Single Camera Techniques

Intro

This essay is about the uses of Single camera production. Single camera production is the production of a moving image product with one camera only. The essay will introduce you to the various ways in which many aspects of filming is accommodated when filming with one camera. Also single camera production is used a lot when filming some of the genres of TV. In the essay we I will explore on how a single camera can film these genres in the media industry.

Camera

The camera in a single camera production is used to make the audience feel more immersed in the action and drama of the scene. With one camera many advantages are offered to the director than many cameras. The advantages are usually noticed when the project is focused around heavy dialogue. Also with one camera it is usually a lot easier to control the camera. However with multiple cameras the director is limited to the control as his focus is on more cameras rather than a individual one. However with the single camera progress can be slow and you may have to go out to the same location to get the other shots. This can be very expensive to film which is often the case with single camera production due to the duration of them. Each shot is individually shot by the camera. Never the less this is only a minor setback as many projects use a single camera for production and become very successful. Another advantage with the camera is that you can get into small spaces with a single camera. When in multi camera productions you tend to have a much harder time trying to fit the multiple cameras into a cramped space.

Lighting

The lighting in a single camera production is often more easier to control than multi camera productions. With multi camera productions every camera must have the same amount of light that will look good. This can be difficult to control because when you change one light source it can affect all of the cameras. When made with multi cameras the shots can become distorted by the lack of light in the other cameras. With a single camera it can be easier as you only need to control the lighting for one camera which is more efficient. 

Sound

The advantages of sound in a single camera production are that the expense isn't that much compared to a multiple camera production. With sound it is very important to capture it professional with the right equipment. This can increase the production value of your product and keep people from thinking it was made by in experienced people. Firstly with single camera production it is commonly that a filmmaker must films scenes in a specific way to capture the sound effectively. Usually when you start the scene and end the scene straight away the sound will start and stop suddenly making the audio seem jumpy.

Coverage

The coverage in single camera production is the shots that you have when you come to editing. Having a lot of film can give you plenty of options when you come to the editing process. This is important as with more options available you won't be stuck with one un-watchable scene you recorded. You also need to record the scene from different angles to make the film professional in the eyes of the viewers. This can ultimately lead to the production budget as it can vary with the amount of camera's that are capturing the scene. It is also important to make a master shot of the scenes you are going to shoot. This is usually a long shot or a wide shot of the whole scene so you can cut to it if you need to. 

Editing

Again the problem with single camera productions is that it takes a long time to film the scenes you want. With multi camera production the process of filming can be quick however the editing can be longer because more shots are acquired. Commonly with multi camera productions, TV programs are can be edited live if need be because of the amount of footage that can be acquired. With single camera productions this wouldn't work in a single camera production as the filming must be done first. In Single and Multi camera production shot logs are used to help determine which footage is good and bad. After each bit of footage that is filmed you record it and give a rough description of the footage quality and how well it went.

Single Camera Genres and Formats

Genres -

Period

Period dramas are often leaning towards the single camera production than multi camera production. Period dramas are drama's set in the past and are often referred to as costume dramas. They usually use costumes and props to simulate this historical environment. The reason why it would favour single camera production more is because the production is ideal for projects focused on dialogue. Also with single camera productions it is very useful when filming all the scenes at once which is usually how these drama's work. 

Crime Drama

Crime dramas are usually filmed with single camera productions. The drama is usually centered on the law and criminals. Theses dramas tend to be a lot darker than other sub genres of drama. They use many techniques like low key lighting. If you tried to do this with multi cameras you couldn't use these techniques as the cameras are all affected by the light. An example of this would be Luther the crime series on the BBC. 

Horror

Horror is often used in single camera production however multi camera productions can do this as well. With single camera productions it can make the audience feel more immersed and personal. It builds up tension very well and multi camera productions usually can't pull this off. However when there are actions sequences in the horror film or TV program a multi camera production would be more suitable as it can capture more shots of the scene from multiple angles.

Comedy

With comedy's it depends on the type of comedy that determines whether it favors single or multi camera production. If it is a sitcom it often favors multi camera techniques. Sit coms like Friends and The Big Bang Theory often use multi camera production as the single camera productions can't get the other actors reactions to certain jokes without the scene being all jumpy as the camera has to be set up again every time. However with other famous sit coms like Scrubs it can work just as well

Soap Opera's

Soap Operas are often used in multi camera productions because they have to be consistently produced at a fast rate. Soap Opera's like EastEnders have episodes on every weekday which means they must be produced at a fast pace. However with multi camera productions it is not mobile as the single camera productions are in houses. When in houses multi cameras are harder to capture scenes as it can be more cramped conditions but with single camera production it can be more effective.

Formats - 

Series

Series is the running of many episodes containing the same characters each episode however they have different narrative every time. Usually there is one overall arcing plot that lasts and develops throughout the episodes. This is included in many TV series. Some of these series could be Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. In Breaking Bad the overall plot is how Walter white is dealing with the current situations however the episodes differ from narrative as the episodes are centered around sub plots like laundering the money he gets selling methamphetamine.  

Serial

A serial TV programme essentially doesn't stop with the episodes. There can be multi stranded narratives going on between the characters that progress through many episodes. This means there usually isn't any main protagonist that drives the narrative as there are too many. As there are so many narratives in a serial the programmes usually never end or end after a very long course of time. An example of this is EastEnders and Coronation Street. These are very popular British soaps that have been aired for a very long time usually consisting of at least a couple of episodes a week at least.  

Single Drama

A single camera drama is usually made up of 1 to 3 parts. The drama is usually centered on one individual. These dramas only air one time and then it won't come on again. However some are known to make series of single camera dramas however episodes will have completely different characters and narratives to the one before. An example of this would be the crime drama in which people are a convicted of a crime and you find out who is guilty for it. Once an episode is aired it isn't usually aired ever again. 

Multi Camera Techniques

Advantages

With multi camera productions there are many advantages it has over single camera productions. One of these is that the re shoots are significantly smaller than single camera production. This can save a lot of money when on production. You can also get shots from many different angles that you can cut back to if there are any errors with the any of the other shots. With multi camera's production is a lot quicker as actors can continue on with a long scene as there are many cameras to get footage. This means they won't have to stop and go all the time. This is how the two different production types differ. With a single camera you need to stop and set up the camera again to get the next shot.

Disadvantages

Although multi camera productions are efficient the quality can sometimes go down. This could be said for the lighting. In a multi camera production the lighting can be hard to control as you need all of the lights to be correctly placed because it can affect every camera. This can lead to shots to being over or under exposed which can decrease the production value of the shots. Also the director has not as much control over all the other shots than he does in a single camera production. The space is also a factor when filming for a multi camera production. The locations are usually restricted as you can't always fit in all of the cameras in a cramped location.