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1. Assignment 1
Single Camera Essay
SingleCamera Production Definition:
“Production using only one camera”
It isa type of productionmostoftenusedinmoviesordramaTV programmes,asSitcomstendto be
shotfrom multiple anglesatone time,whereasitisnotuncommonforfilmcrewsto have one
camera seton a track and Dolly,andphysicallymove the camerabetweentakestogetthe entire
scene multipletimes,whichinturngivesthe editormore footage andfreedomtoworkwith
Single CameraProductioncanbe brokendownintofourdistinctstages.These are:
 Development
 Pre-Production
 Production
 Post-Production
Withinthisreport,Iam goingto go intoeach of these sub-categories,detailingthe featuresand
waysthat Single CameraTechnique isusedwithinthem,usingmyownworkandexistingworkas
examples.
Development:
The developmentstage of productionisarguably the mostimportantpartof the processof creating
a short film/tv series/movie.Itinitiallystartswithaclientbrief whichcanbe generallybroken
downintothe followingcategories:
 Contractual
 Negotiated
 Formal
 Informal
 Co-Operative
 Competitive
Afterthe brief isgiven,acompanythenbegins the conceptionof the idea,whichisfollowedbythe
creationof a presentation(professionallyreferredtoasa ‘pitch’to be deliveredtothe
commissioningcompanyoutliningvariousthingssuchasBudgeting (Financescoveringlocation,cast,
equipment,crew,etc.),anyresearchthe companymayhave done inpreparationandresponse to
the brief,andalsothe ideaitself inaverybasic,round-aboutway.
Afterthis,the companywhoiscommissioningmaytake time todecide onwhetherthe ideaisgood
enoughor not,dependingonthe type of ClientBrief (if itisinformal,theymayjustsay‘okay’,
whereasaformal or Competitivebrief maytake some deliberationtodecide on).

2. Once giventhe go-ahead,the company will thensettodevelopingascript,or the firstdraftof the
scriptfor theirproduction.The lengthof time thistakesispurelydowntothe type of production
itself (aBlockbustermovieisgoingtotake longertowrite a final-draftscriptforthan a short filmor
advert).There isalsothe speedthatthe commissioningcompanywantthe scriptcompletedbyto
consider.
The most accurate answerIhave foundonline throughmyresearchasto the speedof writinga
scriptis as follows:
“For the "firstdraft,"I'mgiven 10-12 weeks.Then I get a round of notesfromexecutivesand
producers.Forthe"revision" of thatdraftI'm given 6 weeks,and receive anotherround of
notes.Lastly I do a "polish"which is supposed to take3 weeks.”
- Sean Hood, Screenwriter (Hercules: The Legend Begins,2014)
However, inthe case of our own production,Idraftedmyfirstscriptinthe same sessionasI finished
the script,as it was onlya 1-2 minute longadvert.Thiswasroughly1 hour and 30 minutes all-told.
Brief - https://noonewantsthatphonecall.blogspot.co.uk/p/introduction.html
Script - https://www.slideshare.net/AmyWilkins1/noone-wants-that-phonecall-script
IMPORTANT NOTE – Three Act Structure:
It isimportantto note that while developingaconceptfroma brief,itisn’tuncommontofindthat
the plotand / or eventswithinamovie adhere towhatiscommonlyknownasthe ‘Three-Act-
Structure’,whichiswhere the plotissplitintothree sub-sectionswhichall adhere tothisstructure,
as follows:
Act 1 – The Setup Act 2 – The Confrontation Act 3 – The Resolution
 This part of the movie, inmy
opinion, is the most
important as it sets upthe
ensuing plot and/ or
characters, introducing the
audience to the worldin
which theywill be
experiencingover the next
however long while
watching.
 Mid-late act 1, a dynamic
incident will occur that
(upon failingto deal withit)
means the maincharacter
will thus be thrust intoa
second, evenmore dramatic
situation, more commonly
referredto the first turning
point.
 This signals the endof the
act, gives the protagonist a
reasonto pursue whatever
act 2 promises, andraises a
dramatic questionthat will
be addressedat the endof
the movie
- This marks the start of our
protagonists attempt to
make the problems givento
them in act 1 better, onlyto
find themselves in
progressivelyworse
situations throughout.
- Usually, there will be
introduction to other
characters;most often a
mentor and/ or guidance to
the maincharacter who
helps himor her achieve
their fullpotentialand
‘trains’ themto overcome
said problems that have
occurred thus far.
- Act 2 usuallyends withthe
deathof saidmentor, giving
the protagonist enough
anger and/ or reasonto
headintothe finalconflict of
Act 3
- The start of act 3 is usually
markedbythe sudden
epiphanyof the protagonist
as detailedin Act 2
- It is where all sub-plots and
conflicts are resolved, with
the audience finallybeing
given answers to the
questions theyhave been
thinking about since Act 1
with that first dramatic,
intense plot-point inAct 1
that started the entire
journeybeing resolved
- There is also usuallyan
intense and/ or emotional
moment/sequence for the
protagonist whichleaves
them andtheir companions
with a new sense of who
theyare as characters, thus
leaving the audience witha
satisfied feelinguponthe
movie ending.

