Free Advice: Remote Award Show Workflow

It looks like we will be experiencing remote award shows for the foreseeable future. All of the major shows are delayed, and when they air, they will likely not take place in person. 

I’ve had a few people ask me how to run the technical broadcast side of this kind of event - and I think I’ve come up with a low-price reliable solution that can fit almost any need. 

Host

The main host of the show should get some special attention. If anything happens with anyone else’s connection at any point, the host has to be able to keep the show going. I suggest using bonded cellular technology like LiveU to ensure a reliable signal. They should have at the very least a prosumer video camera with a lav/shotgun microphone and a basic lighting kit.

Nominees & Winners

For your nominees and award winners, the answer lies in Zoom (or any similar platform). You will need at least four computers, and in a dream world, 6 or 8. Computer 1A will have a zoom room in grid mode with all of your nominees. Computer 1B will also have that zoom room up and be ready to pin the winner full screen as soon as they are announced. This gives your technical director two separate sources to work with so viewers never see a mouse moving or a resizing. You’ll need at least one other pair of computers so you can get the next category up and running so you can cut to them immediately after the prior winner is done with their speech. I’d suggest at least a third pair so you can always have two groups waiting in the wings, or at the very least as a backup pair in case anything goes wrong.

Remote Video Tips

The biggest challenges to any remote broadcast are internet speed, camera quality, lighting, and sound. In a dream world, every person appearing on camera will be sent a HD webcam, at least one light on a stand, and a microphone. If they have those three elements and a solid wired internet connection, they will look good. If that is cost or logistically prohibitive, consider having them use their cell phone camera instead of the laptop camera. It looks better almost every time. Even consider having them use their rear facing camera for even better quality, and their laptop or another device for return video.

Crew

From a crewing perspective, this could be done with as little as one competent Director/TD, with a few remote producers getting everyone queued up. Producers can be remote for the Zoom computers using remote desktop software like TeamViewer. Graphics can be fired by the TD or by a remote operator. Same with audio. 

I’m not going to get into the minutia of audio and routing and signal flow, because that largely depends on individual production systems. This could be done with free software like OBS, mid-level production equipment like TriCaster, or professional broadcast studio equipment. 

So… what do you think? What would you do differently? Let me know in the comments.