1) How does multi-camera production differ from single camera, what constraints are faced by multi-camera productions and what benefits does multi-camera production offer?
Multi-camera
compared to single-camera production.
A disadvantage of single-camera
production is that filming each shot individually and setting up the lighting
for each shot can take much longer than filming one entire scene in
multi-camera. In some cases, it can sometimes be more expensive to produce than
multi-camera because it takes much longer to produce a single scene, and the
post production editing time can be very time consuming. If a multi-camera
production is edited live, then there is little to no post production editing
needed. Obviously in single camera, one singular camera is recording at one time. There may be more than one camera being used by the film crew, but they will not be set up and connected together like in multi-camera. In single camera is it reasonably more difficult to create a sense of realism with the cuts in post-production editing, because in multi-camera everything is happening live but in single camera, you have to work to get it to look live (matching up frames and creating fluid transmissions).
Multi camera production is a method of shooting television programs, live events (for example football games and rock concerts) and films where several cameras are employed on the set to record or broadcast a scene simultaneously. Usually, there are two outer cameras for close shots of the most active characters and a central camera for the master shot, capturing the overall action and establishing the geography of the set.
Disadvantages include a less optimized lighting which needs to provide a compromise for all camera angles and less flexibility in putting the necessary equipment on scene, such as microphone booms and lighting rigs. These can be efficiently hidden from just one camera but can be more complicated to set up and their placement may be inferior in a multiple-camera setup. While shooting, the director and assistant director create a line cut by instructing the vision mixer to switch between the feed from the individual cameras. In the case of sitcoms with studio audience, this line cut is typically displayed to them on studio monitors. The line cut might be refined later in editing, as often the output from all cameras is recorded, both separately and as a combined reference display called the q split.
The video below is a video of Oasis playing in Manchester in 2005. At the start of the video at 3:20, a few seconds into the first song, the show is stopped because of a problem with the barrier at the front of the crowd, and they needed the crowd to step back from the front in order to fix the barrier. Multi-camera is used well in this instance as the cameras are filming parts of the situation which are relevant to what's happening. For example, when the song is stopped and Noel is letting the crowd know what's happening, Noel says "take two or three steps back from the back, get it sorted..." there is a shot from the crowd's point of view followed by a shot of the team telling people to move back, and a wide shot of the crowd of the broken barrier. When Noel continues to joke about the crew are going to lose their jobs as a result, there is a shot of him pointing towards the crew and then a shot of the crew's reactions.
This is a good example of live multi-camera because it shows the possibility and adaptability of multi-camera production. Single camera wouldn't work in this instance because using one camera would mean that the camera would have to be repositioned for each shot.
In a live event such as a sports event or a music concert, multi-camera set-up is the only method that can be used. It allows the entire event to be shown, and nothing is missed. For example in a football game, you can go back to specific things that have happened for different angles, because the multiple camera set-up has allowed there to be several cameras trained on the same thing, live. This wouldn't work in single camera as you would miss the action, and the live event is only happening once. Multi-camera is used very effectively in live music concerts, which differ to sports events as there are no replays and all the cameras are showing different aspects of the show (for example wide shot, crowd, singer, drummer etc.). This is so that it is interesting to the viewer and it makes it more entertaining. in most instances the sports and live music shows are being broadcasted on live television and so the editing is done there and then, as it happens. This eliminates the need to edit in post-production, which saves a lot of time. Also it is not possible when it's being broadcast live on TV. It is also a virtual necessity for regular, high-output shows like daily soap operas, which often film several episodes a day and need quick and easy and cheap production method. Once the camera and the lighting are set up, the entire scene can be shot in one take if needed which saves a lot of time compared to single camera where you would be needing to set up the lighting in each and every shot, a reposition cameras, and make sure there was continuity. Disadvantages include a less optimized lighting which needs to provide a compromise for all the camera angles used and less flexibility in putting the necessary equipment on scene, such as microphone booms and lighting rigs. These can be efficiently hidden from just one camera but can be more complicated to set up and their placement may be inferior in a multiple-camera setup.
4) Analyse a 5 minute section from one studio based and one live-event based multi-camera production and discuss the techniques employed in each. How many cameras have been used and how and why have they been positioned as they are? Discuss use of camera (movement, framing and angles), coverage of action, lighting, editing, sound (diegetic and non-diegetic) and any use of effects or graphics. Try to use the correct terminology throughout your discussion.
The video I have chosen to analyse is a section of the video that I have used above, between 1:02:17 and 1:07:30.
At the start when before the song starts, there is a wide shot of the stage, waiting for the next song to start so that they director can cut to different relevant cameras. The wide shots are used as a safety net so that if something goes wrong with some of the cameras or the direction of the vision mixer, then the wide is there to fall back on. When the drummer starts the beat at the start of the song, the video cuts to two closeups or the drummer, which have already been in position as the camera direction will know the song and will know beforehand which shots to position. There is then a wide from the crowd's point of view of the stage (again another safety shot) which moves nice and smooth into a tracking dolly shot of the piano being played as that is a dominant instrument in the intro of the song. The shots are relevant to the song that's being played. There is then a quick shot of the drummer as the intro drum fill is played, which is a well choreographed shot. This version of the video may as well be edited after in post-production, in order to get the shot timings right if the team messed up, but most of it will be edited straight off as it happens. Another well timed shot is when there is a cross-dissolve transition into a close up of the singer as he starts singing. Then a slow fade to a wide shot of the audience, and another shot from the audience's point of view which are like filling shots while the first verse is played, which could be because there is less to work with because than a specific instrument as like in a guitar solo for example. There is a few shots like this on different band members and then a shot of Noel as he does the guitar fill which leads into the chorus. There is then an extreme wide shot of the crowd as you can hear them singing along to the song. During lots of shots of the crowd, there is a shot of Noel singing away from the microphone, which is the reason behind there not being any vocals heard from the band, which helps the viewer understand what's going on. There is then a shot if the lead guitarist as another guitar fill is played. Mostly all the effects that are used during the video are cross-dissolves which could have been edited into the live show or added in post-production before it was broadcast. The effect is used effectively because the song is quite a slow-moving song, and the dissolve makes the cuts smoother. In a more faced-paced song, the cuts will just be straight cuts and the shots will be a lot quicker and less smooth. The sound is all from the output of the sound mixer, which will be mixed live by sound engineers, but there will be a separate sound engineer for the output for the live TV show because they sounds needed for the crowd and the TV differ greatly (i.e. the sound of the crowd is not played through the stage speakers). There aren't a lot of effects needed to be added onto this multi-camera production as it will all be done live. There are many cameras used, there are at least four on stage, with four wide shots, and at least two at the sound desk for close ups of the singers. And more at the foot of the stage. It is difficult to tell as in a production like this, the cameras are constantly moving all over the place.
The second video that I am analyzing is a section of an episode of Mock The Week. The show is filmed in studio in multi-camera. The first part of the video is when the guests and the presenter are discussing a photo. The VT of the picture is used, and when they are playing the game and saying what they think the headline of the photo is, the VT is quickly shown to show a reference to show what they are talking about. There is one camera on the presenter, two cameras on each of the three guests on each side. And a close up camera on each row of three, making at least five cameras in total. The wide shots are used as a back-up as the close-up cameras are moving to each guest who are talking. There is a medium shot of the presenter and this camera will always stay just on him because he is the most frequent speaker and the center of the show and will always need to be gone back to in the show. The show doesn't get broadcast live, so some post-production is available if anything goes wrong.
