Single Camera Techniques

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

Single Camera Production Techniques With the introduction of more television channels, some specifically dedicated to drama, the single camera drama production has become very popular with broadcasters and audiences. This means that there should be more opportunities for people with skills in single camera techniques to gain employment in this sector. This might be in terms of technical skills in production or creative skills in developing ideas into production. This unit aims to give learners an opportunity to use production skills, already gained from previous units, and develop them further to create a production using single camera techniques. The unit gives learners the opportunity to explore existing single camera productions. This will help them to think about, plan and produce their own productions. As part of this exploration learners will investigate the use of camera scripts and storyboards as tools of storytelling. Learners will develop the organisational skills required for the planning and implementation of a single camera drama production. They will identify key production roles and take on one or more of these roles during their own production. Set design, cinematography, lighting, use of sound and editing techniques will all be part of the skills learners develop through following this unit. Health and safety issues will also be addressed in both location and studio shoots, with learners producing risk assessments prior to any production work.

Grading criteria P1 describe single camera productions expressing ideas with sufficient clarity to communicate them and with some appropriate use of subject terminology. M1 explain single camera productions with reference to well chosen examples expressing ideas with clarity and with generally appropriate use of subject terminology. D1 critically evaluate single camera productions with supporting arguments and elucidated examples expressing ideas fluently and using subject terminology correctly.

Understand the features of single camera production 

Formats: eg series, serial, single drama; genre, eg period, dramadoc, crime, soap opera, comedy

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Narrative structures: eg linear (or sequential), non-linear (or non-sequential), flashback, realist, anti-realist; endings, eg open, closed

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Technical: camera; lighting; sound; editing; scripting; building a scene; building a story

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

Camera As the name suggests, single camera productions are filmed using one camera. This can have its advantages and disadvantages, as we will discuss later. The camera is used as a tool to get the audience ‘into the action / scene’ and its function is to add to the realism and create a more intimate feel. Single camera productions do, on occasion, shoot with more than one camera but only if there is a particularly difficult scene such as one with a stunt or one that is heavy on dialogue. Directors often favour single camera productions as they have more control over the camera and they are able to set up each and every shot individually. Single camera production also allows you to shoot anywhere; in multi-camera productions you can be limited to as few as three sets due to logistical requirements. Single camera productions require entire scenes, and sections of scenes, to be re-acted over and over so that the director can capture that scene from various angles and shot lengths. The repetition makes filming more expensive, if filming onto actual film (as opposed to digitally), as film stock is expensive, but it allows actors to get into

character. Lighting The lighting in a single camera production is far easier to control as you can light each shot individually. When shooting with multiple cameras, the light must be ‘adequate’ for each shot, this can result in scenes being flat and unvaried (it can also look fake/like it has been filmed in a studio). Lighting in single camera is far more intricate and adds to the tone and style of individual scenes.

An example of a basic low key

lighting set-up. In single camera productions, every shot is lit individually to add to the desired tone or intended style.

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

Sound Sound is the trickiest part of our productions as we do not have professional sound equipment that would enable us to record high quality audio onto a separate track and synch it later. However, now that we are in year 2, we should never be relying on the built in microphones to capture audio—they are not good enough and the background noise will be far too much. The quality of the audio can enhance and improve a video that would be otherwise OK, or it can make a very well-made video appear amateurish. Do not be afraid to use the boom mic or separate microphones when filming (use the dead cat if outside). When filming with a single camera, the shots that are filmed always require a certain amount of overlay; this means starting a little earlier than the scene you are filming and running over a little at the end to ensure all of the scene is captured. It also avoids awkward and jumpy starts. As mentioned earlier, some single camera productions will utilise a second camera in order to capture certain scenes or shots with lots of dialogue. As with all productions, sound effects (Foley sounds, ambient noise and dialogue) can be added or enhanced in post. In a multicamera production, it is easier to mic the characters, interviewers or interviewees individually as a lot of multi

camera products allow for mics to be visible within the scene, whereas in a single camera production you may find that a central microphone will suffice. It is important to remember that not all dialogue used in a scene (that you would see on screen) is from the same take. It is often the case that one take of audio is used over the top of various filmed/visual takes. Over the shoulder shots, cutaways and any restricted narration mean that you don’t always need to see the source of dialogue at all times.

