Multi camera formats and uses Task 1 - Unit 35

Multicam is a technique used in nearly all forms of media including News, TV series and movies.
TV Sitcoms such as "Big bang theory" use multi cam in order to capture multiple people at once in one scene to save time and to make sure that reactions to different scenarios are more convincing because everything's happening on screen at the same time. Multicam is also on the cheaper side for editing as all of the footage is kept organised and easy to find.

Compared to single cam, it's much more convenient and faster because single cam requires more production time and work overall. In multicam, the 2 outer cameras are most often used for close ups of the active characters on set at the time, however with multiple cameras at different angles, it is hard to have optimal lighting in every shot, however multicam may be hard to operate on a sitcom because since it's filmed in front of a live audience, there's no room for error. Cameras are stationed throughout the set for ease of access to different sets, there are usually 1 or 2 cameras in multiple different locations at a time depending on character positions, this allows for quick switches of perspective for the viewers watching at home.

Soap operas like Coronation street have Multi camera as a necessity because it speeds up the filming process, TV soaps are supposed to look realistic so filming from multiple angles allows the editors to choose the best usable footage. It also helps film dramatic scenes as the reactions are caught as something happens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=112&v=an3w68-iN5s
Here is a clip from east enders as an example of this.



Depending on the type of TV being filmed whether it's a movie, sitcom or Soap opera all have different ways of using multi camera to their advantage and some share each of their values, Movies and soap operas are similar in their techniques as they use multiple cameras to focus on multiple characters are subjects at a time so everything can be shown and reacted to in real time.


Using a multi camera set up could meet any number of cameras from 2 to up to as many as the crew want to use, they're not limited to a set number, however although having more cameras will speed production up, it will take longer to edit due to the amount of footage spread across all cameras, all Cameras need to be set up and managed very carefully and specifically, just one mistake could ruin the filming and they'd have to start again.

Magazine shows are a main place where multi camera is used almost exclusively, however it's essential that there are too many cameras as it might confuse the hosts of the magazine show, there are usually 2 or 3 main cameras on magazine shows but this depends on how many hosts there are. The cameras focus on both hosts and the center of them so that both can be in one frame, an example is the Oscars magazine show the cuts in and out of the Oscars broadcast during advert breaks.

Multi camera has a tone of different roles assigned to it in order for everything to go smoothly, of course you have the camera operator who is on the front lines using the camera and filming the scenes, the set designer is another vital role, the basis of this job is to build a set which looks convincing and realistic enough to invest the viewer in the show, Lighting desk is a big and important role although it sounds unimportant, the role of the lighting desk is to operate the light around the set and to choose carefully where the best place would be to have optimal lighting. These are only a few of the many important roles of a multi camera project. Some magazine shows can be live broadcasts-

Multi cam is essential for

live broadcasts because of the many different subjects covered if it's a live news coverage, it allows the broadcast to switch cameras at a moments notice from weather to breaking news etc. During a live broadcast, using multiple cameras keeps everything moving on schedule due to there time slot, it's also a continuity plan just in case any cameras have technical difficulty's  during the broadcast.