3. Thisstructure has beenusedcountlesstimesoverdecadesof filmandTV history,inlive-action
blockbusters,throughtoanimatedchildren’smovies,andevenintoTV shows.Itisa formatthat is
shownto workeverytime,eventhoughinsome casesithasbeenknownthatthe acts may blurinto
each other.The followingare afewexamplesof justhow thisstructure hasbeenusedinMovies,TV
Shows,andevenVideoGamesoverthe years:
(Animated Movie)
(TV Show)

4. (Video Game)
Pre – Production:
Once a teammovesintopre-production,the real workbegins.Itall startswithStoryboarding,where
the directorusuallysitswiththe producersanddraftsoutexactlyhow theywanttheirmovie toflow
ina shot-by-shotaccount.Forexample,the storyboardforourPre-Productionassignmentconsisted
of three pages,withtwohavingsix shotsonthem, while the otherhadonlyfour.Usuallythere are a
lotmore pages,butas my piece wasonlya minute anda half long,there wasalwaysgoingtobe less
contentneedingtobe included.The followingimagesare the storyboardsIdraftedone eveningin
college whichtookme roughly1hour; thougha storyboardmay take weekstofinalizeandbe fully
happywith.

5. Then,once these are completed,Call-Sheets,RiskAssessment,ScriptBreakdownsheets,and
contributorrelease formsfollow,eachof whichare importantandnecessaryintheirownway,and
aidingtoa smoothandsimple production. Alongside the following,castingwilltake place,
equipmentbooking, andlocationresearch,whichIwill notgointodetail astheyare prettyself-
explanatory.

6. Document Description
Call Sheets A call sheetisa piece of paper that has beendraftedbywhoisusuallythe Assistant
Directorand then deliveredto every persononthe crew of a film, tvshow,or
production foreverydayof filming.Ittellsthe crew where theyneedtobe and at
whattime,while alsolistingimportantphone numbersandinformationforthe
crew.
It isalso notuncommonto findlogisticsregardinglocationandtransportationof
equipmentandothercrew members.
(Itis alsoimportantto note thatshooting scheduleswill normallybe included
withinCall Sheets)

7. RiskAssessments Riskassessmentsare preciselyastheirtitle suggests—adocumentoutlining
any possible dangersorhazardsthat couldcome from beingona filmset.For
example,trippingoverwiresthattrail fromcamerasand microphones.
A riskassessmentisneededforeverylocationusedinthe production.
It alsomakesany crew membersaware of the dangersthat couldawaitthem
on-set,thuslesseningthe chance of any accidentshappening.Below isan
example of ariskassessmentIusedformy Photographyassignment—asmy
filmriskassessmentwasmuchtoo large to fiton one page.

