Unit 22 - Single Camera Formats

In this blog I will be talking about different TV formats which are produced using a single camera, discussing their benefit not only to the producers and directors but also to the targeted audience members. These include; Serials , One-offs and Series. I will be arguing as to which one I believe is the best and successful with examples and references from TV shows.

 A series is one that is episodic and open ended. Each series is made up of anything from 3 to 15+ episodes. The average number of episodes per series in the UK is 6. However, the first series of 'Sherlock'  had only 3 episodes. I will be talking about 'Sherlock' discussing why it as a series is engaging to an audience. Firstly, series being open ended is a very beneficial way of keeping an audience engaged, this is because they will keep going back to watch the next episode in order to find out what happened. Another reason why it is beneficial to producers is because they don't have to plan the end of each episode which saves them time. They can therefore focus on other important things such as money. They can also have time to think about what happens in the next episode. 


Following this I will discuss why serials are good and beneficial for an audience but also where there are flaws. Coming to a sound conclusion about whether I think serials are good or not.
The first example I will give is from the TV serial 'LOST' which is an american show, broadcast on the ABC channel and first began on 22nd September 2004 and ended on 23rd May 2010. I think that what made this serial such a success personally, is the flow of the story line and the idea of a journey. By this I mean the show conforms to its purpose of being a serial, as it continuously progresses. Therefore the benefit for the audience is that they get to follow on the story without getting bored or distracted. For instance if there was a confusion in the middle then the whole thing would fall to piece's because the story wouldn't make sense anymore. Finally, the good thing about serials is that whilst it can be prolonging and drag on, it is that drag of the story which makes serials more interesting then say series. The director(s) have definitely succeeded in developing 'LOST' and below is the reviews people have given it showing just how incredible it has been.

Another good example of a successful serial, is the unforgettable 'Friends', this is an American sitcom which aired on NBC in the year 22nd September 1994 and ended 2nd May 2004. I think personally that this show was a success, and should definitely take credit for it. This is because every episode contains the full amount of entertainment an audience can expect if not more sometimes. We're constantly impressed by the pleasures we gain from watching a gripping serial like 'Friends'.  Serials allow an audience to consume the information as a whole and understand it better, this is better than series because for example if someone told you a story but stopped half way you are going to get agitated and would want to find out what happens in the end. 

One-offs are movies in the format of a TV show, this means that it is a 'one-off' hour and a half some times longer movie, that is shown on TV. Often one one-offs can be based on real life events. An example of this would be Jimmy McGovern's TV movie drama based on the Hillsborough disaster during an FA cup match. 

 One off specials are 'movie' like shows that are shown on TV on rare occasions and usually last up to two hours long.  An example of a one-off was the Hillsborough which came on in the year 1996, it was about the accident in  the Hillsborough  Stadium. Producers benefit hugely from this in many ways, for instance with this example it is the emotional side to the audience which they're aiming to get. The event that took place is serious and they show this through many things including codes and conventions. For example, throughout the lighting stays natural as this is a real life event there has to be realism to it in order for the audience to understand this. If there was ambient lighting or even artificial lighting the mood would change, because the audience may understand it differently, almost as if it isn't real or a hollywood story.