pyro: ________ Gear: House / Tour Lens: ________ PTZ: presets only, no live moves (director told? Y / N)
Director and operator, side by side
A typical song
What the caller is going for in each section, and what the operator does so the shot is already there.
| Section | Director is going for | Operator does |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | Orientation: artist reveal or band establish. On IMAG, keep any wide brief; the room already sees the stage | Safe camera locks home. Pit operators find their player before the downbeat. PTZ sits on its opening preset |
| Verse | Lead vocal on the safe camera, alternate angle for contrast, instruments as punctuation | On tally, hold. Off tally, offer a different frame size than the live shot |
| Pre chorus | Build anticipation: slow push, profile angle, composed musician detail | Set up the push start frame off tally so it runs clean the moment it is called |
| Chorus | Open up: lead close, alternate angle, band, crowd response if the tour allows it. Cut on lighting hits and big lyric moments | Be on your best frame of the song by the chorus downbeat. Do not start searching at the downbeat |
| Solo | The featured player owns the cut, long enough to show the idea develop. Reactions only if they support the solo | Your player? Frame before the first note. Not your player? Find a useful reaction and hold it ready |
| Outro / applause | Stay on lead through the last note and final gesture, then acknowledgment or room | Safe camera stays on lead through the button. Nobody leaves early to chase applause |
Song sheet (caller)
SONG: ______________________ Lead vocal: Cam ___ Safe: Cam ___ Feature instruments: Cam ___ / Cam ___ Crowd / reaction: Cam ___ (tour allows crowd? Y / N) Planned solo(s): ______________________ Guest / walk on cue: __________________ Must capture lighting or scenic cue: __________________ PTZ preset for this song: _____________ End frame: ______________________
Director layer
Calling the show
A strong concert cut preserves the performance so viewers always understand who is playing and why it matters, then adds energy without making the camera work the subject.
Core rules
| Rule | In practice |
|---|---|
| Protect a safe shot | For IMAG, the safe shot is a lead vocal medium on FOH, not a stage wide. For a stream or record, add a wide safe as well. Do not take the safe camera tight unless the next two shots are composed |
| Assign ownership | One camera owns lead vocal, others own players. A camera helps another only when its own home is covered |
| Cut on musical intent | Phrase, lyric turn, fill, riff, entrance, lighting hit. Never mid action |
| Build contrast | Alternate size, angle, static and moving, performer and audience. No near identical close up to close up |
| Hold shots | Let performers move inside a stable frame |
| Move selectively | Push toward a chorus, pull out after a peak, moving camera for entrances and solos. Not every verse |
| Call early | Call the next source before the current shot becomes unusable. An early clean cut beats a late reaction |
IMAG versus stream
| Decision | IMAG (bowl walls) | Stream / record |
|---|---|---|
| Safe shot | Lead vocal medium | Stage wide plus lead medium |
| Shot size bias | Tight and medium; the room has the wide | Full range |
| Crowd shots | Sparing and tour approved | Proof of connection at choruses and applause |
| Cut pace | Slower; a lawn audience is reading faces | Can run faster on high energy material |
Calling language
"Camera 2, lead tight. Ready 2… take 2."
Standard ready and take
"Camera 1, find guitar, medium."
Assigns subject and size in one line
"Camera 3, bass ready after this line."
Gives the operator a musical landmark
"Camera 1, build me a slow push on the solo."
Move requested with its motivation
"Two, you're safe. Stay on lead."
Locks the FOH operator as recovery shot
"PTZ, recall drums. Don't take."
Separates recall from take so the move never airs
"One, guitar low. Three, hold bass for the turnaround."
Keeps both pit cameras off the lead in instrumentals
"Camera 1, hold."
Emergency: stop moving
"All cameras, reset for next song."
Everyone returns home
Venue layer · FMP bowl
House camera plot
Three manned URSA positions plus one PTZ, cut on the house switcher and shaded at the video position. Output feeds IMAG on the two stage flanking walls and four lawn delay walls, and the venue TVs when the broadcast feed is taken.
