Job Roles/My job roles and evaluation

Camera - The camera operator's main job is to listen to instructions given to them by the director. If an instruction is not given the camera operator will follow the active character at the time.
Sound Mixer - Often when filming on video, the sound recordist may record audio directly onto the camera rather than use a separate medium, although a separate copy is often made, as it both provides an extra copy which may have more tracks and also may include other sound captured without the camera.
Vision Mixer - The vision mixer will work with the director and mix live, they will change to the camera thats focusing on the main active character. They may change the camera to see reactions of other people on stage.
Lighting Desk - The lighting technician controls the lights in the venue/theatre using a light board. They can control the intensity of lights. Modernly lights can be moved to match patterns.  
Floor Manager/Talk back - The floor managers job is too communicate and make sure everyones okay, their doing their job properly and everyone's equipments fully working, so floor manager will get new battery's, mic's etc.. if anyone needs it. 
Graphics - TV graphics need to inform or help the narrative. They work with the producer and director to decide when to include them. Knowing when not to put them in is as important as knowing when using one will help.
Director - The director plays a big part on ensuring the production runs smoothly, he instructs people on what to do, he has a visual style from the brief and he will put that into play with his team. 

When we used multi-cam to film Fame the show we were all assigned two rolls. I did was a camera operator twice and a floor manager.
For the first 20 minutes i was floor manager then i switched to the main camera. I was then given a brake, when the brake was up i had asked to go on camera 4 which was the camera on the left nearest the sound and lighting technicians.
Whilst having the job role of floor manager i found myself helping the director and vision mixer as they seem to need a little help. When we were happy with a shot i let the camera operator know they were doing good. If it seemed people were struggling on a camera i would go help them and they would carry on. My duty was to make sure everyone was okay with what they were doing and that they were doing it properly, i think i achieved it, but everyone was doing well and they knew what they was doing, if it was at a larger scale my job would of been harder.
Once my job was over being floor manager i then became a camera operator on the main central camera, i didn't move the camera much or focus on anything so this job was fairly easy. When i went on to camera 4 there was much more work to do with the camera, i had to follow the main active character mostly close ups or mid shots, following the active character depending on the shot was hard, they moved fast and jerking the camera wouldn't look effective on screen, when i filmed on camera 4 and there was conversation or singing i had to focus on just following the character on the right. Once i had got the hang off it i would say that was the best job role i did, i enjoyed taking orders to make sure the final edit was going to be the best it could be.

Health and Safety

When doing anything in the media industries we have to consider health and safety. Before we started filming i went to the theatre to assess the possible risks, i had to make sure that the theatre was safe for all the crew. I filled out a risk assessment to note them and find a solution to over come the risk. I had to recognise the flammable material, lifting, heights etc... My risk assessment was based on the theatre set up for Fame, i did the risk assessment for the theatre thinking that the multi-cam equipment wont always be in there, but i also included what it would be with the equipment. 

On arrival with the equipment we needed to move the back row of the chairs to allow space for our equipment, moving the chairs meant we had more room plus it was a lot safer when moving about. Once we set the equipment up we taped down the wires ensuring no one trips, we also used anti-trip wire covers, we made sure no wire was a risk to us or anyone else. We then needed to make sure the equipment worked and that it wasn't going to over heat, we did this by leaving the cameras on for half an hour before shooting and regularly checked them. We also spoke with more than one cast member or Fame to be 100% sure our cameras didn't obstruct their performance, we didn't want anyone falling over a camera . Once that check was completed we were ready to shoot.

When performing a health a safety check you have to consider every little thing.
The theatre has a regular check on their equipment such as lights, sound and lighting equipment etc... So we knew that was safe. I also noticed that some of the cast of Fame had to stand on a balcony that didn't look to safe so I had to ask about that- it was safe. 
Once filming had finished we had to start packing up, we needed to make sure all the cameras were in the correct bags and all the wires were put away in the correct way, if people were just throwing them in the box wires could brake and could cause injuries further down the line.

Floor plan/ Camera plan

^ This camera plan is my interpretation of how i would set up a multi - camera production for Fame. I would use the crane to get nice clean, smooth pan shots high or low. I would also use a dolly just in front of the audience to track the action. The two cameras on the audience seating will cross shoot, the camera on the left will focus on people on the right and the camera on the right will film on the right. Each camera will not obstruct each other.

^ This one is how we did set it up, this set up was effective as i caught all the action. Camera on the left caught the action right and left using close ups and mid shots and same with the right camera. The middle caught the action using wide shot, the middle camera is the camera we relied on if there was a changeover in jobs or we have problems with cameras.

Risk Assessment

Recce

Equipment List

Proposal

Multi – camera

Working Title: Fame

Purpose: Multi – camera live show of ‘Fame’ the musical.

Concept: For this production I am hoping to use 4/5 cameras so that everything is captured. I hope to place them in different places so there are multiple angles of the performance, this will ensure I will catch the emotion of the characters. I would film this show when the audience aren’t there so that there are less risks and more room for the cameras. I would use a dolly track at the front and a crane over the top of the performance, this creates different kind of shots to keep it entertaining, I would have to make sure when the cameras tracking and the crane is in use that the other cameras placed around the theatre will not see the other cameras in the shot, this can be avoided by the person on the mixer noticing and switching the camera. I will use talk back systems to communicate, people on the cameras will not be able talk into the mics as we need the camera to pick up the sound only from the performance. Although the camera will be recording the sound on an external mic I will use a H2 recording device to record the sound for back up.  SSR will also put the sounds and music on a USB ready to be put on the final edit so that it’s perfect. My intention is to catch every moment and every emotion to make it powerful and entertaining to watch, if scenes are to long with the same shot the viewers will get bored. The lighting in the theatre is already set by the lighting technician and up to the producer’s standards so the camera will have to be set to match the lighting. To achieve catching all the action the script will have to be revised so we know who’s speaking so that we can focus on the main active character at that time, watching a run through of the show will also help to understand how the show flows and what it looks like so we can match that on camera.

