Single Camera Technique

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.