Coverage In filmmaking, coverage is an important consideration because film is expensive compared to digital storage devices; therefore, discipline is called for when you're thinking what needs to be shot and what is unnecessary. With digital video recording however, the director may shoot everything, even the rehearsals because the cost is not an issue and the quality of the footage when reusing a digital recording device, like an SD card, does not degrade unlike DV tapes. Of course, if you shoot a thousand hours of tape, you have to look at it all and figure out what you need, this is where a lot of time and money is used. How much

coverage (angles and types of shots) you shoot depends on your budget. However, you need to shoot certain angles and get in the necessary number of shots for each scene, to be able to make your movie viewable, no matter how small your budget. When filming with one camera it is essential to reshoot the scene numerous times to obtain enough coverage for the post-production stage. How many times have you found you haven’t got the shot you needed when you get to editing?! Single camera coverage: Multi camera coverage:

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

Editing The post-production stage for any production can take a long time as there will be a lot of footage to look through in order to create your product and it will not necessarily be in the order of the final narrative / script. Although there is also a lot of wasted film in multi-camera productions, it can be cheaper as it takes far less time to film. In single camera productions it is common to film all of the scenes together in either a specific location or when similar characters or cast are needed. Multi camera production can often be

edited live, think Britain’s Got Talent and live sport, as you can quickly switch from one camera to another with the use of a vision mixer (think back to when we watched the live news broadcast documentary). This is not possible however, in single camera productions and all editing must take place in an editing studio after

the scene has been filmed.

Scripting In order to produce a single camera production, you must be prepared to plan very carefully. If you fail to capture a scene or do not get the shot you want (coverage), you may find that you have to get all of the

cast and crew back together to reshoot or, if your finances are tight, have to cut the shot/scene altogether. As mentioned already, the scenes will not be filmed in the order of the script. A screenplay will be produced in the standard master shot format showing the details of each scene. Shooting scripts will also be produced for the production stage and any revisions will be distributed to save the crew from having to transfer handwritten notes to various copies. This gives the production team every opportunity to plan the shoot comprehensively. Single camera television scripts look very much like film scripts whereas multicamera television scripts have some different format conventions, such as capitalised scene direction. Whose job is it to ensure that all of the footage that is required each day is actually captured and will ‘make sense’ when edited together?

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

The following are not unique to single camera productions but they are integral for most.

Building a story What elements are integral to building a story? Read http://www.ianbone.com.au/pdfs/buildingstory_IanBone.pdf to find out a little more (it’s basic but quite useful). 

Characters

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Plot

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Style

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Structure

Building a scene When composing a scene, consider the five P's of ‘scene-writing’: 1. People (characters): Who needs to be in this scene? 2. Place (location): Where does the scene happen? 3. Plot (narrative): What part of the plot is involved in this scene? 4. Progression (development): How will this scene move the story along? 5. Point (intention): Does the scene serve the story? The words in brackets are my choices of the terminology to be used but it’s up to you. Also remember that you don’t have to have the above in a scene but they are conventional for most mainstream texts.

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

There are many genres associated with single camera productions but some are more dominant than others.

Period A period drama, sometimes known as a costume drama, is set in a specific era in the past. Period films and TV programmes are often romances but can also be adventure texts. In order to create the atmosphere of a particular historical period, sets, props and costumes are designed to recreate the required style and tone. Downton Abbey (Julian Fellowes) has recently won critical acclaim for the genre.

Dramadoc Drama documentary combines the languages of drama and documentary either to dramatise research, thereby stimulating interest in issues through empathy with characters and narrative, or to apply documentary style to fictional content, thereby enhancing its immediacy. Dramadocs are criticised as they 'blur the boundaries' of fact and fiction, 'dupe' viewers and sacrifice factual accuracy to dramatise storytelling (BFI Online).

Crime Crime dramas and thrillers focus on criminals and authority figures. We have spent the last few weeks looking at film noir which centres on moral ambiguity and criminality. TV programmes such as Sherlock, Silent Witness and CSI are presented from the side of the law whereas Bronson (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2008) is shown from the point of view of the villain/criminal.

