Marks and seating
Guests get marks on the parquet. We check eyelines to the lens and the distance from microphone to mouth.
Interview recording in the conversation room
The 42-square-metre room on Lychener Straße is built for two- and three-person talks and statement chains. An hour costs EUR 189 including 19% VAT.
Desks send hosts and guests here when the conversation has to sit without hiring a broadcast hall. A walnut table stays centre-frame, two booms keep large-diaphragm microphones out of shot, a 5600 K LED panel throws light into the cream wall. Up to eight people can sit on camera; as soon as an audience is added, the format moves to the show floor.
Jonas Richter sets sound, Mira Schulz cameras, Lena Hoffmann the rundown. Files leave as WAV 48 kHz/24-bit and picture in ProRes or H.264, depending on the acceptance note. Preparation sits in the interview guide; contract rules sit in the terms.
Four steps in the conversation room
Level and light
The engineer runs a short level pass. The LED panel stays at 5600 K; daylight from Prenzlauer Berg is not fully killed.
Takes, not an endless roll
The talk runs in takes. Between them there is water, not an open audience floor.
On-site review
After the last take, host and session lead watch a control excerpt. Obvious faults are repeated the same day.
Who this room is for
Political interviews, science talks, book and film conversations, internal board pieces, and pre-produced inserts for later talk formats. It is not the place for 24 viewers or a band; the floor area and the stairwell next door do not allow it.
Berlin production companies often book it as a stop between an outdoor shoot and the edit. Correspondents heading to Hauptbahnhof the same day reach U2 Eberswalder Straße in about six minutes on foot.
How the talk sits
The default is facing each other at the table, slightly offset so both faces reach a camera. With three people we move to a shallow horseshoe. A fourth camera stays as a safety wide. The Dante bus delivers split tracks plus a stereo sum for a fast send.
Gaps are not filled with music unless the desk orders it. Interval music would be a separate collecting-society topic; the basic booking stays quiet.
What to prepare
Bring a rundown with time windows, correct name spellings for captions, and consent from everyone who will be pictured. Wardrobe in charcoal, rust or cream sits calmer than tiny-patterned shirts. Water is provided; own bottles without readable marks are fine.
Guests under 18 arrive with an accompanying adult. Minimum age is 16. Remote guests belong in hybrid links, not in this booking, if a person outside the house is speaking.
What you receive, and in which formats
After acceptance we deliver takes as separate files, a stereo sum and optionally a multi-camera sequence. Sound: WAV 48 kHz, 24-bit. Picture: ProRes 422 or H.264 in 4K, as agreed. Timecode starts at session start. The archive stays 18 months after acceptance, then we delete unless an extension exists.
Two revision rounds cover visible session faults (a cable in shot, a wrong name supers, an obvious stumble with a repeat). Dramatic recuts are editing work and sit in the post-production service.
Dates, deadlines, revisions
We reply to requests within two working days. The deposit is 40 percent. Free cancellation up to 10 days before start. B2B invoices are due in 14 days. Usage rights in the masters transfer after 100 percent payment; until then you have a simple viewing right.
Repeats on the same day sit inside the hourly rate while they stay in booked time. An overrun extends in full hours at EUR 189 incl. VAT.
What is included
- Conversation room 42 m² and fixed 5600 K light
- Recording engineer and one camera position, second camera if needed
- Split audio tracks plus stereo sum
- Water, coats, talkback
- Control viewing on the day
- WAV and picture files after acceptance
- Two revision rounds for session faults
- 18-month archive
What is not included
Not included in the hourly rate: audience stewarding, hybrid remotes, captions, guest travel, makeup, and a full show-floor picture-direction bench. Editing beyond a take clean-up is a separate service.
Prices and VAT
19% VAT, Germany 2026. Net = gross ÷ 1.19, rounded to the cent. Example: EUR 189.00 incl. yields EUR 158.82 net. The invoice lists both.
| Unit | incl. VAT | net |
|---|---|---|
| Hour of studio time | EUR 189 | EUR 158.82 |
| Half day (4 hours) | EUR 680 | EUR 571.43 |
| Full day (8 hours) | EUR 1,180 | EUR 991.60 |
Questions on this service
Can we book sound without picture?
Yes. The hourly rate stays EUR 189 incl. VAT because the room and engineer are held. Cameras then stay dark.
How fast are the files?
The stereo sum often the same evening; takes within 48 hours after the session ends, unless acceptance is postponed.
Is there a second revision after the edit?
Two rounds cover session faults. Further picture or sound work sits in the editing service.
What if guests are late?
Booked time runs. We can extend into opening hours if the next slot is free, then at the hourly rate.
Are children or animals possible on camera?
Children from 16. Younger guests only with an accompanying adult and prior agreement on supervision. We do not take animals into the conversation room.
Read on: prepare an interview, terms, request a date, usage rights.
A morning on Lychener Straße
A typical interview morning starts at nine with a quiet room: the LED panel still cold, the Dante bus checked, water on the table. Guests arriving on U2 Eberswalder Straße need about six minutes from platform to door; tram M10 stops at the same station. Taxi buffer is not built into the hourly rate. Lateness shortens usable recording time, not the invoice.
The first quarter-hour is seating. Eyelines to the lens, mouth-to-capsule distance, clothes that do not shine under 5600 K. Then a short level pass, no small talk on tape. Takes last as long as the rundown asks. Between takes the room stays quiet; interval music would be a separate licensing topic and is not in the basic booking of EUR 189 incl. VAT per hour (EUR 158.82 net).
After the last take, host and session lead watch a control excerpt. Obvious faults — a cable in shot, a wrong name supers, a cough over the first sentence — are repeated while booked time remains. Overrun is billed in full hours at the same rate. The stereo sum often leaves the same evening; takes within 48 hours. Two revision rounds cover session faults; dramatic recuts sit in editing.
How 19 percent VAT is shown
Germany 2026: standard rate 19 percent. 189 ÷ 1.19 = 158.8235, rounded to EUR 158.82 net. Half day EUR 680 incl. equals EUR 571.43 net; full day EUR 1180 incl. equals EUR 991.60 net. Deposit 40 percent of the agreed gross. B2B remainder in 14 days. Free cancellation up to 10 days before start. Archive 18 months after acceptance. Usage rights after 100 percent payment. Minimum age 16; under 18 with an accompanying adult.