Single Camera Report

 Single Camera Productions Essay 

 

This essay I will detail the purposes and techniques used within single camera productions, and how they can differ from multi-camera productions. I will be looking at how single camera productions can be used to their advantages, and the factors that could play into their creation. 

 

Camera 

In single camera productions, you only use one camera throughout most of the project, however this might change if you have a particularly difficult scene with heavy action or talking. Using only one character can save you time and money, as you only need to be in possession of one character and keep track of it and its condition, compared to if you were using multiple cameras. It also allows for more control and intimacy in the shots, the director can see clearly what is being shown through that one lens, and focus on making sure the lighting and the shot is perfect from that one angle, compared to having to configure it to make it look good from each lens if you had multiple cameras. It also allows for a more intimate feeling to the production as the audience is so close and interconnected with what is happening on screen, as so much effort and detail has gone into producing the perfect shot from that one lens. One of the issues that arise from using one camera is that you have to shoot a scene over and over again, to get it from multiple angles, therefore in editing you have more footage and shots to work with and piece together, compared to just the one or two. This makes filming a lot longer and can be quite grueling on actors and camera staff due to the constant reshooting of the same scenes.  

Lighting 

As stated in the previous section, when shooting with only one camera, it allows for more control and focus to create the perfect lighting and set up for that one shot, which helps it feel more dynamic and realistic, compared to if you have multiple cameras, and your trying to make everything look visible and clear from all of those angles, which can make the result look very staged and bland, as there is little room for experimentation.  

Sound 

In single camera productions, you need to be careful to hide your microphones and still pick up audio, as although you have more control over how you frame your shots, you cannot control how the sound hits the microphone, and how well it picks up what the actors are saying. Most audio mistakes however can be edited out in post-production, and when you cannot see where the sound is coming from, it is frequent for editors to layer over sounds from different takes if they sound better, as the viewer wouldn’t be able to tell the difference and will overall create a better viewing experience. However, in multicamera productions, since it is mostly used for live television and performances, the microphones can be visible to the viewers and not lose any immersion. For an example X-Factor is a multi-camera production, and all the judges and performers visibly have their own microphones to clearly pick up what they are saying and doing for the audience at home. 

Editing 

Editing is a time consuming and can be a very grueling process, this can only be further exasperated by the methods of a single camera production. Due to the longer filming times, and the multiple re-takes and scenes, and all the footage being stored in one camera, it makes it a very long and time-consuming process when going through all your footage to find the suitable takes for your production. In a multi-camera production, it is much easier, as all the footage is stored onto different cameras, making it easier to differentiate, and during live performances it is possible to edit to live, as you can quickly switch between cameras, as they are all filming at one and are connected by the same network. However, in a single camera production you are limited to what that one camera has captured and filing through all the footage it recorded and organizing it manually. During single camera productions, it's common for the crew to keep a shot log, so they can keep track of what they have and haven’t filmed, which also makes it easier during the editing process to find specific shots. 

Single Camera Genres and Formats 

Single Camera productions can be used in most genres, especially ones where a closer and more intimate feeling from filming can help with the overall effect of the production. Horror is a very notable genre which frequently uses single camera productions, as it helps to create a more immersive and connected feeling to the surroundings and the protagonist, which in turn creates a more tense and scary atmosphere for the viewer upon watching, as they feel closer and more immersed in whatever is being shown on screen. Single camera productions can also benefit from different formats. A particularly prevalent format for single camera productions is a single drama, where a story is told in a contained and restricted episode or time slot, meaning it is vital to establish a connection and immersion for the audience quickly, which is where single camera productions succeed immensely.  

This heavily differs from genres and formats multi-camera productions tend to fall under. As they are usually used within live television and soap operas’ This is done to film quicker and to edit faster, especially with live television where you need to edit and flip between cameras in real time.  

Multi-camera techniques and differences 

As stated previously, in a multi camera production your film with multiple cameras at once, to get the shot from multiple angles and to cut down on the amount of reshoots to lessen the workload of continuously flipping back and forth between different shots with one camera. This is particularly handy when filming for live television, productions with lots of high intensity action, or filming where you have a very tight turn-around to film and edit the episode like in a soap opera. It creates far less continuity errors between the different shots during editing as chunks of them were filmed at once, compared to a single camera production where since you are constantly reshooting and re-filming, it increases the risk of continuity errors showing us during postproduction. However, multi-camera productions it is best to film productions in which it doesn’t involve heavily stylized lighting or shots, as it would be difficult to capture that from multiple angles and have them all look readable, which is why it makes it so great for soap operas and live television, as you can get away from brighter studio lighting and not loose immersion from the production as you might do if trying to film a close and intimate scene the same way.