The director view (what your client sees)

When your client opens the director link, they don't see a producer panel, a yap list, or anything else they could click wrong. They see one screen, designed for a phone held vertically:

• The current hook at the top — the line you want them to open with.
• A few talking points under the hook so they don't lose the thread.
• Their own camera filling the rest of the screen so they can see themselves.
• A single big record indicator in the middle.

There's nothing for them to install. The director link works in mobile Safari and Chrome.

What they do (almost nothing)

The first time they open the link, the browser asks for camera + mic permission. They tap Allow, and that's the last decision they make for the rest of the session.

After that:

1. They wait on a "ready" screen until you start the session from your end.
2. When you hit Start recording, they see a 3-2-1 countdown on their phone, then the recording light goes on.
3. They yap. The hook and talking points stay visible while they record so they don't blank.
4. When you hit Stop, recording stops on their side too. They see a "got it, uploading" indicator until the file finishes uploading.
5. The next hook + talking points slide in. Repeat.

They never have to tap a button. You drive the whole thing from your desktop.

What they get to do

Two small affordances:

• See themselves clearly before recording. The camera is live the whole time, mirror-flipped like a selfie.
• Read along. The hook and points are big enough to read at arm's length without scrolling.

They don't get to see your shot list, the take count, or the rest of the session plan. The director view is deliberately minimal — like being on a shoot where the director calls the next shot and the talent just performs.

When uploads fail

If your client's signal drops mid-upload, the take stays buffered on their phone. Their screen flags it ("upload paused, will retry"), and your producer panel surfaces a banner so you can prompt them — "tap retry on your end." Once they're back on signal, the buffered take finishes uploading on its own.

Help them out

A few things that make sessions smoother for the client:

• Use WiFi if they have it. Cellular works, but each take is multi-megabyte; WiFi or 5G is much smoother.
• Hold the phone vertical. The director view is portrait-only, so landscape just rotates the layout back.
• Headphones make your direction clearer when you're using Talk anyway to coach in real time.

Related

• Running a live studio session — the full producer walkthrough.
• Directing takes and reactions — what you can push to the director screen mid-take.