Location: Hyde Clarendon Sixth Form College – Performing Arts, Theatre.

Usage Rights: The final edit will be put on a DVD for students and parents to purchase from the college.

Quantity: 4/5 Sony HD Cameras, Raynox Pro Semi Fish – Eye Conversion lens, Transtec System, Vision Mixer (SE-800), Gaffa Tape (blue) 

Multi-cam Analysis

Multi – Cam Analysis

Multi – cam setups are used in many shows, chat shows, news shows, studio dramas and music concerts. The amount of effort and time that goes into a multi camera production is usually unnoticed. Standard multi- cam set ups consist of several cameras each capturing different shots and angles. The two outer cameras are normally close ups, mainly focusing on the two most active characters at any time. The central/main camera is set centre stage, it will capture all the action with much more of a wide shot. Each camera will be capturing the action through a live feed. The director will be directing the camera operator on which shot or angle to take. The mixer will then decide which camera shot is the best for the situation on stage/in studio, that is then recorded and the mixer will keep switching from shots to keep the action flowing smoothly. This way multiple shots are obtained in a single take without having to stop and start. This is efficient for programs that are being shown a short while after filming, multi-cam cuts down edit time and cuts out all the re- lighting between shots. With all these advantages there is disadvantages such as, once the show is live it can't be edited which is a big problem for any slip ups.

The Queens Messenger was the first drama to be recorded using multi-cam.

Standard multi-cam setup - 

Here's a basic set up of a multi-cam production in a news studio. Four cameras will be placed around the table. A+D both film the most active characters, in this case the presenters, A would film the presenter on the right and D would film the presenter on the left; cross shoot. B+C will be capturing the over all action with a wide shot, shots will differ with B+C.

News Studio - Sky News

In a news studio there are many different areas of news, such as weather, football and news. They're will be 3/5 cameras in each area, they will use dolly tracks and cranes to show a variety of shots, this way people will not get bored of watching. 

News shows use live multi-cam production so there doesn't have to be any editing as news shows have to be broadcasted live. As well as having a studio based news room there may also be somebody at the scene of action ready to go live to cover the news story. Whilst the presenters are presenting the cameras will be in mid shot and close up to catch the emotion of the presenter this helps set the mood. Cut aways will also be used in a news broadcast, that may involve the scene of crime, stats or outside correspondence reporting the crime, using different shots and cut aways keeps the viewer interested, it means we don't have to just watch the presenters present.

Here's my interoperation of the Sky News studio, this is without all the other areas such as weather and sport. The studio is huge as it includes all areas plus vision mixer rooms.

The two far cameras will be focusing on taking closeups where as the centre camera will be recording more of a wide shot. The presenter may turn to face the camera on his right which would already be set into a close up, they do this when they are handing the story over to an outside correspondent.

Music concert - iTunes Festival

Music festivals/concerts also use multi-cam to show a live performance so people at home can see it at the same time people do who are at the festival/concert. With any multi-cam production it's unpredictable, anything could happen, with festivals and concerts its not scripted so the camera operators don't know where the artist is going to go next. At festivals and concerts there would be multiple cameras around the stage, at the side of the stage and behind, these cameras will not be in view or obstructing other cameras, these cameras will be recording the artist, band and audience but mostly following the artist or most active artist. Wide shot and close ups will be used for the audience as well as the artist and band. They will most likely to use a crane to get nice pan shots of the stage and audience too. Close ups will be used to show the artist singing, it will also help show passion and emotion. Wide shots will be used mostly in the audience to show the scale of it and how much they are enjoying the show, a few close ups of the audience will also be shown, the cameras around the stage will turn to view the audience. Some festivals productions may use an extreme long shot or even a film from a helicopter to show the performance so we see the scale of the stage plus full audience. Whilst filming live the performance will also be fed through to the large TV's at the side of the stage so that the people at the back of the audience can see. Quick shots between different cameras and angles will keep the audience interested in the performance, the aim is to keep the viewers and not boring them with the same shot. Seeing emotion and passion from the audience, artist and band helps set a mood for people watching at home, it may help them feel as though they are there.

Filming a festival/concert doesn't come with as much stress as filming a news show, although a festival may be filmed at a larger scale the news show is more formal and more strict in making sure they get what they need. Although recording a news show would be more stressful they have a script to follow, filming festivals theres not a script.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEycXtiivx4 

In this video majority of shots are no longer than 4 seconds, this means we get to see al the action, it makes it more interesting to watch. Every other shot of the artist there will be a shot of the band or audience. They also film from behind so we can see the artist plus the audience's reaction this helps create a sense of what it would be like to be at the performance.

This is my interpretation of where the cameras would be, the two in the light blue area would be the cranes, no camera would obstruct or be in view of another camera.


Soap - Coronation Street

Coronation Street is a british soap that uses multi - cam to film it as a live performance, they do this because Coronation Street is shown 3 times a week so filming and editing needs to be done as fast as possible. Multi-cam cuts down the time of editing and re-lighting and if something goes wrong they pause the filming and re shoot from that moment, they might also use a cut away to fit that time. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the soap they decided to film a live episode, to do this they used in total 26 cameras, as they had more than one set. In the tram scene they used a crane to film it. They used a scanner which is a mobile control room to broadcast the live episode. I think this is the easiest out of the three to use multi-cam, soaps record as a live show but it isn't broadcasted live, it can be edited where as the others can't.