In short
- A programme feed is one mixed picture. It does not keep what the other cameras saw.
- Recording each camera separately lets an editor rebuild the event later, with different cuts.
- It adds storage, handling time and sound to organise, so it must be asked for and confirmed.
- Write down which sources are recorded, in what format, and who receives the files.
If you may want to edit the event later, ask for each camera to be recorded as well as the live feed. The feed alone keeps only the picture chosen on the day.
This is a small line in a quote with a large effect on what you can do afterwards.
What is the difference?
A live programme feed is one mixed picture. Someone, or a switcher, chooses which camera is on screen at each moment. That mixed picture goes to the venue screens, a livestream, or both.
An isolated recording is a separate file from one camera, kept whole. Every camera that was running has its own file, including the minutes it was not on air.
| Programme feed recording | Isolated camera recordings | |
|---|---|---|
| What it keeps | The picture that was chosen live | Everything each camera saw |
| Can you change shots later? | No | Yes |
| Storage needed | Less | More |
| Handling time | Less | More |
| Best for | A simple record of what was shown | Highlight films, re-edits, archive |
When are isolated recordings worth asking for?
They help when you expect to use the footage again. For example:
- A highlight film after the event: the editor needs shots the live picture skipped.
- A speaker you want to see from a different angle: perhaps because the live cut stayed wide.
- A mistake on air: a wrong shot or a late cut that you would rather fix.
- Archive or reuse: footage that may feed future promotions. Our reuse guide covers that planning.
They are less useful when the live feed is all you need, such as an internal briefing that will be watched once.
What do you need to specify?
Write down these points in the booking:
- Which sources are recorded: all cameras, or only some. Presentation slides and any screen feed can count as sources too.
- The format: the file type and picture quality you need to receive.
- Sound: whether each camera carries sound, and whether a separate audio recording is kept from the mixing desk.
- Naming and timing: files labelled so an editor can line them up.
- Who receives the files: and by what method, for example a drive or a transfer link.
- Who edits: us, or someone else. If someone else, see crew-only filming with editing handled elsewhere.
A deliverables sheet gives you a table to record these.
What does this do to the crew and the day?
Recording each camera is mostly a recording-side task, but it affects planning. Each camera needs enough storage for the full event, and the crew must check that every source is actually recording. A failed card or a loose cable is easier to catch if someone is watching for it.
If your event has a live feed to venue screens or a livestream, whoever runs the live picture and whoever checks the recordings need to agree who watches what. Our guide on adding a livestream to a recording booking covers the live side, and the multi-camera guide explains how angles, live switching and separate files differ.
Availability of live feeds, livestreams and multiple cameras is confirmed for each event.
How much storage will it need?
More cameras and longer events mean more storage and longer transfers. The storage and transfer calculator helps you estimate what you will receive and how to move it. If you are not sure what you need, tell us how long the event runs and how many cameras are likely.
What we confirm for your event
- Which cameras are recorded in full, in addition to the feed.
- Sound: each camera’s own sound, or a separate recording from the mixing desk.
- The files you receive: format and delivery method, written into the quote as a separate line.
- During the event: we check that every source is recording.
Where we can help
Tell us how you plan to use the footage, and we will suggest which sources to keep. See how this fits within our multi-camera event recording service, or the wider event videography offer.
If you know whether the live picture is all you need, or whether you will edit later, we can say what to record. Send the date, venue, number of cameras you expect and where the feed will go.
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