Hiring a Studio for a Video Podcast: What to Check Before You Book

Most podcasts are watched now as well as heard, and that changes what you are hiring. An audio-only show needs a quiet, treated room and good microphones. A video podcast needs all of that and a room that looks right on camera from more than one angle, with light that stays the same for an hour-long conversation. This is the list to work through before you book, whichever studio you choose.

Sound first, still

Viewers will forgive a soft shot; they will not sit through a voice that sounds like it is in a stairwell. Ask whether the room is acoustically treated, not just quiet, and listen to a sample recorded there if the studio has one. Our guide to what a podcast actually needs explains the difference between treatment and soundproofing, and why microphone distance matters more than microphone price.

• Is the room treated for speech, and is anything noisy running during a take: air conditioning, a fridge, a computer fan?
• Which microphones are provided, and can you bring your own?
• Is each voice recorded to its own track, so a cough or a cross-talk can be fixed in the edit?
• Can you record a backup, on a second device or a second recorder?

Cameras and sight lines

The usual video podcast has a wide shot of the table and a closer shot of each speaker. That only works if the people can face each other naturally and the cameras can see faces rather than ears. Ask how the table sits in the room, where cameras can go without being in each other's shot, and what the background behind each speaker is. If you are bringing your own cameras, confirm power and where the operator stands. The thinking is the same as for multi-camera interviews.

Light that does not change

An episode recorded over an hour has to match from the first minute to the last, and across every camera. Daylight drifts with the clouds and the clock, so for a show that cuts between angles, a room lit with controlled light is the safer choice. Ask whether lights are included or quoted separately, and whether the set looks the same each time you come back: a recurring show wants a recurring look.

A video podcast is an interview you will repeat every week. Book the room you can come back to and get the same picture.

Plan the session around episodes

Most shows record several episodes in one booking, which is the cheapest way to use a studio. Leave time between episodes for a reset, a drink of water and a check of the recorders, and build in the guest arrival time if each episode has a different guest. Scope's podcast room is £80 for two hours and £30 for each extra hour, and is set up for recorded speech on camera; for a larger set, Studio B is sound treated. If you are unsure how long to book, see how many hours to book a studio for.

After the record

• Agree how files leave the studio: your own drive, a card, or an upload.
• Copy everything twice before anyone leaves the room.
• Note which take and which camera each episode starts on; it saves an hour in the edit.