Unit 20: Single Camera
Single Camera Production
A single camera setup is a filmmaking technique originally developed in the 1910s in which every shot and every angle is filmed using the same camera like if there was a conversation between two characters - the camera will point towards one person with some or all of the scene shot from one angle.
The advantages of single camera production is mainly that scenes don't have to be shot in sequence therefore more detail or dramatic effect can be added in editing, and cheaper and easier to move and set up than multi camera which is more expensive and usually only allows for one take. Multiple cameras mean improved picture quality and optical zoom functionality. Each camera has a lens that can give you either a wide shot or a zoomed-in shot.
Probably most disadvantageous aspect of shooting with single-camera production is that you only get one angle at a time - You will be spending a lot more time in the editing room which will take longer for piece of media e.g. film/TV show to be produced. Editing is quite limited than multi camera. Continuity will be very limited and the shoot will take longer to film.
Single Vs. Multiple Camera Production
Multiple Cameras
The multiple-camera setup is a video production method where several cameras record or broadcast a scene at the same time. The concept of multi-camera filming is simple: multiple cameras are used during a shoot to film one subject.
Multi camera filming makes for much more engaging and enjoyable viewing than relying on a single camera, shooting statically from one angle. Additional camera angles allow you to cut from a wide shot to a close up, which not only helps stop a scene from dragging on, but also adds depth to your story for example high contrast lighting. Good lighting can not only add dimension and depth to your compositions, but it can make your film so much better.
The disadvantage of multi camera is that it can slow you down because you would spend more timing collecting and editing a consistent narrative. A multiple camera set can cost you more as you need more equipment. Image from live production TV and your lighting is more limited. It is difficult to do consistent continuity because with multiple cameras, continuity error is likely to happen and difficult to fix it like example if actors hand in his pocket but the next shot see his hand is out of his pocket, it would be considered a continuity error and order to fix it, they probably need to reshoot which takes time and would delay the production
1. the state or quality of being continuous; connectedness; coherence. 2. a continuous flow, series, or succession; unbroken, coherent whole.
Different camera production research
Documentries
Documentaries on Netflix use multiple camera set up to show case different views of subjects. Majority of documentaries uses a multiple camera setup because they have a bigger budget. It would be easier to film multiple shots of the subject. It typically takes 2-3 months or more to make a documentary.
This time is in three phases:
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Pre-production
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Production
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Post-production
Ultimately, the final length of the documentary and its complexity will determine the length of the process. The benefit of multi camera production is would be more engaging to the viewer because seeing lots of interesting shots. By industry standards, a documentary costs between $750 - $1250 per minute of the duration. However, you can easily make a low-budget documentary under $15000. A big-budget documentary can run beyond $2 million in production.
TV Dramas
Tv dramas uses a single camera production because tv dramas do not have a lot of budget to spend on cameras.
Single camera production would be better option because is mainly that scenes don't have to be shot in sequence therefore more detail or dramatic effect can be added in editing to make it more engaging to the viewer which can increase in viewers.
TV dramas with camera production can cost up to $1.5 million - $3 million dollars per 30 mins of an episode. A full-length feature film can take up to 3 months to shoot while a half-hour television series episode can take as little as 4 days. Principal photography typically lasts 4 – 10 weeks*.
YouTube Vlogs
Youtube Vlogs generally uses a single camera production because it would cheaper to produce more than with multi camera production because multi camera is expensive its difficult to edit with consistent continuity.
Generally most vlogs don't need a multi camera production to present the subject e.g a place, item or person. vlogs do not need a lot editing which makes it faster to produces as a daily basis. The average time reported was around 7 hours for 1–5 minutes of video! Casual vloggers fell in the lower bound and often did not do scripting or heavy editing.
Sitcom/Soap
Sitcom/Soap generally uses a multi camera production like Big Bang Theory. Just one take and they were done. The filming took a total of about three hours.
As we funneled out of the soundstage and through the Warner Bros. The Big Bang Theory is filmed in one retake which makes it difficult because they can't have many mistakes. The Big Bang Theory episodes cost a whopping $9 million to create.
