What replay and slow-motion operation costs, and what moves the price

Replay is priced as an operator plus the kit that operator needs. For most live jobs that means one replay operator, a replay server with its control surface, and the time spent connecting it to your camera feeds and to the vision mixer. The prices page gives the current day rates in pounds sterling, so I will not repeat figures here. What I can do is explain the shape of the quote you receive.

A written quotation lists the operator's time on the day, any preparation time before it, and the equipment that travels with us. Each line is separate, so you can see which part is people and which part is hardware. Nothing is added after the event without a written change to the confirmation.

Most enquiries I see underestimate one thing: replay is not a single button press. Someone has to watch every angle at once, mark moments as they happen, and be ready to cue a clip within seconds of the director asking for it. That attention is what you are paying for.

• Operator time on the day
• Replay server and control surface
• Connection to cameras and the mixer
• Preparation before doors open

The first thing that moves the price is how many camera feeds the replay server records. Two angles on a small stage are quick to manage. Eight angles across a festival main stage need a larger server configuration and more attention from the operator, because every extra feed is another place a good moment can be hiding.

Recording more angles also changes how we set up inputs and storage. Each feed needs to be routed cleanly, labelled so the operator can tell them apart under pressure, and checked before the first act. That setup time is part of the quote, and it grows with the angle count.

If budget is tight, tell us which two or three cameras matter most for replay. A wide shot, a close shot of the main performer or action, and one reverse angle often cover what an audience wants to see again. We can record the rest as clean backup without cueing them live.

Length of engagement is the next driver. A single ninety-minute headline set is priced very differently from a full day of stage programming with changeovers. Operators are booked for a block of time that includes arrival, line-up, the show itself and a short wrap, not only the minutes you hear replays on air.

Longer days also affect crew planning. For an extended festival programme we may recommend a second operator so that attention does not drop in the later hours, and so a break does not leave the server unattended. That is a recommendation in the quotation, not an assumption, and you can decline it.

Breaks and gaps in your running order help. If there are natural pauses between acts, we can plan around them. If the schedule is continuous from first act to last, say so in your enquiry so the quote reflects it honestly.

• Total hours on site, not just on air
• Single act or full day of programming
• Whether a second operator is advised

A highlight package assembled for a screen in the venue is a different job from live instant replay inside a broadcast. For sport, the director may want a clip within ten seconds of a goal or a point. For a festival stage, the aim is often a moment of crowd or performer reaction played back on the big screens between songs.

The more demanding the turnaround, the more preparation we ask for. That can include a rehearsal session where the operator learns your director's calling style and the director learns how fast the server can turn around a clip. Rehearsal time is priced as its own line, so you can choose how much of it you want.

If the replays only need to be cut together afterwards as highlights, the price can be lower, because the operator is marking and organising rather than cueing live. Tell us which of the two you need when you write.

Equipment is priced by what the job needs, and a replay server is rarely the only item. Monitors for the operator, intercom to the gallery, and cabling for the venue layout all travel with us. A compact stage in a hall is simple to cover. A large field site with long cable runs and weather protection takes longer to set up and strike.

Travel from Winchester and any overnight stay for an early rig are shown as their own lines. Venues outside our usual area cost more to reach, and a very early start can mean the crew arrives the evening before.

If your venue already has a control room or a flight case with spare inputs, we can often work into it and reduce the amount of kit we bring. A short call or a few photographs of the space help us quote accurately.

• Operator monitors and intercom
• Cable runs and site layout
• Travel and any overnight stay
• Existing control room or inputs on site

Ordering is done through an enquiry on the contact page. You tell us the date, venue, number of cameras, the length of the event and what you want the replays to do. We reply with a written quotation, and once you confirm it in writing we send an invoice that is paid by bank transfer.

Nothing is bought on the website itself, and nothing is charged until you have agreed the quotation. If plans change, cancellations and refunds follow the payment and refund policy, which sets out what applies at each stage before the event.

I would rather you ask a question before confirming than find a surprise later. If a line in the quotation is unclear, write back and we will walk through it.