Horror Single camera productions are used for their ability to create the feeling of realism and to make them appear more ‘personal’. Horror films and TV programmes utilise the single camera technique to get the audience involved in the scares.

Soap opera Soap operas are commonly filmed using multi-camera techniques due to the rate in which the shows need to be produced. However, some soap operas are produced with a single camera, especially if filming in a real house which does not offer the manoeuvrability of more cameras.

Comedy Some sitcoms that are filmed in sets utilise multi-camera techniques but shows like My Name is Earl, Scrubs and Spaced are filmed using single camera techniques. In some multi-camera productions, huge scenes are filmed one after the other so lots of lines have to be memorised. In comedies, if an actor ‘corpses’ then a shot can simply be reshot without using lots of film. It is also easier to film in a variety of locations, rather than in a few sets i.e. Friends.

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

Single camera productions adhere to the various narrative structures that we have explored in previous units. Here is a refresher;

Linear (or sequential) When the narrative follows a beginning-middle-end format and is chronologically sequenced.

Non-linear (or non-sequential) When chronology cannot be applied to a narrative, it can be described as non-linear. Some media texts such as Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) are told predominantly through flashback narration but in order to make sense of the linear narrative. Some experimental or surrealist texts do not require a sequential narrative to be understood. For example, Un Chien Anderlou (Louis Bunuel, 1929) and Gently Down the Stream (Su Friedrich, 1981).

Realist If you have ever thought that a media text was ‘slow’ you may have been watching a realist narrative. They aim to offer a very realistic portrayal of a character or event and sometimes this results in the ‘action’ or storyline taking a long time to kick in. Realist narratives do not follow generic plots but instead, aim to offer a ‘slice of life’.

Anti-realist Anti-realist narratives, also know as formalist narratives offer a media product that the audience know is fictional. From the outset films like Sin City (Miller & Rodriguez, 2005) and Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994) are presented as fictitious.

Open endings Some audiences are left unfulfilled or irritated by open endings as there is no conclusion or closure to the narrative. If a media product leaves an open ending, it may be a cliff hanger which will lead to a sequel, or it may be a conscious decision by the director/writer to leave the viewer unsure in order to add to the tone of the text.

Closed endings Closed endings offer closure and resolution for the characters and the audience. Usually associated with romantic comedies and action adventure texts, closed endings leave the audience fulfilled and able to ‘leave the story behind’.

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Series A series is a run of episodic programming that will eventually end. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000-present) is a single camera example of this. A series will include a self-contained narrative in one episode and a running storyline which lasts over several. In CSI you may follow a continuous storyline which revolves around the central characters yet you will also be presented with a different crime/case each week. Shows are commissioned for a set number of episodes, for example, Sherlock was initially commissioned for three feature length episodes (90 mins) despite being pitched as several more slightly shorter episodes.

Serial A serial does not run for a specified time, instead it is

continuous. An example of a serial is a soap; EastEnders and Coronation Street do not end, instead they run for very long periods of time and do have season/series finales. Coronation Street is the longest running British serial and began broadcasting in 1960 (25 years before EastEnders). The longevity of serial could be attributed to multi-camera techniques as they can be produced so quickly.

Single drama A single drama consists of one self-contained story, told in a single one-off episode, equivalent to a television movie. The minimum length is five minutes. The winner of the 2010 BAFTA for single drama went to A Short Stay in Switzerland (Simon Curtis). Some

Single Camera Techniques

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

Advantages of single camera production 

The director has more control over each and every shot

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The production will feel more personal and allow the audience to be submerged into the diegesis

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(Potentially) far less film is used/wasted when filming with one camera

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Many reshoots and takes result in exciting and stylised camera angles

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The footage can be shot in clusters so that cast and crew are never hanging around

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A variety of locations are at your disposal due to the amount of equipment needed

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Single camera productions can be created on much tighter budgets

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The lighting for each shot is individual and therefore more controlled and appropriate for each shot

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Mistakes are easily rectified by a reshoot rather than having to find alternative footage

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It is possible to still produce a master shot for each scene as well as individual angles

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Multiple run-throughs can help actors ‘get into’ a character.

