Multi-Camera Production

Multi-Camera production and single camera production are two methods of filmmaking and video production. In this blog I will explaining what they both are, how they are used and examples of when they are used and the effect that they add. Firstly we will start with single camera production.

Single Camera Production
Single camera production is simply a production which only uses one camera to shoot scenes. Although many multiple camera productions use single camera depending on the type of scenes they want to film. A good example of a single camera production is a live interview with someone which is outside of a studio or in a different studio in which the news programme is filming. These often occur on news channels and the single camera is used to emphasise that the person they are interviewing is the person that should be gaining the audiences complete attention.

 

Strangely, the producers and directors of soap operas have now started to use single camera production as they feel that it has a bigger effect on the way the audiences see the program. Also, single camera production is soap operas very much fit in with the target audience and it is very easy to understand instead of the constant switch in-between cameras.

Multi Camera Production

Multi Camera Production occurs when more than one camera is in use to film a production which is for television or even a film. Usually, the two outer cameras film close up or extreme close up shots and the middle camera films a wider master shot to give the viewer a complete idea of what the room looks like. This adds a brilliant effect as for some people it makes them feel as if they are there. This is how a Multi camera Production set is usually set out.

A good example of a Multi-Camera production is filming a news show in a studio. Cameras are often needed to focus on the presenters then a completely different camera to focus on anyone else who maybe on the set like an interviewee or maybe even another presenter. 

Where Multi camera production is at its most effective is usually in documentaries. Here they can get a panning shot of the presenter talking to another camera which adds a superb modern effect and it makes the viewer engage more and build up a good rapport with the presenter. They can also be used to different camera angles and shots. For Example, one camera could have an over the shoulder shot of one person while the other has an extreme close up of another person

When Multi-Camera production is used in live television, it is usually run by the vision mixer. This is the person who decides which camera has the best shot or the shot in which will be the most effective when it comes down to the live show. All the Camera operators will be able to communicate with the director and vision mixer by headset, so they can give direction to how to get the best possible shot.

Now we will compare both Multi cameras with single camera. Multi camera adds a much more modern effect to the production as single camera adds a much more vintage and old fashioned effect. Also, the way they both impact on the viewer really depends on how they are both used in production and how they impact their target market

Proposal

Jonathan Escott

15 Ambleside Road

Manchester

07854762521

jonathanescott@hotmail.co.uk

We intend to create a magazine show in which 6 presenters ageing from between 16 and 30 will talk about news related to them and people in their age range. They will take the news from magazines, discussing current affairs which are relevant to the target audience. It will include reports and VT’s from a variation of people throughout the age range on a variation of topics ranging from fashion to sport. The show will appear on BBC3 on Wednesday nights at 10pm.

Set Design

The set design will be very modern and contextual like the set design above. There will be one big table to accommodate all the presenters as there will be 6 of them. There will therefore be 3 different cameras, with 2 of them focusing on the presenters who are talking and the 3^rd one been a constant group shot which the director can refer to. The colours we intend to use are unisex colours. This means that it will be predominantly light colours like blue as girls and boys like them type of colours and it gives a vibrant and happy feel to the show. Colours such as green and metallic colours will also be used to add a nice aesthetic affect to the studio.

Presenters

We intend to have a very young audience so we are looking at famous people who aren’t necessarily natural presenters but they are funny to watch and are very popular with the audience we are aiming the show at. The 6 presenters we want to use are:

• Jack Whitehall
• Caroline Flack
• Tom Daley
• Lethal Bizzle
• Perrie Edwards
• Michelle Keegan

We think that all of these people would be able to add personality to the program and to make it very interesting to watch. They will also be able to build up a good rapport with their fellow presenters very easily and that chemistry will be able to see.

