Nada Mudawi --Single Vs. Multiple Camera Producton-- Unit 22

Short film festival

Single camera production-

Hi, Short Film Festival. 

Single camera production is massively beneficial to you in various ways and for various reasons, the advantages are countless and i will try my best to convince and help you realize them throughout this blog about Single camera Vs. Multi camera. 

This blog will outline key features of Single Camera Production, and compare this to Multiple camera production, and the advantages Vs. disadvantages of each then finally evaluate which is more preferable. Firstly, Single camera is utilized in countless different productions, covering a wide scope of genres and themes. 

One key feature of Single camera production is the concept of only having one camera to film that can be a benefit in many ways; for instance by only having a single camera it cuts on price such as the cameraman who normally costs a minimum of 400pounds per day and other aesthetic manipulation on lighting and the visual image of the film, additionally other montages such as a dolly track that would normally cost you just below 600 not forgetting camera stands. This means that by having just a single camera these prices are cut down the overall budget of the production is less. So for instance a TV format such as a series - 'The good wife' which is filmed using since camera would be beneficial as the production would cost far less than using multiple cameras to film it.  This means that by having one camera the number of light stations you'll need would be less, and by limiting it to only one it also allows you to limit the other things you'll need ,again cutting down on prices, allowing you to stay below budget.  Therefore because it costs far less to produce  consequently if the production does not prove to be a success in the end you wouldn't have capitulated much money.

In contrast, Multi Camera can also be beneficial in terms of having many cameras around which means you can jump cut frequently, this can be effective in many ways as it emphasizes on the two events happening at once which adds to the tension and draws the audience attention making them more interested. Also, having multiple cameras gives you the chance to get a lot of scenes covered in a shorter amount of time, saving you time because of the several cameras recording at once. A good example of this would be 'The Big Bang Theory' where there are many jump cuts, we see two different events taking place , this allows us to experience two things at once. Which could be good and also not so good, having said that by recording using more than a single camera you get to see two people's perspective on things , which changes your mood or distorts it.

On the other hand, Single camera can be a disadvantage as by having only one camera, you're spending much more time filming each individual character, therefore the reactions of these characters is less realistic, and visually does not look natural. By having one camera you are also spending a lot of time in the post production process where it will take you a longer time as the entire film is done on only a single camera. For instance the Cbeebies children's show 'Justin's House' would not be suitable for single camera as there is an audience and the basis of the show is comic which involves the audience's reactions, that being laughter or booing etc. In the clip we see the young children laugh and cheer at the host or person acting, an audience of toddlers would be engaged by this as they see other children of a similar age to them excited by something which is going to make them feel the same. This is therefore why single camera isn't useful for reactions , this clip demonstrates how effective the realism of reactions is on an audience. 

However, Multi camera can also be a pitfall because by installing many cameras you're having to spend a lot of time setting up these cameras, so that they are correctly positioned and the characters are angled correctly.

The example on the left portrays the generic set up of multiple cameras in order to shoot a film/TV production, the characters named 'A' and 'B' are the subjects whom have to be standing either side facing each other, in this case conversing.

Therefore, multiple cameras are not so suitable to use as they require time and effort, and in some cases could delay the production from beginning.

Another advantage of a single camera production would be that it is much easier to focus on one thing. This has a big part to play with the audience because it determines their mood towards the production and it also helps them understand what is important and what they should be focused on. An example would be the actors. The audience would have to watch closely to understand what is happening. However this was at a disadvantage for the TV series ' 10 Thing I Hate About' who failed to keep their audience engaged

Multi-Camera Setups are used to film live events (e.g. sports and concerts), game shows, chat shows and studio dramas. Unlike single camera production, multi-camera set ups involve several cameras which record footage simultaneously. The flow of action isn’t interrupted during multi-camera productions.

Alan Carr's Chatty Man

An advantages to using multiple cameras is that the crew get better coverage of the action. Using just one camera you wouldn’t get enough footage because you would have to stop and start again after each shot. 
Another reason is that because you can have more camera angles to swap between the viewer’s full attention will be held. Multi-camera production also tends to be quicker, time is saved during production and post-production because the complexity of continuity issues are reduced. Productions that use a multi camera set up are completely based on schedules and timings and their set up is very often the same, very formulaic.
The story telling is relatively easy. You just need to work out exactly what you are going to do and portray in your production during pre-production, for example before the shot has been taken the cameras position should already have been decided.

There are also disadvantages to the multi-cam set up. The equipment will take longer to set up and the location used is less believable than a real location but to try to make it seem more realistic, Mise-en-scene is important to the atmosphere you are trying to portray to your audience. Generally the aesthetic of a multi camera set up isn’t as good as a single camera drama, this is because the set cannot be changed once filming has begun.