Disadvantages of single camera production 

It can be a lengthy and time consuming process

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It is (potentially) more expensive than multi-camera production due to the length of filming

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It is personal choice to film using the single camera format and not everyone on the project may agree

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Continuity errors are more frequent

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The action filmed can start and stop continuously which might aggravate.

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

What’s the alternative? There are two ways to shoot a moving image product, one is using a single camera and the other is by implementing multi-camera techniques which means filming with more than one camera simultaneously. The ‘normal’ number of cameras used is four but that number can be fewer or more.

Multi-Camera Techniques For some films and television programmes it would be impossible to cover all of the action with only one camera. The method for filming certain media products is dictated by the genre of that product. Football matches, talk shows, concerts or Britain's Got Talent are filmed with a number of cameras in order to capture all of the action.

Multi-camera techniques are particularly necessary for filming media products that are live or cannot be reshot without the possibility of creating a continuity error. Action films that contain a number of

stunts or explosions rely on multi-camera techniques in order to cover every angle. The advantages of multi-camera production 

There are far fewer reshoots as there is a higher chance of being able to edit the footage (as there are more options/shots to choose from)

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Continuity errors are less frequent

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Action does not have to stop and start continuously

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Filming can be completed more quickly as there are more single takes

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You can broadcast live by using a mixing desk to cut between shots rather then editing footage.

The disadvantages of multi-camera production 

Lighting can be difficult to manage as it must suit all of the camera angles and it can seem fake and flat

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The director has very little control over the shots compared to single camera production

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Locations can be limited as numerous cameras = bulk.

Television programmes such as the news and televised talent competitions like The X Factor implement multi-camera techniques.

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

Multi-camera setup By having three stationary cameras a director is free to use the fourth camera to focus solely on a key aspect such as an actor or interviewee.

Other multi-camera productions include; EastEnders Televised sports

Coronation Street

The X Factor

Emmerdale

Britain’s Got Talent

Friends

The news

Question Time

Seinfeld

10 o’clock Live

Single-camera setup The camera is moved within the scene to create a personal and more realistic product. The scene is reset numerous times to change angles and capture the action from different perspectives.

Other single-camera productions include;

Scrubs

My Name is Earl

CSI

The Mighty Boosh

Peep Show

Police Squad

Flight of

The Royal Family

the Conchords

Extras

Ugly Betty

The Office

Curb your Enthusiasm

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

Single-shot technique “Filming a scene with a series of sequential shots instead of using the master-scene technique by which the same action might be photographed first with a master shot and then a series of shots of the same action or part of the action with different camera distances or angles. More economical, the single-shot technique requires overlapping and some careful planning beforehand to allow for unobtrusive editing of the continuous action”.

Three-camera technique “Shooting a scene with three cameras, each photographing from a different distance or angle (e.g., for long, medium, and close-up shots). This method gives the editor a wide range of shots to choose from when putting together a film and also avoids the reshooting of a difficult or expensive scene necessary with the singlecamera technique when the original shot is faulty—but it is a costly way of making a film. Television production normally operates by employing such multiple cameras”.

Konigsberg I, The Complete Film Dictionary 2nd Edition. Bloomsbury, London.

BTEC National Diploma in Creative Media Production

Single Camera Techniques

Purpose: Explain the purpose of single camera techniques and productions. The maximum word limit is 1500 words (no less than 1000) Title:

Single Camera Techniques In this essay you will need to address the points/key terms in black. If you do this and then explain them, with reference to the texts watched in class and at home, then you will meet the grading criteria. Intro.

What is the essay about? Why are you writing it? How will you go about it?

Para 1.

Camera – how is the camera used and the footage shot? Lighting – how is a single camera production lit? Sound – what are the advantages/disadvantages of sound in single cam? Editing – how is a single cam production edited?

Para 2.

Scripting – Building a story – what does this mean? Building a scene – define and break down

Para 3.

Single camera genres e.g., dramadoc, crime, horror, period etc. Formats e.g., series, serial, single drama

Para 4.

Narrative Structures e.g., linear, non-linear, flashback etc.

Para 5.

Multi-camera techniques – how do they differ?

Remember: D

DEFINE

E

EXPLAIN

E

EXAMPLES