Mode of Address

The mode of address will be very informal as that is the way that our target audience tends to use language. We need the audience to relate to the language used and be able to in some ways grow a liking to the presenter’s character. This may include using regional terms like “shat ap” which is often used in the well known Essex language. The audience will immediately be able to relate to this as they have heard it before and they understand it. The tone of language will be very high and happy. We want the show to be a very happy go lucky type of show where all the presenters do is have a good chat about what’s in the magazines and papers and have a laugh at the same time. The topics will vary from fashion to sport and health to entertainment.

Schedule

This show will be aired between the hours of 10pm-11pm on BBC3. It will be an hourly show which will follow sun, sex and suspicious parents on a Wednesday night with Don’t Tell the Bride following the show. We feel that this is a peak time for our specific target audience and that will equal a good nights television for them on the channel.

VT Structure

• Oops she did it again VT- this is based on entertainment so it will fit in very well with the target audience and it will be predominantly aimed at females
• The Rise of FC United VT- this is based on sport so it will appeal to the men watching the show and maybe some women
• Fashion rebound VT- this is based on fashion shop which is unisex so both sexes will relate to this
• Illegal Downloading- this is based on illegal downloading from Youtube which will interest all of the target audience
• Change of Comedy- about how much the modern day persons sense of humour is different to the olden days

Why Teens to Twenty’s to Thirty’s?

Our show is a new artistic and appealing magazine show aimed at young adults. There has never been a show like this that has been aimed at our target market. The young refreshing presenters will add a brilliant effect to the show while using their informal slang like language to relate to the viewer. It will give the audience help on the problems they may have and it will also give their views on the topics that the audience finds interesting. The set design will give a vibrant and happy environment the audience to be in which will translate through the cameras to the watching television audience. We think that there’s a massive gap in the market for a show like this and we hope you have enjoyed reading our proposal.

 Evaluation

Hot Topic- VT Production Assessment 17^th April 2012

I will start of with Monday afternoon. I feel that it didn’t really go to plan on Monday afternoon as there was a lack of communication between the director and the floor manager which was due to the amount of noise which was been made on the studio floor by people from other roles. A positive to come out of Monday afternoon was that we were able to start the studio design. By this I mean we were able to get the rough layout prepared so we could just put the props in their position on Tuesday morning. But apart from that there was nothing which really went to plan as a lot of people didn’t really seem to know what to do or they just couldn’t be bothered with the roles they were assigned with.

On Tuesday morning we told the presenters to get to the studio for 10:30am. This meant we had from 9am-10:30am to prepare the studio. I thing that this could have gone a lot better as the set designers could have been doing different jobs instead of following each other around to do jobs which only needed one person. Also, people who were doing other roles could have helped the floor designers if they weren’t busy as this would have made the process far quicker than it originally was. We were then in the situation in which we had to ask the presenters to wait while we finished setting up the studio which was very embarrassing for some members of the cast but for others they didn’t really care so it didn’t really matter to them. Eventually we set up the studio and personally I think it looked as good as it could have looked and the setup of it was superb.

After a few little hiccups with the cameras and technology we were using, we started doing the run through’s. On one occasion there was no one to control the auto-cue and when the floor manager asked someone to do it who didn’t have a role, there was a confrontation which involved the floor manager walking out. This wasn’t ideal at the time as we were trying to get through it as quick as possible. The direction which was been given out was superb throughout the whole procedure and especially when things were getting hectic and people were getting stressed, the director handled it wonderfully. When the original floor manager had stormed off, a replacement quickly stepped in and did a good job until lunch time. We got around a quarter of the run through’s done which wasn’t really good enough as we should have nearly finished all the run through’s in the time that we had.

