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This page introduces you to the role of Floor Manager and their responsibilities. There are also some video guides on how to communicate instructions as FM.
This page introduces you to the role of Floor Manager and their responsibilities. There are also some video guides on how to communicate instructions as FM.
The Floor Manager is a pivotal role in any TV studio.
The FM is in charge of the studio floor and everything and everyone on it. Including monitoring health and safety issues.
There is a similar role on location for Outside Broadcasts where they are often called Stage Managers.
The primary role of the FM is to be the eyes and ears of the director. They listen to the director on Production Talkback and pass information and instructions to presenters and others on the floor. They also pass information back to the director, especially if there is a delay or a problem.
They need a commanding voice so that people can hear them and they need to be able to take charge; dealing with both crew and studio guests.
One of the main FM duties is to tell everyone on the floor when the show, or a shorter sequence, is going to start rehearsing or recording. They relay the Production Assistant’s countdown to the start of the sequence.
If it starts with a piece of video - e.g. some titles - after checking that everyone is ready on the floor (and in the Gallery) the FM says….. “Counting to rehearsal in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, On Titles”.
Watch this clip of the start of a programme with the Director, PA and Floor Manager also in shot. You may want to watch it more than once.
Because, in this case, the show starts with video titles, the FM calls out the countdown in time with the PA all the way down to zero and then announces to everyone on the studio floor, “On Titles”.
At the end of the titles the presenter is going to start talking, so the FM follows the PA’s count out of the titles BUT stays silent from ‘3’onwards because the presenter’s microphone will be switched on or ‘open’ ready to catch their opening words. Instead, the FM gives a hand count reducing the number of fingers held out one-by-one as the seconds pass. And when the FM hears the Director say ‘Cue’ they give signal to the presenter to start talking. This should be a fairly large movement. Notice how close the FM is to the camera lens. This is so the presenter can see the count and cue signal whilst looking directly at the camera.
TV shows run to very tight timings. So each sequence in a show will be allocated a duration. In the show we started watching the interview is given one minute. The PA will call out the time remaining as the interview progresses and FM should relay these timings to the presenter.
This has to be done with hand signals because the FM has to be quiet whilst microphones are switched on. The signals given are:
So watch the interview section of this programme, again with the Director, PA and FM in vision. Look out for the FM’s hand signals to the presenters.
It is important that the FM stands in the presenter’s eye-line so the presenter can see them whilst talking to the guest(s). This will be a different position to the one by the camera when the presenter is reading form Autocue.
Presenters cannot see much past the camera lens because of the studio lighting so it’s important to stand as close as you can - without getting into shot. It also helps presenters, who can feel out of touch with the gallery and also quite vulnerable under the cameras’ gaze to feel someone is looking after them.
Now watch the rest of the show as it goes from the interview to introducing and video ‘report’ or ‘insert’ and then on to the ‘end credits.’ Notice which counts the FM repeats out loud and which he does silently, using hand signals.
As a Floor Manager, be prepared to tell people to be quiet in the studio and listen out for important information from the Gallery - even if it is not a direct instruction, you can pass on useful notes to the presenters. Pass information from the floor to the gallery too…the director can only see what the cameras see, so if there is a problem off-camera you’ll have to tell them about it.
Now, watch the whole show and see if you can anticipate what the FM will have to do
And finally, the FM shouldn’t be seen on air so keep out of shot.
This FM on BBC Breakfast nearly got caught out and ended up hiding behind the guests’ sofa! I don’t think they let her get away with it.
Written by PS
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