Music Video
Music Video Generally uses a single camera production because generally the main artist like awolnation, Sub Urban, Katy Perry, Skillet etc. has lower budget to spend on production so most of them uses a single camera production.
Most of their music are heavily edited, using a single camera production will give them more easy editing opportunities while multiple camera production will take longer to produce.
Single camera setups can be used in diverse environments because the cameras do not need to be positioned in a certain way or so that they are not in each other's line of sight.
Camera Technique
Advertisements
Advertisements generally uses a single camera production because advertisements don't need a higher budget so it doesn't need a multiple camera set up.
Since advertisement is for couple seconds it doesn't require a lot of editing so multiple camera is unneeded
Sporting Events
Sporting events uses a multiple camera production because generally they have higher budget. It is easier to capture footage e.g. someone running using a multiple camera than using a single cameras production.
The main benefit of a multi-camera production is that the variety of many camera angles adds visual interest to any live performance or edited production. Traditionally a multi-camera production has required one camera operator for each camera.
Camera techniques are one of the most fundamental parts of cinematic narratives. In films, the way the camera is moved, makes a big contribution to the story. Filmmakers put considerable thought into how camera movement contributes to the narrative.
Movements
Tracking: Camera Moving in or out, left or right, following a subjects movements (Dollying). The main purpose of the tracking short is to immerse the audience in the film, allowing them to real-time journey through a setting in the same manner as the onscreen characters.
Zooming: Camera lens moving in or out of a subject. The lens moves but the camera remains stationary. It can cause the audience to feel claustrophobic or force them to fixate on a single subject.
Tilting: Camera moves up or down only, the camera remains in a stationary position. Tilting can be used as a reveal as in tilting up from seeing the murder victim, to the weapon, to the identity of the killer.
Panning: Camera moves left or right only, the camera remains in a stationary position.
Steadicam: Camera follows a subjects movements while physically attached to a camera operator. The main purpose of steadicam is to isolates the camera operator's movement and makes the shot look smooth and controlled, capturing the action without any wobbles.
Hand-Held: Camera is not mounted and therefore has a jerky action, creating a sense of realism
Framing
Extreme long shot: The cameras focus is on the location, there is no subject or the subject is far away
Long Shot: The cameras focus is on the subjects whole body, with the subject framed head to toe
Medium Long Shot: The cameras focus is on the subjects body, with the subject framed from the knees up
Mid Shot: The cameras focus is on the subjects whole torso, with the subject framed head to waist
Medium Close Up: The cameras focus is on the subjects upper torso, with the subject framed head to chest
Close Up: The cameras focus is on the subjects profile, with the subject framed head to shoulders
Big Close Up: The cameras focus is on the subjects facial expressions, with the subject framed eyes to mouth
Extreme Close Up: The cameras focus is on the subjects facial elements, with specific features framed
Angles/shots
Birds Eye View: A shot taken from directly above, looking down on to the action or a point of interest
Worms Eye View: A shot taken from directly below, looking up to the action or a point of interest
High/Low Angle: A shot taken from diagonally above/below the action or point of interest, looking down/up
Canted Angle: An unbalanced shot, where the physical camera itself is placed at an unorthodox angle
Wide Angle: A shot taken from distance in order to frame more than two subjects at the same time
Two Shot: A shot taken at eye-level, that frames two subjects in the same place at the same time
Over the Shoulder: A shot taken from behind a subjects shoulder, engaging in conversation with another
Point of View: A shot taken from a subjects line of sight, allowing the audience to see what the subject sees
Establishing Shot: A shot taken from an extreme distance, always occurring at the start of a scene
Settings
Focus: Focusing is the moving of the lens elements until the sharpest possible image is achieved. Depending on the distance of the subject from the camera, the focusing elements have to be set a certain distance from the camera's sensor to form a clear image.
Examples
Extreme long Shot
long Shot
Medium long Shot
Medium Shot
Close Up
Extreme close up
Video
Aperture: Aperture refers to the opening of a lens's diaphragm through which light passes. Lower f/stops give more exposure because they represent the larger apertures, while the higher f/stops give less exposure because they represent smaller apertures. Higher the number of lens, much more clearer the second object will be in the background.
