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.
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.
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