After lunch everyone was on a high and we got things started relatively quickly and we were going through the run through’s in good time. Then when the director made sure everyone knew that it was the final run through, some of the cast were shocked and walked out, this again included the floor manager. This was a big problem as it highlighted the fact of how little communication there was between all of the cast. This then stalled the process completely until we found the floor manager which was when he resumed his duties. We then continued how we had started in filming. The direction given was once again superb and the communication was far better than it was before lunch. Unfortunately we got to the end of the day still needing to film the intro which was a big inconvenience as we had to strip down the studio once this day of filming had finished so we were unable to finish filming Hot Topic. The positive to come out of the day was that we were all able to communicate and to work as a team. We showed this by recovering in the right way from the little things in which stalled the production. The main negative to come out of the day was the amount of people doing nothing who could have been doing something to make sure that the production was finished on time. Had they been doing things like helping out with roles which were important, then I have no doubt that the show would have been finished. Overall I think the show wasn’t really a success as we didn’t finish it so more effort by some people would have made the show a success.

Roles Assessment

Director- I think the director was superb. She gave complete direction and she kept the floor calm in situations which would stress a lot of people out. There was not much more in which the director could have done.

Vision Mixer- The vision mixer was also very good as she used the variation of camera shots and angle in a very good way.

Producer- The producer did very well. She over-looked all the proceedings and all of the filming in the way which she should.

Executive Producer- The executive producer didn’t do to badly but he should have been on set a lot more than he was.

Camera Operators- The camera operators weren’t the best as they moaned a lot but they all did their job as good as they could.

Auto Cue Operator- The auto-cue operator was very good but did at times lack concentration which was vital to the production.

Set Designers- The set designers did an absolutely brilliant job. The set looked magnificent and it was all structured which was very good.

Floor Manager- The floor manager was very good but he was also very stroppy at times. His mistakes were the mistakes which meant the production could not be finished in time.

Runner- The runner was very good as she did everything she needed to do very well. Also she was very organized and didn’t argue when asked to do things.

Script Writer- The script writer was superb. He stepped in to do the voiceovers as well so he juggled two jobs. The script was magnificent and fitted in well with the target audience.

Purpose Of Interviews

Every Interview that is made ALWAYS has a purpous. There are 4 main purpouses, Research, Understanding, Inform, Interpretive, Emotional.
Research interviews are made so that the the interviewer can get more information about a topic or a person. This is also known as investigating because the interviewer is finding out information they didnt already know.
Understanding interviews are very similar. These are made so that the interviewer can help the audience get a better understanding of a topic, they would use open questions to get as much information as they can.

Inform interviews are interviews that contain alot of information and made to inform the public about a topic or a subject that they might find interesting.

Emotional interviews are usually very soft interviews which is light-hearted news. They are usually made when a death has occured or something sad has happened.

Communication skills

To create a good interview, the interviewer will have to have good communication skills. This is one of the most vital aspects to a successful interview as the interviewee will want the full attention of the interviewer on them and nothing else.

Building a rapport:
Building a rapport is essential to a good interview. The interviewer should straight away attempt to create a good relationship with the interviewee so that they can get the most factual information out of them to make the interview a successful one. If they make a bad impression on the interviewee, this could end up with the interviewee been very stubborn and shy about things, especially if the interviewer goes into detail about subjects that they are very sensitive on.
Active Listening:
Active listening is also a very important aspect of communication skills as it is often used in a successful interview. Listening carefully to the interviewee's answer is vital as it may result in the interviewer adjusting there questions due to the interviewee saying something intriguing which the interviewer can pick up on and therefore ask more variation in questions. Bad active listening may result in a major confession or story been missed by the interviewer so therefore may lose them a lot of reputation.
Body Language
Body Language is the final essential part of good communication skills. The interviewer must portray them self in a good way and make the interviewee feel comfortable or the interview will just fail completely. For example, if the interviewer doesn't come across as confident to the interviewee, the interviewee will therefore feel very unsure and lost as they don't carry the confidence to reply to the interviewer.

A very good example of an interview with bad communication skills is the Russell Harty interview with Grace Jones. Harty turns his back to kelly which immediately riles her and she attacks him. Just turning his back to kelly is proof of Russell Harty's lack of skills because the interviewee should always stay as the centre of attention.