Focal-length: Focal length, usually represented in millimeters (mm), is the basic description of a photographic lens. The longer the focal length, the narrower the angle of view and the higher the magnification. The shorter the focal length, the wider the angle of view and the lower the magnification. The 'rule' of thumb is to choose a shutter speed with a denominator that is larger than the lens focal length.
Examples
Examples
1.8
2.2
2.8
7.1
3.5
9.0
4.5
5.6
11
18
22
14
18
28
35
50
80
135
200
300
Shutter Speed: Shutter speed is a measurement of the time the shutter is open, shown in seconds or fractions of a second: 1/2 s, 1/4 s, 1/8 s, 1/15 s, 1/30 s, 1/60 s, 1/125 s, 1/250 s, 1/ 500 s and 1/1000 s. In other words, the faster the shutter speed the easier it is to photograph the subject without blur and “freeze” motion and the smaller the effects of camera shake. The higher the shutter speed, the clearer the movement will be the subject.
1/8
Examples
1/2
1/4
1/15
1/30
1/60
1/125
1/250
1/500
1/1000
ISO: For digital photography, ISO refers to the sensitivity—the signal gain—of the camera's sensor. The ISO setting is one of three elements used to control exposure; the other two are f/stop and shutter speed. With film cameras, using a higher ISO film, such as ISO 400 to 1000, often resulted in noticeable grain. ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization.
160
3200
100
200
400
800
LAA: Core assessment
1600
6400
3200
12800
Music Video: This is 'If All Should Fail' performed and edited by Rusty Cage.
I chose this music video because it has got interesting camera angles and framing and all have been used to create meaning within the music video. The ultimate purpose of a music video is to promote the artist and their new song while entertaining the audience. Although the whole music video is shot in mainly dark room, still clear enough to be viewed which suggest the ISO is quite high maybe 6400
Angles: The music video started with establishing shot of Rusty Cage's hands playing the piano. In this shot he is wearing black gloves and setting is quite dark. The intended purpose to show the tone of the music video and what to expect of the music video.
Specific Shots: Majority of shots in his music video uses a medium long shot. the intended purpose is show his body from his knees to head. He's intent was show that he (Rusty Cage) is in all black costumes because People who wear all black often are subconsciously trying to protect themselves from feelings they think they can't control. They are usually easily over-stimulated, and perhaps struggle to ward off anxiety and stay focused on their daily tasks which correlates the lyrics and the main message of the song.
Specific shots: At 0:44, we see a close up shot of his face all covered by the black costume. The main purpose of a close up shot is an emotional moment that draws in the audience and portrays a character's innermost feelings. This makes the viewer feel like they're part of the action. To play up a character's subtleties but in this music video his face is all covered up which conveys the main message of the song of not opening up to people.
Specific shots: At 0:50, He used a mid shot of him using a hammer hitting a wooden plank, he used the shot to show the audience how he created the sound for the music video.
Framing: At 1:05, we see a close up shot of his covered up face, in this shot we see he trying get out of the costumes which a metaphor of the main message music video.
Specific Shots: At 1:20, in this shot we see Rusty Cage finally took of the black costume, in this shot we see him is normal clothes which convey he finally opening up to people and letting them in to his life.
Specific shots: At 1:26, we see a two shot of Rusty Cage one in his normal clothes and another one him in his black costumes playing an instruments. In this shot, it conveys that he is still the same person but he slowly changing becoming a better person.
Angle: we see a wide angle of Rusty cage in his normal clothes which conveys he is changing as a person
Movements: Majority of music video uses steady cam to capture good and non-wobbly footage. He uses zooming later in music video, towards his face because zooming can either be performed towards longer focal lengths, giving a "zoom in" effect: The filmed object will then increase in apparent size, and fewer objects become visible on film.
Specific shot: At 2:21, we a two shot of him in his black costume, he achieved it by clever editing.
Specific shot: At 2:56, there is a mid shot of him putting back on his black costumes which convey that he hasn't change and reverting back to same person as before.
