What Does a Video Tech Do, and Do You Need One?
Direct Answer
Video techs build and run everything the audience sees on a screen: LED walls and projection, the playback systems feeding them, the switcher that decides what is on screen at any moment, and the signal path connecting all of it. You need one on any production that puts anything on a screen, and the number of sources feeding those screens decides how many. On a small event one video tech installs a screen, runs the presenter's slides, and switches to a camera feed when needed. On a large show the work splits into LED wall techs who build and align the wall, projectionists who set and converge the projectors, a playback operator running content, and a video engineer or switcher operator running the program. Like audio, the position exists because screens have to be built before the show and run during it, and those are different jobs at different times.
Quick Decision Guide
| If your event has... | Your video call generally needs... |
|---|---|
| A single screen with presenter slides from a laptop | One video tech to install, connect, and run playback |
| An LED wall, flown or ground-stacked | LED wall techs for the build and alignment, plus a tech to run it |
| Projection onto screens or surfaces | A projectionist to set, align, and converge the projectors |
| Multiple sources: slides, video content, live camera, remote feeds | A switcher operator running the program, with playback as its own seat |
| A record or stream feed leaving the room | Video crew scoped for the room plus the feed, which is a separate output |
Key Takeaways
- Video splits into build and run. Screens get built during load-in. The program gets run during the show. On anything past a single screen, those are different people.
- An LED wall is built, not plugged in. Panels get hung or stacked, cabled, mapped, and aligned before there is a picture, and that takes hours and a crew.
- Projection is its own skill. Setting, aligning, and converging projectors so the image is sharp and square on the surface is specialist work, and it is sensitive to everything around it: ambient light, throw distance, the surface itself.
- The switcher operator decides what the audience sees. Every cut between slides, content, and camera during the program is a call, and on a cued show that seat is as busy as the audio console.
- Signal path is where video fails. Most video problems on the day are a cable, an adapter, a resolution mismatch, or a source that arrives in a format nobody expected. Line check for video is real.
Building the Picture Before Running It
During load-in, the video call builds the displays. For an LED wall that means rigging or ground-stacking the panels, cabling power and data, mapping the panels to the processor, and aligning the wall so the picture reads as one image across every seam. For projection it means positioning projectors on the throw the room allows, aligning and converging them, and dealing with keystone, blend, and ambient light. Then the signal chain gets built: sources to switcher to processors to screens, with every path tested.
During the show, the video positions run the program. The playback operator cues content. The switcher operator takes the program between sources on the calls from the show caller. The wall or projection tech watches the displays for problems and fixes them before the audience notices.
Afterward, the wall comes down panel by panel and gets cased in order, because a mis-packed LED wall is a load-in problem at the next stop.
One Title, Five Seats
Video tech is the general title, and on a small call one person covers everything.
LED wall techs build and run the wall: panel hang or stack, cabling, processor mapping, alignment, and troubleshooting a dead panel or a bad tile during the show.
Projectionists own the projectors: placement, lens, alignment, convergence, and blending where more than one projector covers a surface.
Playback operator runs content: slides, video files, lower thirds, on cue, with the right file in the right place at the right moment.
Switcher operator or video engineer runs the program: what is on screen, when, from which source, taking calls from the show caller. On large shows this is also the person who owns the signal path and the format decisions.
Which of these a show needs is most of scoping the video call.
Sources, Not Screens, Set the Crew
Video looks like a plug-and-play department from outside, because the end product is a screen with a picture on it. The build behind that picture is where the time goes, and it is often the department that is still working when the others are done.
The other trap is sources. A show with one laptop and one screen is simple. A show with presenter laptops, a content playback machine, three cameras, and a remote presenter over a video call has a signal path that has to be designed, built, and tested, and someone has to run it live. The number of sources, not the number of screens, is what sets the crew.
Step-by-Step Guide
From Display Plan to Doors
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The design sets the displays. What screens, what size, LED or projection, where they sit, and what feeds them. This decides the crew.
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Rigging sets the points. A flown LED wall or a flown projection screen waits on the rigging call, like lighting and audio.
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Displays get built. LED panels hung or stacked, cabled, and mapped. Projectors placed, aligned, and converged. This is the longest step.
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The signal path gets built. Sources to switcher to processors to displays, with every cable, adapter, and format confirmed.
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Line check. Every source gets put on every display it might need to reach, one at a time, while there is still time to fix it.
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Content load and rehearsal. Playback gets loaded and cued. The switcher operator walks the program with the show caller.
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Show. Playback and switching run the program on calls. The wall or projection tech stands by on the displays.
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Strike. Displays come down in order and get cased for the next load-in. LED panels especially.
Examples
These are typical shapes for common jobs, not quotes from past projects.
An investor day with a wide LED wall and a live stream. Typical crew: LED wall techs building and aligning the wall during load-in, a playback operator running slides and video content, and a switcher operator cutting between content and a camera feed for the room and a separate program for the stream. Video is usually the last department finished building.
A single-screen meeting or breakout room. Typical crew: one video tech installing a projection screen or a small LED display, connecting the presenter's laptop, and staying in the room. The simplest video call there is, and still one that needs someone present when a laptop will not connect.
A touring act's arena stop with side screens and IMAG. Typical crew: LED wall techs on the build and alignment of the upstage wall and side screens, a video engineer running the switcher with camera feeds during the show, and a playback operator for the artist's content. Works as one crew with the camera operators.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a projectionist if I am using projection?
For a single small screen in a controlled room, a video tech can cover it. For large surfaces, multiple projectors, blending, or a room with ambient light problems, a projectionist is the difference between a picture and a good picture.
What is the difference between a video tech and an LED wall tech?
Video tech is the general title covering displays, playback, and signal. An LED wall tech is a video tech specialized in building, mapping, aligning, and troubleshooting LED walls, which is a job of its own on any wall of size.
What does a video switcher operator do?
Runs the program during the show: decides what is on screen at every moment, taking cues from the show caller and cutting between slides, content, and camera. On a cued show it is a full-time seat.
What is playback in video?
The operator and system running pre-built content: slides, video files, lower thirds, and stingers, on cue. Separate from switching, because the person loading and cueing content is not the person deciding when it goes to screen.
How long does an LED wall take to build?
It depends on the size of the wall and whether it is flown or stacked. Hanging or stacking the panels is the visible part. Cabling, mapping to the processor, and aligning the picture is the part that takes the hours, and video is often the last department done.
Can one video tech cover a corporate event?
For a single screen with slides, yes. Once you add an LED wall, multiple sources, a camera feed, or a stream, the build and the run become different jobs and the call grows.
What causes video problems on the day?
Signal path, almost always. A cable, an adapter, a resolution mismatch, or a presenter laptop that outputs something nobody expected. Line check with every source before the program is what catches it.
Do video techs work with the camera operators?
Closely. Camera feeds come into the switcher, and the switcher operator and camera operators are on the same headset loop during the show. On concerts and IMAG-heavy events the two departments are effectively one.