8. ScriptBreakdowns A scriptbreakdownisfirstandforemostexactlyasthe name suggests;a
breakdownof the existingscriptintovarioussub-sections,of different
productionelements.Itisusuallycreatedbythe AssistantDirector,butmost
Producers,Directors,andscreenwritershave the knowledge of how todo
this.
These are alsogivento cast and crew everyday.
Please findbelow the template we usedtodesignourswith.
ContributorReleaseForms Contributorrelease formsare simplyacontract and agreementthat
anyone involvedinthe productionasanactor / contributorsignsto
give the productioncompanyfull permissiontouse theircontribution
to the film.
Variouslegislations,laws,andlegalitiesneedtobe takeninto
considerationwhendraftingthese,sothiscanmake thema tedious
and trickyadditiontothe paperworkof the movie.
Belowisthe contributorrelease formforthe actressinmy campaign
advert,Emma,who gave full permissiontomyselfandHarryto use
the footage gatheredonthat night.

9. Once all of these documentsare procured,andall of the legal thingshave beenpassed,itisthen
time to begin puttingall of the documentscreatedtouse,andshootingthe product.
Production:
As itis verydifficulttodescribe exactlywhathappenswithinthe productionof amovie,Iam going
to be usingexamplesfrommyownworkcreatedinAssignment1of Pre-Productioninassociation
withCleveland Fire Brigade.
Stage 1 was actuallyrentingoutourequipment,adheringtothe budgetandschedule we’dmocked
up inboth DevelopmentandPre-Production,meaningthatwe neededtoapplywithincollege for
use of the BlackMagic PocketCinemaCamera,Rifle Mic,FieldRecorder,BoomPole,andTripod.
We hadpreviouslyfiguredoutthatforone day of shooting(as thiswas all the time our production
wouldneed),withall equipmenttakenintoaccount,itwouldcostus roughly£105 had we not been
able to obtainthese throughcollege. Todothis,though,we neededtofill outanonline booking
forma weekinadvance,whichlookedlikethis:
(https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScydo_NaWZ3oPWtXVtP0KoTpH5vJf3aqYB4mc7Mw4IdEaG42A/viewform )

10. Once the equipmentwaspickedupfromthe college technician’sroom, andsignedforbymyself,it
was a matterof waitingafurther48 hoursfor our actressto be available (Saturday2ndDecember
2017) before we couldstartfilming,whichtookonly1hour to complete.
Withthat complete,it wasa matterof bringingthe equipmentbacktocollege andexportingthe
footage fromthe camera’sSD card, back it up onboth mycollege system, myUSBstick,and alsomy
partner’scollege drive andUSBto ensure thatevenif the footage were tocorruptin one port,there
will alwaysbe abackup copysomewhere.
We alsoneeded torecordsome diegeticsounds1
soborrowedafieldrecorderandmiccoverfrom
the techniciansdepartmentinordertoget these andhave a decentqualitysound.These noises
were the following:
- Rustlingof bedsheets
- Jane’smother/fathershoutingherdownstairs
- Footstepsoncarpet
- Jane’sjacketbeingpickedup
All noiseswere recordedinacorridor at college,orinan unusedclassroom, usingmyhoodie,a
chair,and my voice beingprojectedovermultiplefloorsviaastairwell togetthe desiredeffect.
It isimportantto note that our projectonlytookan houror two to recordfully,butwhenworkingon
an actual filmsetitisnot unusual tohave 12 hour daysthat onlyresultin3 minutesof useable
footage,mainlydue tothe cameraneedingtobe setup at variousangles(asitis a single camera
production),andmultiple takesof eachscene needingtobe shot,meaningthatall props,special
effects(suchaspyrotechnicsandotherexplosives)andactorsneedto resetthemselves.
It isalso notuncommonforHollywoodmoviestooverdub scenesif the audioisnotquite right.One
example of thisisin The Godfather,inthe openingscene whereacat is sittingin[Marlon] Brando’s
lap.The cat was a stray and thuswasnot usedto affection,sowhengivenitbyBrando,itresultedin
loudpurringthat drownedoutthe actor’sdialogue.Somuchso that hisdialogue laterhadtobe
dubbedintothe filmviapost-filmingsoundrecording2
.
Once thiswas complete,itwastime tobeginthe final partof the productionprocess;Post
Production.
1 http://filmsound.org/terminology/diegetic.htm
2https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1hYaCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT44&lpg=PT44&dq=godfather+cat+scene+dubbin
g&source=bl&ots=Ddgy_bffeF&sig=BCJlGM2habnh5Auz8JqeyoHAEFA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjwyujCy-
7YAhVN6qQKHcudBHMQ6AEIYDAL#v=onepage&q&f=false

