Single Camera Techniques Essay

INTRODUCTION WHAT IS THE ESSAY ABOUT?
The essay is about single camera production which is becoming very popular among broadcasters and audiences. With its gain in popularity, there are many more opportunities for people specialising in this sector to be employed. There are many job roles in single camera production whether they are in production or creative skills in developing ideas into production.

CAMERA HOW IS THE CAMERA USED AND THE FOOTAGE SHOT?

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If the name is not obvious enough, single camera production is filmed with only one camera. Which is not always possible when filming heavy dialogue in which case, two cameras could be used. Besides that, single camera production carries a benefit that allows productions to have more control over shot placements and are able to set up each and every shot individually. The drawback with this is filming is more expensive as it takes longer to film.

LIGHTING HOW IS A SINGLE CAMERA PRODUCTION LIT?

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Lighting is greater to control with single camera production as with every shot you can light each one individually and can give each one a look that is consistent with the previous. In multi camera production, lighting is a bit trickier as you can't move the lighting around as freely without it appearing in one of the multiple cameras. A low key lighting setup is an example where you have 1 light that might have a modifier or filter on it depending on the desired look. It normally will be shining on one side of a subject. A reflector covers the other side of the subject so the other side of the subject is not in darkness but it depends on preference.


SOUND WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES OF SOUND IN SINGLE CAM?

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In single camera productions, the sound captured from microphones has to be re positioned every time the camera moves because it would get in shot. And with every shot, there has to be a new sound recording. This means that the level of  jumpy transitions in between shots is very noticeable when the audience is listening. There has to be a certain amount of overlay in between shots to avoid this.
If you you are filming an interview for a TV program, mics are fine if they are visible in shot and the mics that are normally used for those kinds of situations are small clip-on microphones which capture great sound.

EDITING HOW IS A SINGLE CAMERA PRODUCTION EDITED?

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The editing usually takes a long time as the editor goes through all the footage you've captured and puts them together in order to create your product. In a multi-camera production, there is a lot more wasted footage than single-camera productions on the other hand multi-camera productions are usually cheaper as it will take far less time to film.

SINGLE CAMERA GENRES AND FORMATS HOW AND WHY DO CERTAIN GENRES AND FORMATS LEND THEMSELVES TO SINGLE OR MULTI-CAMERA PRODUCTION?

Period
A period drama is set in a specific era in the past. This genre is pretty common throughout film and TV productions. It is pretty common for period dramas to be romances but you do get some that are adventure texts. When creating a period drama,  the set needs props and costumes set around that era. Actors playing the characters must fit the looks and roles of the people they are playing in the set era. An example of a period drama is Downton Abbey.

Crime Drama
As the name suggests, these are all about criminals and authority figures. They tend to be filmed with single camera productions because they utilise low key lighting. Some crime dramas take sides with the law such as Sherlock, Silent Witness and CSI whereas some crime dramas take sides with the villain/criminal such as Bronson (Nicholas Winding, Refn, 2008).

Horror
Single camera productions are used for the purpose of creating the feeling of realism and to make them appear more personal. An example of a horror is Paranormal Activity(2007).

Comedy
This is evenly split between single and multi camera productions. But generally most shows use single camera production because if a joke is told, the response from the actor would be more natural if it were all shot during the same take. An example of comedy is Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.

Compared to Soap opera
Because of the rate in which these shows need to be produced, multi-camera techniques are favorable. However single camera productions may be the only option especially if you have limited space filming at real locations such as inside a building where rooms may be small. An example of this is Brookside.

Series
With the same characters but with a different storyline, a series is formed of many episodes. Within the storyline for all of the episodes there may be a sub-plot which lasts over several episodes. An example of this is CSI.

Serial
Similar to a series; it also runs for a specific period of time. It is common for a serial to be never ending. Shows such as EastEnders and Coronation Street are good examples; they do not end having no break between seasons and no season finales. As they are produced so quickly, multi camera production is preferred as it is quicker to film.

Single drama
A single drama normally has one episode that can run anywhere from 5 minutes to hours. Some single dramas are split into two or even three parts. An example of a single drama is Dirty War(2004).

MULTI-CAMERA TECHNIQUES HOW DO THEY DIFFER
In many cases, multiple cameras are required to capture action especially live TV shows such as Britain's Got Talent. Many soaps such as Emmerdale or Coronation Street all use multi camera productions because they are faster to film and they need to be fast because they shown daily.