How fast can a news package be edited and delivered?

The question we hear most

Almost every new conversation with a news desk starts the same way: how quickly can you turn this around? It is a fair question, and the honest answer is that it depends on a short list of things we can name in advance. I have been asked it by editors on the phone from the back of a car and by producers planning the next morning's bulletin, and the underlying worry is identical. They need a finished package at a set time, and they cannot afford to find out at the last minute that it is late.

At obychnuxo, Rapid Edit and Delivery covers the fast edit, captioning and the delivery of files in the formats a broadcaster asks for. That is the whole of it, and keeping the scope that plain helps us answer the timing question properly. We can only promise what we can see, so before any clock starts we look at the footage, the running length and the delivery specification.

The rest of this piece sets out what actually happens between receiving rushes and sending a file, so you can judge a turnaround for yourself rather than taking a number on trust.

What happens once the footage arrives

The first job is ingest, and it is less glamorous than the cutting. Priya Nair, our lead video editor, checks that every clip has arrived intact, that the audio is present on the channels we expect and that the card or transfer has not dropped a file. A corrupted clip found at this stage costs minutes; found at the end of an edit, it can cost the slot.

Next comes a rough assembly against the script or the reporter's running order. If the piece has a clear shape, this is quick. If the footage arrives with no notes, we spend longer working out which interview answers matter and where the pictures cover the words. That reading time is real, and it is the most common reason two packages of the same length take different times to finish.

After the assembly we tighten, add titles and lower thirds, balance the sound and check the pictures for exposure and colour. Only then do we show you a version for approval, so that your comments are about editorial choices and not about technical faults we should have caught ourselves.

• Ingest and file check before any cutting begins
• Rough assembly against your running order or script
• Tightening, graphics, sound balance and picture check
• Review version sent to you for approval

What decides the turnaround

Three things set the pace more than anything else. The first is the amount of material: a single interview and a few cutaways edit far faster than a day of rushes from several locations. The second is how clear the brief is. A named editor on your side who can answer a question in two minutes saves more time than any amount of extra effort on ours.

The third is the delivery specification. A broadcaster that wants one familiar file format is simple. One that wants a particular frame rate, loudness level, caption file and a separate clean version of the pictures asks for more steps, and each step needs checking. None of this is difficult, but it is not free, and we would rather tell you so at the start.

Approvals matter too. If one person signs off, the package moves quickly. If it must pass through three people in sequence, the edit may be finished long before the file leaves us, and we can only plan around that if we know it in advance.

• Volume of footage and number of locations
• Clarity of the brief and speed of replies
• Delivery format, loudness and caption requirements
• Number of people who must approve

Captions and why they are not an afterthought

Captioning is often treated as the last small task, and it is where late deliveries quietly begin. Accurate captions mean listening to every spoken line, checking names and place spellings and timing the text so it can be read comfortably against the picture. A rushed caption file with a misspelt name is the sort of error that a viewer notices and an editor then has to explain.

We ask for spellings of names and places with the footage whenever that is possible. A short list sent alongside the rushes removes most of the guesswork. If a name is uncertain we flag it to you rather than guessing, because a quick query costs less than a correction after broadcast.

Where the broadcaster wants captions as a separate file instead of burnt into the picture, we produce and check that file in its own right, and we play the finished package with the captions on before it goes out.

Delivery, formats and the final check

Delivery is the step people assume will take no time, and it is where we are most careful. We export to the specification you give us, then open the exported file and watch it through, rather than trusting the export screen. We check the start and end, the audio levels and that captions and graphics are where they should be.

Large files take time to move, and the connection at either end matters. If your ingest system has a preferred way of receiving files, tell us early, because setting up a new route in the middle of a deadline is how simple jobs turn tense. Once the file is delivered we confirm that you have received it and that it plays.

If a change is needed after delivery, we turn a corrected version around as a priority and tell you exactly what was altered, so your team does not have to rewatch the whole package to find it.

What to send us to save time

The best thing you can do for a quick edit is give us a clear picture of the finished piece before we open the footage. A few lines on the story, the intended length, the slot it is for and the delivery format are enough. If there is a script or reporter track, send it with the rushes.

Mark anything that must be used, and anything that must not appear for legal or editorial reasons. Tell us who signs off and how to reach them. With that, we can usually tell you a realistic delivery time before starting, and hold to it.

Prices for Rapid Edit and Delivery are set out on our Prices page, and an enquiry through the contact page is the way to begin. We then confirm the scope and timing in writing before any work starts.

• Story summary, length and broadcast slot
• Script or reporter track with the rushes
• Spellings of names and places
• Delivery format and the person who approves