Single Camera Techniques

Single Camera Techniques

Variations and changes over the years of TV genres has meant single camera techniques have become more and more commonly used in today's media. With platforms such as Netflix rising in popularity, so have Dramas & Sit-Com's such as Brooklyn-Nine-Nine, Entourage and Cuckoo. These genres and shows are predominantly shot using single camera techniques. So with more opportunities than ever to enter employment in these kinds of production, I'm going to explore some of the main features/techniques used in a single camera production and compare them multi-camera productions.

Specifically in single camera production, the director will spend a lot more thought on using the camera to create a connection between the viewer and what's happening on screen. In a multi-camera production a director has multiple shots to edit between after the scene is shot, whereas in a single camera production you can act a scene multiple times but only capture it one shot at a time. So these requirements gives the director a lot more control and input over what can/will be shown on screen at any given time. Using various angles, shot lengths and movements, the director can then create & depict emotions for the viewer. An example of this is in The Office (2001) when the camera is placed behind a plant or looking through blinds. This is done in scenes such as when characters Tim & Dawn are flirting and its to make the viewer feel as if we're spying on them and shouldn't be watching.

Similar to using the camera, lighting use can be much more thought out and controlled due to it not having to be the same for each of the multiple cameras. In multi-camera productions you see light often looks artificial and its obvious the scene is set in a studio/different location. Whereas in single camera production each shot has more time, thought & effort put into it so the director will control it to induce emotions or create themes etc.

In single camera production, diegetic sound such as dialogue requires shots to include some sort of overlay at the beginning and end of each shot to avoid continuity errors and choppy transitions. We actually encountered this problem in our own single camera production in editing when it came to putting clips together. We didn't have enough footage at the beginnings and ends of each clips in some scenes to make speech seem fluent. One way to overcome this problem, and what many single camera productions will do, is just to use multiple cameras for scenes containing a lot of dialogue. In doing this your the able to easily create shot-reverse-shots during conversation and create fluent speech between cuts. Most multi-camera productions don't encounter the problem because a lot consist of reality TV shows such Big Brother or First Dates where we know the subjects are being filmed so microphones are openly shown.

Editing in single camera & multi-camera productions actually have a large impact on on the time/money required when filming. In single camera productions a scene will often have to be shot multiple times to get different angles/viewpoints in a scene, whereas in a multi-camera production you can pre-arrange the angles and points of view you want to capture before the scene is acted out, meaning as long as its a clean take the scene will only require a single take. Live events can also just be quickly edited or 'mixed' using vision mixers. So in single camera this then obviously impacts the amount hours production teams are required, the amount of footage you need to take and directly increases the costs of production by significant amounts.

Genres and formats will generally stick to one form of camera production because certain genres/formats have a lot of advantages when having the option to shoot with single or multiple cameras. For example TV series such as The US Office (2004) can use a single camera to pre-arrange a zoom in on a characters face to amplify their expression and convey their emotions to the viewer. You can see a perfect example of this in the following clip when character Micheal is joking around & insulting Pam unintentionally (see 0:19 & 0:25).


                                                                                               - The US Office (2008) Season 4 Episode 9
                                                                   
Shots and techniques like this will generally not be used in multiple camera productions. These shots have been predetermined and the actors, cameraman & director have all worked together and communicated to create a unique effect for the viewer. Using this effect they convey the emotions the characters are feeling. Its a very powerful technique used, for example at 0:19, zooming in on Jim's face without any words you see Jim say to the viewer "Wow, is Micheal for real?" and the same at 0:25 the camera zoom shows us Pam's expression saying "Hey that's not fair". These are things you may otherwise may miss and would be in the background of the shot for the viewer without using these camera techniques.

Whereas in multi-camera productions such as Newsnight, The Voice, Deal or No Deal & other reality shows scenes will not be rehearsed down to specific marks like seen in The Office, so in editing a scene will just jump between angles and points of view in the most fluent order. As mentioned before as well, live events such as reality show finals or sporting events will be editing through a 'vision mixer' which allows editors to actively cut between shots as events happen. These advantages for the genres mean they will conventionally stick to using either single or multiple camera productions.

So in conclusion single-camera techniques differ in many various ways however both have their advantages an disadvantages. Like mentioned genres and formats will conventionally stick to using one or the other just because of the amount of pros producing a multiple or a single camera production can bring. Using a single camera the director, cameraman and actors can all communicate & predetermine what the viewer will see on screen at any given time which can create strong connections with the viewer and help them empathise with the characters. But if all formats we're shot & created with single cameras then shows such as X-Factor, Question Time, The Chase would be very boring to watch only having one view point the entire time.





Sources:

US Office Video:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x327fyi