What we do
One night, twenty categories, and a script that keeps moving.
An awards night is mostly graphics under pressure. The picture is the easy part. What actually goes wrong is a category card up while the previous winner is still on stage, a sponsor ident missed, or a name spelled the way it was in the first draft of the spreadsheet.
So we treat the running order as the production. Category cards, nominee lists, winner names and sponsor idents are built to your brand beforehand and triggered live against your script, with a producer alongside the director when the order changes on the night. It always changes.
Sponsors are the other half of it. They have paid for a category and they will check what they got, so idents, logo placement and the recognition moment are planned rather than improvised, and you have a recording that shows exactly what they received.
And the room still matters. Cameras go where they cover the stage and the trophy handover without standing between a table and the thing they came to watch.
What we cover
Sector dinner to staff recognition night.
How it works
Built off your running order.
The script and the sponsor list
Categories, presenters, sponsors and the order they happen in. That document is what the graphics package gets built from.
Graphics built and signed off
To your brand, checked against the nominee spreadsheet, and approved by you before the day rather than adjusted during it.
Venue and AV agreed in writing
Camera positions, cable routes, the desk feed and the power, along with insurance and RAMS. A site visit where the venue warrants one.
Rig and rehearse before doors
Graphics loaded, audio patched, the stream proven end to end, and the first few categories walked through while the room is still empty.
Connectivity either way
A dedicated, tested venue line gets used where there is one. Guest WiFi never carries the ceremony, and bonded 4G, 5G and Starlink travel with us either way.
Where it goes
Open to the sector, or just to your staff.
Pricing
A fixed price, before you commit anything.
Cost is driven by camera count, crew days, how big the graphics package is, the connectivity the venue does or does not have, and what you want cut afterwards. Not by resolution, and not by whose badge is on the kit. After a proper conversation you get an itemised quote, and it does not move unless the event does.
Included as standard
Crewed operators, our own bonded connectivity as failover, the graphics operator, the full programme record, and insurance and RAMS with the quote.
Quoted separately
Travel and accommodation, animated sting design, edited highlights, caption and BSL specialists, and extra crew above a certain scale. Listed as lines you can cut.
No fixed packages
Packages mean paying for cameras you do not need, or finding out on the night that something you assumed was included is not.
Questions organisers ask first.
How many cameras does an awards ceremony need?
Three to four covers most nights: a wide on the stage, a tighter camera on the presenter and the trophy handover, a camera on the tables for reactions, and a roving camera for arrivals. More cameras only help if there is a director cutting them.
Can you run our branded graphics and sponsor logos?
Yes. Category cards, nominee and winner names, sponsor idents and lower thirds are built to your brand ahead of the night and triggered live against the running order. Send us the sponsor list and the category order and we will build from that rather than from a template.
What happens when the running order changes on the night?
It always does. Someone is late, a category is moved, a winner is not in the room. The director works from your script with a producer alongside, so graphics follow the change rather than announcing the wrong name to several thousand people.
Can the stream be private?
Yes. Internal recognition nights can go to a password protected page rather than a public platform, so only people with the link and password can watch. Public and private outputs can also run at once if the ceremony is public but part of the night is not.
How do you handle audio in a room full of dinner?
We take a clean feed from the venue sound desk and mix it for the stream, with an ambient microphone rigged as backup so the applause still lands. To be clear, this is broadcast audio. We do not supply the PA or sound reinforcement in the room.
How far ahead should we book?
Four to eight weeks is comfortable for most awards nights, and longer if the graphics package is substantial or the venue needs a site visit. We have turned work around faster, but the graphics are usually what sets the lead time.
When is a cheaper supplier the right call?
If the online audience is a handful of colleagues, or a single fixed camera on a private link would do, a crewed multi-camera production with a graphics package is more than the night needs. We will say so on the call rather than quote you for it.
Send us the running order.
Thirty minutes with the date, the venue, the category list and who is sponsoring what, and you will know what we would bring, what it costs, and whether we are the right people for it.
Or email hello@thedwmedia.co.uk