Single Camera and Multi Camera

The essay im now presenting is about the single camera techniques and how they differ from multi camera. I will be talking about how footage is shot, how the lighting is used in single camera production, the pros and cons of both single and multi camera, in post production how the editing is changed in relation to the amount camera used.

Single Camera productions such as ITV's Benidorm or The Mighty Boosh are used for different reasons instead of using multi camera. During single camera production the camera moves around a set to create a more realistic finish as if it was a POV from someone who was there. The camera, scene and cast have to reset numerous times to capture the scene from differed perspectives. By having one camera it gives directors more control as each shot is set up individually consequently allowing you to shoot anywhere. Multi Camera is how you can imagine multiple cameras set around a set to capture the action in one take. This is a preferred style by most as it is less time consuming and captures the actors reaction better as it wouldn't be re-shot (like single camera) so the expression wouldn't change. Examples of the Multi Camera Production would be Eastenders, X factor. By having multiple cameras also allows the director to focus on important parts of the scene such as interviewees responses, or when people cock up in Britain's got talent.

Single Camera is realistically easier to light as again each shot can be lit individually. This Conveys more of the directors style into the production. By lighting each scene individually it gives it a more realistic intricate feel. For multi camera, the light must be sufficient for each camera so sometimes this can produce an flat, unprofessional feel and also making it look fake, showing that it has been filmed in a studio. Single Camera production shows each shot individually lit, with a key light angled towards the subject and a reflector as a filler which would be opposite the light.

Single Camera productions are filmed with an amount of overlay meaning the the film starts a little earlier than the scene needs to be in order to avoid any jumpy starts and ends. Sometimes scenes are shot with two cameras if they contain alot of dialogue. As with all productions any ambient sounds can be cut and chopped in post production with most people removing the ambient sound and cutting in a fake version of the same sound. Multi camera production is naturally easier to mic the characters as a lot of multi cameras allow mics in the scene to be visible such as match of the day where the mics are clipped onto their shirts. Usually the footage shot in single camera is layered up with one single take of the audio. It could be used with visual shots such as cutaways or and over the shoulder shots so you dont need to see the source of dialogue all the time.

single camera production is a case of filming the scenes specific to the location or when the actors needed are similar. This takes far more time to film due to the continuous movement of the camera and setting up. multi camera productions waste alot of footage, as all shots cant be used when in production. Multi cameras such as x factor or Britain's got talent both use a multi camera, so cameras can be switched with the aid of a visual mixer, like live editing, making it seem effortless and pre-edited on TV. Single camera productions cant do this due to the use of only one camera so editing must take place after filming. Alot of footage, mainly in multi camera, is shot and wasted when making a production and sometimes it can be a hassle to find a particular shot especially if the film is 90 minutes long. Single camera productions film the same scene many times over so the footage gathered has to be recorded, in the sense of where it is so none is lost. Shot logs are used for this reason, it basically is a list of shots that have been taken accompanied by a description of how well or bad it turned out. This is a good way to eliminate having to look through hours of bad footage and helps you keep track of what needs to be spliced together.

Single camera productions usually lends itself to the comedy genre, getting up close and personal with the characters in them. Examples of single camera comedies would be; My Name Is Earl, Spaced, The Office and Peep Show just to name a few. This allows the director to position the camera where he wants to emphasis certain points and use shots to convey jokes or comical scenes. Single camera can bring the audience into the scene really draw them in which would work in getting laughs in comedy. Miranda a comedy currently on BBC 1 uses the single camera technique really well and efficient in order to get laughs. Usually Miranda will break the 4th wall, when the protagonist makes a joke, and she cracks a joke to the audience by looking at the camera.

Multi Camera techniques are different from single camera in a variety of ways, with sound being the main one. In a single camera production the sound is edited to a master shot which would be a take of the scene, usually from a long shot. This shots sound would be the one used so that the other angles shot can be edited to fit with this audio. In multi camera production as everything is shot at once clips can easily be merged together and therefore no master shot is needed. Another difference would be the lighting as in single camera each shot can be lit to suit the scene but however multi camera is at a disadvantage as the scene has to be lit so that every camera is not over or under exposed, which sometimes gives an un-natural feel to the production. The best thing about multi camera is the way you can use the camera to capture all the action in one take from lots of different angles without the resetting up of things to capture it again. You can also use multi camera to create different types of shots not possible with a single camera, an example would be the bullet time shot ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDdxMBq2GW8 ) like out of the matrix. Unlike single camera another advantage would be that footage wouldent necessarily have to be edited then produced, it can be mixed live at a mixing desk to choose what camera is shown on TV, something used all the time in Britains got talent.