Multi Camera Techniques

Multi Camera Techniques Assignment 1


A multi camera setup is a technique of filming utilising multiple cameras to film with (hence the name multi camera). A multi camera setup can be used for varying purposes such as getting more shots for the action, getting multiple perspectives or to get as much coverage as possible. The equipment needed can varying in each production however usually multiple cameras of the same type will be used. This means that all of the footage is of a consistent quality by the time it comes to export the finished edit. Another key piece of a equipment involved in a multi camera production is lighting. Lighting is vital as often these productions take place over a larger space meaning that the lighting can be inconsistent so using your own lights for this purpose is much better as it gives a much better depth of control on how the footage will look. By making changes to the lighting you can turn some dull footage into a vibrant piece of footage with a lot of depth in the lighting due to the inclusion of a light source. The final piece of equipment needed for multi camera is audio recording equipment. Audio is extremely important to any production as badly recorded audio or bad dialogue can turn a persona away from watching the final edit very quickly. Or if it is done well can help to make a person want to watch it. By using good recording equipment in working order it can be ensured that the audio will be a good quality. It is however a good idea to have a script for the production as this ensures that should there be any audio related issues such as it not recording properly you can have the actors or presenters return to a studio setting at a later time to re-record their dialogue and have it match up.



Live Music Events


Live music events work by utilising multiple cameras to get as much coverage of the event as possible and depending on the music style make more stylistic shot choices. A lot of music performances will show a lot of close ups on the performers faces, particularly the lead singer. This is to show the emotion on their faces to the viewers. Another kind of shot used in live music performances are wide shots of the audience to emphasise how many people are there and give the performance a sense of scale and show the atmosphere itself by showing the actual surroundings and how the audience is acting in response to the performers. This can be followed by close ups of some audience members to show their emotions and reactions to the song. This can also be used stylistically depending on the type of song. These productions are often more dynamic as they will not follow a certain formula but do generally have similarities. Cameramen will often move around a stage to get the best shots when necessary. There will however usually be at least one cameraman stood at the side of the stage to get a shot from the side of the performers.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9HRoBCKax4)

The image above is an example of a shot from the side of the stage, it is used to show both the band and a sense of size and emotion with the audience in front of them. The image below is another shot from the same performance but an example of a medium frontal shot, This shot is useful for multi camera as it shows what the performer is doing, their emotions and their body language. This projects more an image of how the performer feels and their image.

TV News


Tv news follows a common setup across all networks. The setup itself is somewhat basic as it is designed for practicality and not any stylistic choices. The presenters will be dressed formally in a suit or other formal attire and the cameras will be positioned in front of them, to the side and there will be at least one placed in another direction at a someone presenting the weather predictions. All of the other cameras aside from any pointed in the direction of the weather presenter or other contributors will be pointed at the news presenter.

tvforum.uk

The image above is an example of one of the angles used in a multi camera TV news production. It is shot from the side of the presenter. This shot is useful as it allows the presenter to talk about something while also letting the audience have a visual representation of what it is they're talking about. The shot is also sometimes used during a correspondence between a reporter in a separate location but usually from the other side. The image below shows another of the shots used in TV news productions. It is a frontal shot of the presenter. It is used so that the presenter can report on the current news and will be edited to have a small tagline below to show more news taglines. Usually only half of the reporter is visible in TV news as their lower half is cut off by the table. This is to make the shot more simple and not have the presenter take up too much room as the actual news is the focus point of the production. Shots of the weather presenter are however generally an exception to this as a weather presenter needs to be able to move around to properly present the predicted weather.

Similarities

There are some few similarities between live music event and TV News multi camera setups. Most of the shots and various angles used in each of these productions aims at getting coverage wherever possible.



Differences

Some of the differences between Live Music Events and TV News multi camera setups are based on differing objectives. For TV News the objective is to convey the nes as efficiently as possible whereas with a format such as Live Music Events a more creative approach can be taken. In live music events a number a varying shots will be used for various purposes. However in TV News the number of shots is severely limited to those that are only necessary. TV news has much more formal looking shots and angles to display the presenter and what they're saying as clearly as possible wheras in Live Music Events the variety of different shots used can include, wide shots, close ups, medium shots, crowd shots, etc. These shots can be used stylistically. Ideally a crew filming a Live Music Event will have a much larger space to work with than that of a TV news show. Where Live Music Events try to capture emotion on camera from their performers, TV News will make their presenters look as impartial as possible


Pros & Cons

Pros

 - with proper scheduling and setup multiple episodes can be produced in a much shorter space of time than if only a single camera was being used.

- By utilising multiple cameas to get more angles of the same actions better coverage is a possibility.

 - Editing can be done simultaneously in production stage, making it more time efficient.

 - continuity is easily achievable as multiple cameras are all filming at the same time so it is all filmed in real time. This means that during the edit each camera can be cut to without worrying about any continuity issues.


Cons

 - It is not cost effective and can be very expensive as multiple cameras need to be in use for long periods of time, potentially as well as any lighting equipment and audio recording devices.

 - All of the footage must be timed properly and accurately.

 - Lighting changes have to be minimal or carefully monitored as what looks good from one angle of the set may look unacceptable from another and ruin the footage. Any wrong changes made to the lighting during a live filming session such as TV news can ruin the whole show as it will already have been broadcast before there is time to change it.

 - There is not much room for creativity. Often keeping to basic shots and lighting for the whole duration of the production, meaning that very little creative influence can be exerted over the setup. Multi camera setups are usually designed for coverage and not creativity.

take into consideration the roles of the production team, the equipment needed and techniques being implemented.

For instance, you could decide to look at a studio-based sitcom and live sports coverage.  Although both are produced using multi-camera, they are very different.