Editing: Through out the music video, he mostly uses straight cut editing because it would be quicker to make the music video and release at a deadline. Cutting to the beat is a way of editing a video so that each clip changes at the same time as the beat of the track. Most clips use a 'cut' transition, so you generally 'cut to the beat' of the music and it allows one shot to suddenly end and the next shot to abruptly come onto the screen. It allows unnecessary footage to be removed or shortened.
The benefits of a single camera production is that cheaper would be cheaper to produce and the intended music video don't need fancy editing so for limited option of editing would be better. While the single camera setup may take more time than the multi-camera setup, it offers more versatility and allows the Youtuber to have more control over each shot. This method is often used not just in cinema but also in commercials, prime time dramas, and made-for-TV movies. He used a single camera production because he wants to establish the tone of the song and the music video.
TV Drama: Sweet home - As humans turn into savage monsters, one troubled teenager and his neighbours must fight to survive and to hold onto their humanity.
I used this scene from Sweet Home because it has lots of clever and interesting shots using a single camera production which create a good and terrifying scene with lots of tension. In many of shots, the aperture would be quite high because settings and props are in focus of a particular shot which makes the shot interesting.
Costume: The main character (Cha Hyun Soo) is wearing a normal teenager clothing for example hoodies which stereotypical for teenagers to wear.
Angle: At the beginning of the scene, there is a birds eye view of a father trying to climb out of his flat. It's main purpose to show how isolated and trap the characters are in their complex building and how risky is to escape.
Framing: Constant close up of Eyeball Monster makes the audience feel unease because the creators wanted make the monster scary as possible and being overly strong and appose to a threat to the main character and the children. It also to show that monster has no morals and would kill anyone who stands in its way.
Framing: It uses a long shot to show how big the monster compared to the human characters which makes the audience feel frighten and hoping for the main character can escape from the monster and rescue the children.
Movement: At 0:17, it show the perspective of the monster and what it sees. They achieved it by zooming to unsuspected person climbing down and then cut to the monster starring at its prey, then person fell off to his death.
Angle: They used a low angle shot to show how frighten and shocked Cha Hyun Soo is when he witness a person falling to his death and see the children in danger.
Angles: At 0:53, they use a wide angle to show that main character is small, vulnerable, alone and weak against eyeball monster. The light coming from window suggest ISO would be quite high in this shot.
Specific shots: we get a close up of main character which shows him in fear and slowly thinking ways to help the children against the eye ball monster
Angles: At 1:06, we see they used a birds eye view again to show main character's TV is falling and dropped on eye ball monster. He dropped the TV on to the monster because he wants direct the monster so it won't harm the children.
Angles: At end of the clip, it shows the main character is being squished by eyeball monster. In this shot they used 2 shot because it creates a tension between the main character and the monster. The intension was to terrify the audience hoping he can escape or someone to help him.
Sound: The main score in this scene is non-diegetic sound which is music where only the audience can only hear it but not the characters. For sounds of monster, they probably use design SFX because monsters do not exist in reality so they have to create a unique and original sound for the monsters. When the monster was climbing and destroying the building, they probably created those sounds from a Foley artist like falling TV or monsters breaking buildings, so Foley artist try and create the sounds for this scene.
Editing: In this scene, the creators probably used quick cuts for this scene because it is used to create panic and give scene energy because the idea of monster is attempting to harm and the children and it's up to the main character to save them.
It uses a single camera production because they creators need lots of CGI or Makeup for monsters to look as realistic as possible so just having one camera would save on money and invest that money into CGI. In the last several decades, however, the single camera technique has become more widely used in television sitcoms and comedy-dramas as it not only gives the production more of a feature film style, but it also allows for the integration of visual effects that are difficult to achieve in a multi-camera setup. The advantages of single camera production is mainly that scenes don't have to be shot in sequence therefore more detail or dramatic effect can be added in editing, and cheaper and easier to move and set up than multi camera which is more expensive and usually only allows for one take. The single camera production has set up the stakes and fear of monster by showing us how massive the monster compared to the humans and how ridiculously tough to kill those monsters. It also is to establish the tone of this tv drama and try to make the audience feel unease and worried for the humans.
