Unit 23: multi-camera techniques

Chloe Warren

Stage

LeftAudience

RightAudience

CentreAudience

I placed a camera here because a festival is all about live music and the atmosphere it brings with it so I wanted to show the viewers at home what kind of atmosphere certain artists bring to the stage.

Having a camera placed here was important in my plan as from here you can get a whole overview of the festival. This allows people to see everything in pretty much one shot.

This camera angle also applies with the one at the bottom left, it allows viewers to see peoples reaction to the festival music which is what its all about but also you get different angles of the whole crowd by positioning three different cameras evenly

Positioning three cameras at the front of the stage lets you gain access to the artists close and personal, it concentrates on all the details, body language, facial expressions ext. not only that but you can also film the audience right near the front which allows the viewers to see the relationship formed between the artist and its fans. These shots are really important because you can gain an opinion of how they preform ext. and especially as they are the main attraction

Positioning three cameras at the back of the stage is equally as important as placing them at the front. I positioned three at the back, one on the left one in the middle and one in the back so it allows the camera crew to capture all the necessary shots. It also allows you to see the audience from the artists perspective but also again it allows you to see close ups of the artist and more of the band who are involved.

Thumbnails of camera angels

Celebrity juice

friends

audience

Coverage of meaning

In this diagram I have place the cameras to where I feel they would be placed in a actual studio. I took the inspiration of my setup from celebrity juice. Placing two cameras at the back of the studio allows the viewers to see the audience and their reactions. Also placing two cameras at the back where the audience are allows the viewers at home to see the audiences reactions to the show, this makes the show more entertaining for the audience. and obviously the cameras at the front of the set is so the viewers can see the show. I set three at the front, one for the two for the guests (lets and right) and one in the middle so you can see the presenter. Having this many cameras on set allows you to see the whole show in detail and the reactions that they might have. (don’t apply to the diagram… apply to the downloaded videos)

Placing cameras behind the stage/ cast allows the

constrains• (pick out examples from downloaded videos) When filming you need to consider the

constrains and the consequences. For example if you are filming outside you would need to consider, the lighting, weather and sound. These can all effect the filming if you have bad weather, which is unpredictable but also the sound of wind, rain and the lighting, you would need to consider if its right for the setting you were after. However there are also constrains of filming inside a studio, there are health and safety precautions that would need to be addressed for example there may be loads of wires laying loosely but also limited space could be an issue that would need to be considered. Filming in a studio also consists of different lighting, its not natural light and can be altered to set a specific mood for example in celebrity juice the lights turn dark to create a more dramatic and exciting experience for the audience an example of this is at ‘7:10:30’. Another example of this is in friends where …

Visual style• Visual style is where producers use certain colours to create a specific atmosphere and

meaning through the use of colours. For example ‘GMTV’ uses a bright stream of colours for their studio. This is used specifically to convey the idea of a bright and happy start to the morning by watching this programme, the colours in this studio really help to reflect this by using yellows reds and blues. These are regarded as happy colours and can automatically change a mood of someone. People would

• However for a programme such as the x factor the lighting is completely different, its very dark, this is to gain effect.. The only people who is highlighted is the contestants and the judges this shows importance and makes the show more dramatic. For the viewers at home they wouldn’t necessarily notice this change but if the lighting was brighter like day break for example then the show wouldn’t be as moving and wouldn’t be seen as important. Visual style does definitely have an effect for the audience if they notice it or not. Its very important for producers to recognise this and change the lighting for the right type of programme.

Multi camera simultaneous

• Multi camera simultaneous is when you are recording at the same time with two or more cameras it gives more of a variety shot to the viewer and portrays peoples reactions close-up. This technique is used so you don’t miss out on any shots or reactions and it uses variety to gain entertainment.

Maintaining viewer interest• For a programme to be successful no matter if its filmed outside or inside a studio, you need

to meet the audience needs by keeping the programme interesting. This is done by changing angles and shot types, this allows the audience to gain a different perspective and allows them to view there programme as If they were watching it from the eye. An example of this is in friends where phoebe claims she doesn’t believe in evolution, it then shows rosses reaction using about three different shots types ‘00:29:82’ this is very effective as it allows the audience to see the reactions of the characters and not just hear them. This technique not only keeps your audience entertained but it builds tension enhancing the story line. Another example of this is in celebrity juice where

Communicating meaning to the viewer

• This where for example it could go to one shot of someone scoring and then it would go to another shot of the audience during a match and then back to the rugby players. This is communicating meaning to the viewer because its showing a storyboard reaction.