Cam 1Pit SC/SR
Stage right player
- URSA body
- Home: guitar (standard plot)
- Secondary: lead alternate angle
Cam 2FOH · Safe
Lead vocal
- URSA body, Fujinon broadcast lens, viewfinder
- Home: lead medium
- Secondary: lead tight, full body on thrust walks
Cam 3Pit SL
Stage left player
- URSA body
- Home: bass (standard plot)
- Secondary: keys when featured, lead from SL
PTZPresets only
Riser
- Proposed: drums preset
- Proposed: keys or band-wide preset at intros
- Never moved on air
Five piece band assignments
Assumes guitar SR, bass SL, drums and keys on the upstage riser. Swap Cam 1 and Cam 3 duties if the stage plot is mirrored.
| Source | Home | Secondary | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cam 2 FOH | Lead vocal medium (safe) | Lead tight on key lyrics, full body on walks | Leaving lead to chase a solo |
| Cam 1 Pit SC/SR | Guitar, low angle | Lead alternate angle for chorus contrast | Matching Cam 2's frame size on lead |
| Cam 3 Pit SL | Bass | Keys when featured, lead from SL | Shooting up into the drum riser |
| PTZ | Proposed drums preset | Proposed keys or band-wide preset for intros and outros | Any on air move |
Per-show proposal, not a verified preset library
Four sources for five players means someone rides a preset. Drums and keys go to the PTZ because their positions do not move. The cost: no drum coverage while the PTZ is on a band wide, so call the wide at intros and outros only and keep drums as the resting preset.
When a tour adds positions
Added cameras are still usually Local operated. Common adds and what each should own so nothing duplicates the house plot:
| Added position | Should own | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Second FOH or side stage sticks | Full body lead, second vocalist, or featured player | Alternate angle, body language, stage geography |
| Additional robotic | Drums or keys, freeing the house PTZ for a wide | Instrument punctuation, cover while another camera resets |
| Handheld / shoulder in the pit | Artist movement and solos | Entrances, chorus energy, artist to audience moments |
| Roaming handheld | Crowd, reverse, behind the band | Intros, outros, singalongs, applause |
| High wide (stream or record only) | Locked full stage safe | Openers, closers, lighting reveals, recovery |
Venue layer
Preshow checklist
Run under show lighting where possible, not only work lights. Checks save in this browser only.
Caller
Caller + ops
Head of Video
Practise matching two cameras on simulated scopes →Video
Video
Video
Video
Head of Video
Ops + security
Caller
What goes wrong
Failure modes
Severity: Critical means on-air emergency; Visible means the audience sees it; Quality means the cut is weakened.
| Sev | Failure | What it causes | Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | Safe camera wanders | Missed focus or blocked shot has no recovery | Name the safe camera at the meeting; that operator stays home |
| Critical | PTZ moved on air | Jerky, stair stepped move on every wall | Presets only, recall off program, director told |
| Visible | Numbering mismatch with tour caller | Wrong camera moves or takes | Question 1 at the meeting; write "called as" on the card |
| Visible | IMAG restriction broken | Artist complaint, tour notes after song one | Question 5; restrictions on every card |
| Visible | Late cuts | Solo or hit is over when the shot lands | Operators compose ahead; caller calls early |
| Visible | ConcertVision taken at the wrong moment | Venue TVs black early or show ads over the open | Agree blackout timing preshow |
| Quality | Every camera on the singer | No musical context, no reserve coverage | Homes assigned per player |
| Quality | Frame matched to the live camera | Jump cuts, no new information | Operators offer a different size or angle off tally |
| Quality | Overused crowd shots | Performance replaced with filler | Choruses, applause, transitions only, and tour approved |
| Quality | Unplanned handheld movement | Blocked sightlines, stage collisions | Boundaries walked preshow; one roaming camera at a time |
The practical test
Before calling any cut, name what the viewer learns from the next shot that the current one does not show. Before offering any shot, make sure it answers that question.