Sitcoms: Eleanor, a deceased saleswoman who lived a morally corrupt life, finds herself in a heaven-like afterlife in a case of mistaken identity and tries to hide her past in order to stay there.
I used this scene from The Good Place because the creators used basic single camera technique to create deeper meaning in this sitcom. In the whole clip, the ISO would be quite high but not too much. The exposure would probably be 3200
Costume: Eleanor is wearing normal female American outfit. Michael is wearing a suit because since he is in charge of the good place he has look professional.
Specific shot: At the beginning of the clip, they used a establishing shot show the area of the good place. The green plants convey growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety which looks and sounds like paradise which the good place meant to be.
Movements: The creator used tracking as the main movement because tracking short is to immerse the audience in the show, allowing them to real-time journey through a setting in the same manner as the onscreen characters.
Angles: At 0:26, they used 'over the shoulder' technique to film this conversation. In this shot, the character Michael seem to be larger than Eleanor in that shot, trying convey that Michael is more powerful and have higher authority, making Eleanor feel smaller which hints the foreshadowing at the end of the scene and the show.
Framing: At 1 minute, in this they use a establishing shot of both Eleanor and another character's house (Tahani), this is to show how small and out of place Eleanor is compare to everyone else in the good place and which foreshadows that she isn't suppose to be in the good place.
Specific shot: we see a point of view when viewing her memories, in logic it would make sense if her memories were recorded from a 1st person perspective rather than 3rd person which most TV show or film uses which don't make sense in reality.
Specific shot: There is a close up of Eleanor with facial of pure happiness from viewing that memory which is not hers which forshadowing that although she wasn't a good person on earth, she still has a heart and this probably motivates later in series to get better as a person
Angles: At the end of clip, Eleanor confess that those memories and description are not hers to Chidi. To convey this conversation they use a 'two shot' because a two shot is a type of shot in which the frame encompasses two people (the subjects). This framing is often used for shots of two people in moments of great dramatic tension like for example Eleanor is not to supposed to be in the good place.
Sound: For this scene, they use a score because this piece of music was only specific for this scene. They use Background SFX for background noise to establish the location of the Good Place. They use non-diegetic sound because only the audience can hear the music.
Editing: They used straight cut techniques because its a simple editing technique and it get the basic information to the audience. They also used long takes for some shots like the 0:00-0:10 and 1:00-1:15 because a common one is for an establishing shot that introduces the audience to a new scene or location. Since there aren't any cuts, a long take smoothly draws us into the space via continuous look at the setting and moving parts.
In this scene and rest of the show, they mainly used a single camera production because they want to keep the budget short and this type of show don't need fancy editing so the limited option would be beneficial. Essentially, the single camera format allows for more exploration. And a writer can easily fluctuate between writing comedy. Because of this, single camera production have become increasingly popular within the last 10 years. They used a single camera production to establish the character's situation in The Good Place, that Eleanor isn't the person they say about her and she says that those memories of going to Ukraine or being a lawyer aren't hers which creates conflicts with Chidi and this revelation affects the whole narritive of the show.
LAB: Core Assessment
Shooting script
Location Recce
Treatment: Powerpoint Presentation
This all of my planning documents such as shooting script, Location Recce, Risk Assessment, Shooting Schedule, booking equipment and storyboard for the music video. I am filming the disequilibrium part of the music video.
Risk Assessment
Any potential risk that might occur when filming on the fields
Equipment Booking
Shooting Schedule
Storyboard
When the main characters meet up after class. Josh (male character) decided to breaks up with the (female character) Mary and this caused her to get upset
Mary is now processing what just happened and she leaves josh behind, leaving him alone.
This is Josh processing what he has just done and he walks down the stairs, upset with himself
He gets frustrated and angry with himself and he started to kick the wall and the final shot is him sitting down, looking upset with himself which concluded the disequilibrium and this leads to the recognition/attempt
Video Log sheet
LAC: Core Assessment
My Disequilibrium part of the Energy Cube music video
BrainPower - Energy Cube (Official Music Video)
Music Video LOGS
My Evaluation of my music video + Audience Research
The questionnaires That I used
Results shown in the table
Audience Research in clear View
