Single Camera Technique

Single Camera Techniques

This essay is about single camera use with TV and film. I talk about how sound, lighting,editing and multi cameras are used in the single camera filming.

    There is different ways that the camera is used in a single camera production the main reason why productions use single camera is to make the audience feel apart of the film or immersed in the action. Single camera is used a lot in horror because it limits what the audience can see which creates the suspense due to it taking away one of the senses. ‘Get out’ is an example of a horror film which uses single camera. These screenshots are from a scene which uses single camera which isolates the main character from the group. It cuts between Chris Washington ( main character) and the group with each interaction but focuses on Chris’ reaction to certain things that have been said to allow the audience to understand how he is feeling towards the statements/conversation. Another example of single camera in ‘Get out’ is when Chris is trying to connect with Georgina (the cleaner), they wanted to create an intense and slightly intimidating feeling in this scene because Chris is still trying to figure out what is going on and that there is something odd about some of the people there and what they are saying/behaviour. They kept the single camera on one of the actors and had them do the whole scene so it was one long shot so instead of having to worry about continuity between each shot and also having the camera close to Gorgina’s face it would be very hard to line up different shots if they were to using multi camera due to the closeups on his expression because it’s impossible to have the exact same facial expression especially in close up shots it would be a lot more obvious to the audience that it’s been filmed in different shots.

    Lighting used in single camera production is easier to control compared to multiple cameras because they have to think about how the lighting will look in different angles whereas the single camera focuses on one direction. In single camera production the lighting creates a tone and can also be manipulated in a way to create a style like having strong contrast like  having a strong shadow cast on the actors face to make a dramatic look to them. The issue with lighting in single camera is that it’s hard to get consistent lighting from different angles due to having to hide a light box if it is being used or light reflexes. Also lighting can cause the seven and the actors to look flat and fake because there isn't any depth to the scene or actors due to not always being able to backlight the scene.

The lighting has to be thought out in single camera because I can go wrong very easily, so it has to be able to add tone and depth to the scene.

An example of a film that uses lighting to create strong contrast and uses the lighting to effect and develop the story of the movie, is “Citizen Kane” it was all in black and white. Due to the film being in black and white they are heavily relying on lighting and how the scene is lite.

   

    There are advantages and disadvantages of sound in a single camera production is that there has to be overlays during filming with it starting earlier that the shot and then for it to run a little bit longer than required. This is a slight disadvantage because it will take up more storage this way but it is required to make the edit smooth. They will also use audio from one take of the scene and use it on another if the audio fits and suits the edit. The type of audio recorder which is used within the industry is a boom mic because it produces good quality audio and it is easy to function and it always the production to get close to the actors to the the best audio it can.

The editing in single camera is that it is cheaper compared to multi-camera production because there is less footage to go through so there is less time editing it. Also in single camera production it is very common that scenes filmed in a certain locations will be filmed altogether. Shot logs are key when editing because it helps the editors understand the director's idea and vision for that scene. A disadvantage of using single camera is that it cannot create a mixed live feed like multi-camera productions can for example ‘Britain's Got Talent’ but single camera live feed for example can be used in the news when they are live and onlocation with a live feed .   An example of a shot log.

In each genre the single camera format changes slighting from the way they film each shot to the lighting and editing, for example a horror movie would tend to film in a personal perspective to immerse the viewer into the film which will create the best scares due to it feeling like the audience is there with the actor. An example of a single production horror movie is the ‘Blair Witch project’

Soap operas use single camera productions, some of the operas have to be filmed in single camera because they use old traditional housing and there is not a lot of room to manoeuvre in the buildings so it beneficial to use single camera compared to using multi-camera. Downton Abbey is an example of a single camera production due to them filming on the official Downton Abbey grounds and building so it would be nearly impossible for them to film using multiple cameras in the building.

Another example of a genre that uses single camera is crime dramas due to them utilising the lighting to affect the mood of the scene. It is easier to get this affect via single camera productions due to the amount of control they have over the lighting. Example of crime drama is ‘CSI:’ they include a lot of flashbacks that uses a realistic route using single camera can create that immersive feel to it.

The difference between multi-camera and single camera production techniques is that multi-camera they have less reshoots because they have been able to capture different angles of the same scene so the editing team have a lot more room to use different shots. There are less continuity errors due to having different cameras all recording the same scene whereas in single camera they have to re-film the same scene but they may be slightly different for example an actors hair my be tucked behind their ear in one shot and another shot it’s untucked. In multi-camera productions have less control over lighting and it’s a lot harder to position light because they have to think about each and every angle that the lighting looks good. But in single camera production they are able to have a lot more control over the lighting of the shot. Also location have to be thought out because the production have to be mindful that they may not be able to fit all the cameras into small room/locations.