This live event production glossary defines the terms you will meet in quotes, run sheets and technical calls: plainly, without jargon defining jargon. Bookmark it for your next production meeting, or send it to colleagues who nod at “ISO record” in briefings. Terms are grouped by area: cameras and cutting, audio, streaming, staging and screens, and production roles.
Cameras and Cutting
PPU: Portable Production Unit: the compact gallery that cuts multi-camera shows. Vision mixer: the device, and the person, switching between cameras live. Programme (PGM): the output feed: what the audience sees. ISO record: each camera recorded individually alongside the programme, so everything can be re-edited later: standard in our recording packages. Clean/dirty feed: programme without/with graphics overlaid. IMAG: Image Magnification: live camera shots on the big screens so the room sees faces. PTZ: Pan-Tilt-Zoom remote camera: one operator can run several, especially with AI tracking. Genlock: synchronising cameras so they cut cleanly. Multiview: the gallery monitor showing all sources at once.
Audio
FOH: Front of House: the room mix position. Broadcast mix: the separate mix for stream and record: why remote viewers hear a show, not a room. Stems: separated audio elements (mics, playback, music) recorded individually. Stream-safe audio: a path excluding licensed music so platforms cannot strike the broadcast: standard on our gala productions. Comms: the crew intercom. Foldback: what presenters hear on stage.
Streaming and Signal
Encoder: converts programme into a stream. Bitrate: stream data rate: quality against bandwidth. Bonded cellular: multiple SIMs combined for resilient connectivity: the backup path for serious streams. REMI: Remote Integration: cameras on site, gallery elsewhere: explained here. Contribution: getting feeds from venue to gallery or platform. Return feed: programme sent back to the venue. Latency: the delay between stage and screen. RTMP/SRT: streaming transport protocols: SRT is the resilient modern choice.
Staging and Screens
Pixel pitch: LED density in millimetres: closer viewing needs finer pitch, per our LED wall guide. Confidence monitor: the screen showing presenters their slides or notes. Playback: videos and presentations run into the show. Rigging point: certified structural point for hanging kit. Distro: power distribution. Get-in/get-out: load-in and load-out windows. Recce/site visit: the venue inspection: checklist here.
Roles and Documents
TD: Technical Director. Show caller: the person cueing the show from the run of show: the master timing document. Vision engineer: matches and manages camera images. Floor manager: the gallery’s presence on the floor. RAMS: Risk Assessments and Method Statements. Tech advance: the pre-event technical planning exchange. Rehearsal/run-through: the difference between hope and confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between IMAG and a live stream?
IMAG serves the room’s screens; the stream serves remote viewers: different cuts, different audio, often different operators.
Why do ISO records matter?
They make everything re-editable: the live cut is a choice, not a limitation: and they underpin session videos and clips.
What term confuses buyers most?
“Broadcast quality”: it is a discipline, not an adjective: defined properly here.
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