The Single-Camera and Multi-Camera Set-Up

Single-CameraAn advantage of single camera shows is that directors believe it appears more real to the audience. Therefore it has a greater impact on them making it easier to relate to what is on screen.

The format is more convenient as not all crew

needs to be present, awkward shots being

easier to film with single camera techniques

due to the cameraman having the availability

to get right in-between the actors.

The shot can be changed by stopping the

actors and moving the camera and

starting the action again. This is suitable

when the director wants the audience to

feel more involved in the action, or

watching it from a point of view of an

actor.

Formats & Genres: A one-camera shoot

allows the production to strive towards

perfection of the scene's set-up from the

lighting and art requirements to the

blocking of the actors. This set-up is typically

used in narrative films, mobile shoots, and

documentaries.

AdvantagesDisadvantages• Can be used to create an atmosphere

that is more suitable to the genre of program.

• Cheaper to film apposed to multiple camera techniques, as only one camera needs to be purchased or hired.

• Easier to set up and move around as there is only one camera.

• Only a small crew is needed to operate a single camera.

• Makes the shot feel more real to the audience as it as if you are watching the action.

• Quicker to film.• Lighting can be altered for each shot.

• Having only one camera in a shoot can present a challenge with the film's continuity

• the primary disadvantage of a one-camera set-up is how more time-consuming it is as covering all camera shots and angles would mean having to repeat shots more than what a multi-camera set-up would require

Multi-CameraThe main requirements for a multi-camera director are patience, enthusiasm and good spatial awareness. The director is often sitting in a gallery a long way from the cameras, so must be able to envisage how each camera is positioned in relation to others, and what shots each is able to get.

By setting up multiple cameras to record

events such as weddings, graduations,

presentations, sporting events and such,

the videographer can create a completed

project right there on the spot, ready to

duplicate or broadcast. No more post-

production delays, since you are actually

editing as you shoot.

Formats: Multi-camera shoots are commonly used for sports and news, soap

operas, talk shows, game shows, some

sitcoms and live events where action

cannot be repeated or replicated. Mainly

more documentaries would use these type

of cameras.

Advantages Disadvantages

• Can be a time-saving in the movie production and can help in a very creative endeavour.

• The result is very attractive and well-received.

• Frame accurate and easy to use editing tools allow for greater quality in productions .

• It also reduces the complexity of tracking continuity issues that crop up when the scene is reshot from the different angles. It is an essential part of live television.

• Can be difficult to use multiple cameras at once.

• Drawbacks include a less optimized lighting

Linear (Sequential) Narrative StructuresFlashback movies are often confused with true non-linear narratives. Although they appear to open (very briefly) with the ending, flashback movies almost immediately jump back to the very beginning of the story to proceed linearly from there and usually proceed past the supposed "ending" shown at the beginning of the movie.A majority of Hollywood movies show a linear narrative structure. It’s a thing that has become common.

Realistic Narrative

Films with Realistic Narratives generally favor episodic

stories, which means stories that move along from one

episode to the next, in no particular order, almost like a

“slice of life”. As audiences, we only get to see a part of

a main character’s experiences, but we generally learn

enough about the character to identify and sympathize

with him or her.

Non-Linear (Non-Sequential) Narrative Structures

A classic example of a non-linear narrative is the 1994 film Pulp Fiction. The film is ostensibly three short stories, which upon closer glance are actually three sections of one story with the chronology broken up; no "flashbacks" are involved.

A non-linear narrative is one that does not proceed in a straight-line, step-by-step fashion, such as where an author creates a story's ending before the middle is finished. Linear is the opposite, when narrative runs smoothly in a straight line, when it is not broken up.