Once inside, the hunt is on for the light switch. This could it be behind the bar with the empty glasses and only free power point. So you set up the equipment. Plan to lose another 10 minutes in responding to the caretaker's running commentary on the inglorious history of the hall. But you get there in the end and are ready to shoot.

What else could go wrong?  Beware the coming of the tallest man. Arriving late, he apologises loudly and, disregarding the anguished look, walks purposefully and slowly across the camera's line of sight to the one empty seat with Reserved written all over it. Oblivious, he plonks himself down, a full head of hair nicely in frame.

Equally dangerous and often found in smaller hotels is the conscientious waitress - running late. Didn't quite manage to get the bottles of water on the individual tables in time.   But no matter.  In she comes with her clanking trolley and back-and-forth she goes weaving in and out of camera shot.  So finally everything settles down and the recording is going smoothly. And then.... The penetrating beep of a reversing lorry outside the window. It's a tricky reversal and this inexperienced driver needs plenty of reversing to complete of the manouvre. But it doesn't stop there. Well it does for the lorry. The unloading has begun. And so it goes on. Late nights of audio editing out extraneous noise beckon.

Having dealt with the sound, the mortal blow is the lighting.  Bad enough as it is with gloomy small windows facing north or bright large Velux windows designed to spotlight the presenter and the projection screen in strong sunlight, the worst is yet to come.

One winter night in a village hall netling somewhere in the middle of nowhere close to the Welsh Marches, the workshop was in full swing. Raw flourecent ceiling lights provided the necessary backlight to video the presenter and all seemed well.  And then the caretaker intervened. "Can't see the screen with the bloody lights on".  Up he strode and with a lethal flick of the switch plunged the entire workshop into darkness - save for the light of the projection screen.  Not even a few hours video editing can turn night into day.