Interview Techniques

Question types
There are many types of questions you can ask in an interview, Open, Closed, Single and multiple are just four of them.
An open question is a question where the interviewer is attempting to get a descriptive answer out of the interviewee. The interviewer will often achieve this by using the 5 W's ( who, what, why, where, when ) and How.
A closed question is often used in survey's or small interviews like red carpet interviews.They are often used to get short one worded answers like yes and no.
Single questions is simply just one question. They are often used in vox pops's to get information of a variation of people.
Multiple questions are questions that can be used in extensive interviews or questionnaires. They can be used to get a lot of information out of one person or an opinion. They're are a variation of questions asks in the interview below with actor Warwick Davis. The main types of questions asked are closed questions as it is a red carpet interview and usually people don't have a lot of time to waste.

A good interview always depends on the style of the interview. If the style is hard news, tough questions will be asked. Hard news is often breaking news or anything to do with politics or stories that the public will want to here about. a good example of hard news is the Election debate in 2011 between Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Gordon brown. Hard news is on occasions used with a live public audience which adds more emphasis to it because it shows that a lot of people are very interested in the topic which is been discussed.

If the style is light-hearted news, the questions will tend to be very soft and the interviewer will be held in an alot more calmer environment. Light-hearted news is often used when a celebrity has a child or when there is news that the public aren't to fussed about but some show an interest in. Jonathan Ross interviewing David Beckham is a very good example of Light-hearted news because it is a very calm interview which covers many aspects but in a light-hearted way.

The structuring of an interview is in some words the interviewers 'agenda'. The way a good interview should be structured is:

Introduction Question

Developmental Questions

Confidence building

Key Questions

Soundbites

Summary

Wind-up 

This type of structure in an interview will always get the best answers out of the interviewee.

Journalist Context

Journalistic context consists of a variation of interviews. These interviews include Print, Television, Audio, Online, News, and Sport. Interviews are all done so that interviewer can get interesting information for the public who are interested in the topic of the interview.
Print
Print interviews are mainly done for newspaper or magazines. Print means that the interview is written and can be used in any type of print press. Also, print can be used for a television or radio interview.

Television

Television interviews are always done for a T.V channel or a broadcasting network. The main type of television interviews will appear on chat shows like The Jonathan Ross Show or Question Time. Television interviews are also very versatile and can be used for print or audio.

Audio

Audio interviews are always made for the Radio Network. Any type of topic may be discussed on Radio but it will always be checked over by the editor before broadcast. Audio interviews can also be used for print.

Online

Online Interviews are the most modern type of interviews due to the rise of the internet in the past 3 decades. They are very similar to print interviews, but instead of being published in newspapers or magazines, they are published on websites.

There are also a number of interviews that can be made using these. 

Vox Pops

Vox pops are small pieces of audio which are often a collection of very short questions with very short answers which are answered by the public. They would be mainly used on radio and online These are mainly used to get various opinions on hot topics. Vox Pops are mainly used on radio as short 5 second clips, although they can be used on T.V but they will tend to be alot longer than 5 seconds and will be classed as a short interview.

Editorial interviews

Editorial interviews are the interviews in which are made by the ditor. Every interview has to be checked over by the editor anyway to make it to the highest standard. 

Red Carpet

Red Carpet interviews are usually made at big media events or awards evenings which are well known in the media industry. The thing which is different about them is that they can be used in any type of interview.  They are often used in print for magazines but they are also seen on television. A good example of a red carpet interview is the Christina Aguilera interview at the Golden Globes in 2011. This interview is originally prepared for television, but it can easily be used in audio, print and online.

T.V Show interviews

Reality T.V show interviews are mainly produced for television, but they can be translated or referred into print. They always have a presenter, who is also the interviewer. They can be shown live but they are usually recorded a few days before it is due to air so that the editors have time to edit out the things they think aren't important for the show. One of the best T.V show interviewers in the U.K is Jonathan Ross, here he is interviewing Steve Coogan, but in the character of Alan Partridge.