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Studio floor discipline
The first thing a broadcaster judges is not your framing — it is whether you can be trusted on a live floor. This is a complete module from the Studio Foundations pathway, opened up for free.
≈ 15 min read · Level: entry · Module TV-01
1. The chain of command
On a live production the director speaks, everyone else listens. The floor manager is the director's voice on the floor: they relay counts, cue talent and control the studio. If you need something, you ask the floor manager — you do not talk over the director's talkback.
The practical rule: one voice on talkback at a time. Acknowledge with a short "camera 2, yes" or a thumbs-up to the FM. Long explanations happen in the break.
2. Tally, preview and programme
The vision mixer has two buses that matter to you. Preview is what the director is lining up next; programme is what the audience sees. Your tally light tells you which bus you are on.
- Red tally: you are live. Do not move, do not rack focus, do not fix your framing unless told.
- Green or no tally: you are free to reposition — quickly and quietly.
- Tally just went out: hold two more seconds. Directors change their mind.
3. Safe movement
Cables, stands and pedestals injure more people in studios than anything else. Walk your route before rehearsal, know where the cable runs, and never cross behind a camera that is live without checking the operator has seen you. When you move a pedestal, lead with the base, not the lens.
4. Framing you will be asked for
Wide shot (WS)
Whole set, establishes geography. Keep the lighting grid out of frame.
Mid shot (MS)
Waist up. Small consistent headroom, eyes on the upper third.
Medium close-up (MCU)
Chest up — the standard news anchor shot.
Two-shot
Both presenters, balanced. Watch for the gap between heads.
5. Your lab drill
In the virtual studio, set camera 2 to an MCU on the anchor, hold it through a ten-second stand-by, then reframe to a two-shot the moment tally drops. Repeat until the reframe takes under three seconds with no visible correction.
The full drill runs in the browser-based 3D studio — no equipment required. See the TV Labs.
Knowledge check
Three questions. Answers explain themselves as you go.
1. The director calls “stand by camera 2, coming to 2”. What should camera 2 do?
2. What does a red tally light on your camera mean?
3. Headroom on a mid shot should be…
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