Single Camera
Techniques
I am writing
this essay to explain and define what single camera techniques are and also how
directors use single camera techniques and what the advantages and disadvantages
are to using a single camera in a production. I will explain each part in
detail and add examples if necessary.
There is
only one camera which will be used throughout the whole production. The main
reason behind using single camera is to engage the audience and to make them
feel much more involved compared to multi camera. However saying it is single
camera on occasions the director must use more than one camera when filming a
difficult scene or if a scene is very heavy on dialogue. Directors favour
single camera to multi camera as they have much more control over the shots and
the camera placement. The footage shot for single camera entices the scene to
be re-acted over and over whilst placing the camera in different locations from
far points of view to close points of view to see which shots are better. This
can be very time consuming and is much more expensive but could produce a
better end result.
When
shooting a single camera production the lighting is far easier to control as
you can just change the lighting for each individual shot where as for multi
camera you need to produce decent lighting for all cameras otherwise it will
ruin the shot and can make the scene look very flat and fake. Lighting in
single camera adds far more tone to individual scenes compared to multi camera
because you can change the lighting to suit that one particular shot.
When filming
the sound for a single camera production the shots require a decent amount of
overlay to them, by this it means that they begin to film a little earlier and
then a little after the scene is finished just to ensure it is all captured,
this is a big help to stop some words being missed at the beginning of the
scene. This is a great advantage to single camera another advantage is that one
microphone could be suitable for the whole scene which will be far more easier
than having many for multi camera. A disadvantage for single camera is that it
is harder to mic individual characters. Also a disadvantage is that in multi
camera would have many different angles and different mic levels already where
as single camera would need to shoot the scene over and over.
When
building a story for a production there are four main parts which must be
considered before doing anything else. One of which is who your characters are,
age, gender, hair, clothing, personality. Another is the plot, what happens,
where is happens, why it's happened. The next is style, will the style of the
story be a serious bloodthirsty horror or possibly a comedic adventure. Finally
the structure of the story which will be the introduction to the character and
their surroundings then the change which has a massive impact on the character,
then the downfall to what they need or want and cannot get and finally the
finishing point where the story comes to a conclusion for the good or bad.
When you are
building a scene you must consider the characters which will be in the scene
and if they have all the props and costumes required. Next would be the
location in which you are filming, you need to make sure you have permission to
film where you want but also if it is the right location for the scene you want
to produce. After you need to think about what part of the plot is involved in
the scene would it be the big climax or is it the build up. In addition to this
how will this specific scene move the story along again is it the build up to
the climax or is it where the characters world comes crumbling down. Finally if
this specific scene would be a massive part to the story or is it a little side
scene.
In addition
to this your scene may have a linear structure to it. This means that the
narrative of the story follows the beginning, middle, end format which is basic
but works very well and also the scenes are chronologically sequenced.
However, you
may want the scene to have a non-linear structure to it. This means that
chronology cannot be applied to the narrative,
most reasons for having a non-linear narrative is for having flashbacks
in the story to explain the linear story better.
There are
many genres which are associated with single camera productions, however some
dominate the other genres. For example Crime Dramas are a huge hit with single camera
productions and programmes such as Sherlock are a great example to single
camera productions. However compared to other genres such as Period
Dramas, these are not as popular.
Productions like Downton Abbey are a great example of this genre and represents
it well. The main genre overall would be Soap Operas. This genre dominates all
and although Soap Operas are usually filmed in multi camera because of the high
production rate some are filmed in single camera but this is rare.
There are 3
different formats in which productions are shown. One of these would be a
series. A series is a run of episodes which will then eventually end. A series
has a self-contained narrative in each individual episode and which will then
last over several. For example in Hawaii five-o you follow the main characters
throughout but they deal with different cases in each episode.
Next is a
serial. Serials do not run for a specific time and are continuous. A great
example of this would be a soap like Eastenders or Emmerdale. They do not have
an end and have been running for a very long period of time. One reason soaps
are mass produced so fast is because of multi camera.
Finally
single dramas. Single dramas consist of one self-contained story usually told
in a one off episode or a two part episode. The minimum length in which a
single drama can be is five minutes anything above that can be classed as a
single drama.
The difference
between single camera and multi camera techniques. When using multi camera
there are far fewer reshoots this is because they have a variety of shots to
choose from however in single camera there would be much more reshoots if the
shot wasn't right. Another difference is that continuity errors are far less
frequent in multi camera because they can edit out the errors but also one
camera may not pick up the error but another may whereas in single camera if
there is one then the whole scene would need to be reshot. Another difference
is lighting. When using single camera lighting is far easier to control and
make the scene feel more real where as in multi camera all the cameras need to
be lit the same otherwise it could make the scene look fake and flat.
In
conclusion both techniques have their advantages and disadvantages and both
techniques are used equally as much but I think that multi camera is the better
technique as for saving money and making the production better.
