Singal Camera Techniques

This essay is about signal camera techniques. In this essay I will cover camera, lighting, sound, editing, single camera genres and formats and multi-camera techniques. I will explain these techniques to single camera and use references and illustrations to back up the information. I will also take about the positive and negative of using these techniques for single camera videos and the difference between single and multi camera videos. 

It's included in the name but single camera productions only use one camera. Using one camera gets
the audience into the action/ scene. A production that uses a single camera is 'peep show' a comedy on 4od. It uses only using one camera to it's advantages interact with the audience. Using one camera creates realism and that what the show also tries to do. Some single camera productions may have to use more then one camera to film difficult scenes or scenes that may involve a stunt.But using one camera is more time consuming and this can be a big disadvantage when it comes to getting filming done on time. Single camera productions have more control over the camera and the way they can set up shots compared to a multi-camera production. It  allows more freedom as well as they are not limited to shots they can set up due to logistical equipment. An example of this is 'Easterners' a soap that uses multiple camera's to quickly film different shots and quickly. The disadvantage to this is they are sometimes restricted to the type of shots they can use. Unlike 'Peep Show' as they use many different shots to make the audience feel in the scene. I have included an episode to show have they use single camera production the the best of there ability.

             

Signal camera production lighting can be very simple as the lighting can be moved and adjusted with the shot they are taking. Lighting is easier to control unlike multi-camera productions as the lighting has be has to changed for each shot. Using a reflector when filming can also enhance natural lighting and devolve realism is single camera production. This type of prosecution is more interactive and adds tone/style to every scene. The News use's high artificial lighting to create bright and clear shots. They do this by using three-point lighting like single camera productions. Even tho the News isn't a single camera production it's cheap and very effective. Three point lighting is three separate positions, the firmer can illuminate the shot/person in the shot while also controlling shadow and brightness produced bu the lighting. Underneath I have included an image of the news and a image from a horror film the light in these two images are different.. The lighting is very important as it creates mood and tone.

Sound in signal camera productions can be developed and is cheaper then the set up for a multi

camera sound.When filming shots films always require to do a bit of an overlay. This is starting to shoot earlier then the shot that is being being filmed, this is done to avoid jumping transitions. Just like I stated when I when I was talking about camera use, single camera productions need to use more then one camera for  for scenes with lots of dialog. This is all diegetic sound, non diegetic sound can be added in at post production.Some multi-camera productions will let the mic be visual for interviews to get the based sound they can. Most news is live meaning they are not able to to re-shoot. Using microphones enable them to get perfect and clear sound with out complication. Signal camera production will use a shot gun mic to collect clear diegetic and non digetic. It can be attached to a camera or a boom pole.


Editing a single camera production can be the most tedious and time consuming part of a project. This is due to how much footage would of been filmed trying to get the perfect shot. This also means a lot of the footage won't be included in the final production. Both multi and single productions can save money cutting down on the time they are filming for. Multi camera production film quickly due to having several cameras to film multiple shots. Single camera productions film lots of shots in the same location or with the actors these shots are all filmed together. This makes it less time consuming as it will be easier to find clips before editing it together. Both these ways are less time consuming and cost effective. Shot logs can be effective when editing lots of footage by logging which shots where successful or not so successful. Editing can also be done live like Britons Got Talent Final. This is a multi camera production the several cameras are edited/switched through a vision mixer. People can control which shots the audience see at anytime of a live show. They do this to make the show more interesting with a range of shots this could not be done with a single camera production. Underneath is James Arthers live who was on xfacter just like britons got talent this is all edited live an is an example of live editing.

             

Single camera genre and formats, certain genres lend themselves to either single camera or multi- camera productions.

Single camera genera and formats-

Period- period dramas/costume drama are set in a specific  era in the past. These are expensive to make due to the locations, props and costumes they have to use to create that one era. These are normally single camera production to create realism. But they may need to use more then one camera for heavy dialoge or stunts.

Crime drama- Single cameras are used in this to make the drama feel more realistic. Low key lighting

is used a lot in crime dramas which is much easier to create with one camera. Crime dramas focus on criminal and authority figures. An example of a cream drama would be CSI it use the one camera in diffident location to repeat scenes. The one camera allows to use more gets like long shot to show the setting and the camera is more able to move around unlike a multi camera production with have a big amount of equipment.

Horror- Just like the crime drama horror used low key lighting to create a tone and mood of the film. Using one camera create realism and makes it more 'personal' This allows to play around with different shot to make different sub genera of horror.

Comedy- One of the first example I included was the comedy peep show and even included an episode of there work. They use tecqunices just like other comedy to make the audience laugh and feel with in the scene but this is the same for multi camera comedies.

Series- A series is a run of episodic programming with the some characters but every episode has a new story. They normally set for a number of episode for a set time. Single camera is used to follow the different stories each week but also a back story which will continue through out each episode. an example of a series is Sherlock.

Single drama- Is one drama using one camera normally tell one story.

Multi-camera genres and formats-

Comedy- some comedies are film in single or with multiple camera to create different ways to make
it humous. Friends is a multi camera production, films like this can feel more natural are it was filmed in front of a live audience and the reaction feel more natural when a joke is told. Some comedies include the audience laughing.

Serial- These use multi-camera production to film quickly as more serials like Eastenders are on tv every night. They use one then one camera to get the episode shot and edited as quickly as they can.