11. Post-Production:
Alsoknownasthe editingprocess,thisstage iswhere everythingstartstobecome a finished
product.In majormovies,itmaytake many,many roughcuts and drafts,but withtime (usually
betweensix and12 months) theydoeventuallyproduce afinal cutthatis sentout to the
commissioningparty/release.
“it totally dependson the production.Filmsthathaveno real VFXor special effectstend to
haveshorterpost-production.Mostbig moviesiworked on had between 6 monthsand a
yearof post-production.”
- Romain Kedochim, Colourist,AVIDTech Support,[Sixteen19]3
Ours,though,was completedinasingle weekendby oureditor, Harry,as I didthe majorityof filming
and the productionsection.
It startedwithexportingourfootage fromthe camera,as statedbefore,andorganizingitinafolder
on our college systems.Then,once exportedandtransposed,itcame time toactuallypiece
everythingtogetherinthe formof a film, usingourcollege’seditingsoftware (PremierProX).
Thoughthisis notthe onlyeditingsoftware usedbyprofessional filmmakers.Accordingtothe
website ‘Mashable’,the followingare 11 of the bestVideoEditingSoftware Platformsavailable to
the general public.4
Software Price
Pinnacle Studio16Ultimate $114.99 USD
AVSVideoEditor $59 USD
Adobe PremierElements11 $99.99 USD
Final CutPro X 10.0.3 $299.99 USD
IMovie 11 $79 USD
Corel VideoStudioProX6 $49.99 USD
CyberlinkPowerDirector $79.99 USD
Magix Movie EditPro 2013 Plus $58.98 USD
Adobe PremierProCC $853 USD (perannum)
SonyMovie StudioPlatinum $94.95 USD
AvidMediaComposer7 $999.99 USD
So,once openingPremiere pro,Harryimportedthe footage fromourfolderandstartedorganizing
theminthe orderwe were goingtouse them, slowlypiecingeverythingtogethersowe were happy
witheverything.Then,additional audio(includingroyalty/copyrightfree music) wasoverlaidontop
of the existingaudiofromthe mic,andcreditswere addedtothe end,resultinginorfinishedpiece,
that isviewable here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3e-PXsTTt8
3 https://www.quora.com/How-long-does-a-film-post-production-take-on-average
4 http://mashable.com/2013/07/24/best-video-editing-software/#Rr5GnP4WOgqX

12. A largerbudgetstudio’seditingprocess,however,isalotlonger,anda lotmore complicatedthan
ours turnedout – oftenneedingrough-cutsanddraftsuntil the editorgetseverythinginexactlythe
rightplace.
Duringthe editingprocess,italsonot uncommonfora directortooversee the firstfew draftsin
orderto ensure thateverythingistothe standardtheyhave setfor theirfinishedpiece.Ihave done
some research,andbelowisa roughaccount of the editingprocessof aHollywoodfilm5
:
Stage Details
Logging - ‘Rushes6
’labelledinbins.Eachtake has
notesfromthe director/
cinematographer.Thisiswhere the film
isFIRST deliveredtothe editor.
- Editorwill view notesandorderthe
rushes basedonfluidity,makingnote to
use laterin the editingprocess
First Assembly - Editorconsidersall material providedfor
each scene andre-orderstosuitstory
best
- Oftenmakesmultiple versionsof exactly
the same scene to sendto the director
and producerfortheirapproval
Rough Cuts / Variations - CAN TAKE UP TO 3 MONTHS
- The Editor will still be inclose discussion
withthe directorand producer,andwill
workoff of theirfeedbacktoteakthe
footage andscenestheyhave
First Cut - Thisis the first‘roughcut’ that is
acceptedbyall three parties of the
editor,director,andproducer.
- The firsttime the ‘final’productisin-
sightand fullyconceivablejustby
watchingthe cut.
Fine Cut - Focusesoneach and everycutas an
individualoccurrence –fine tuningeach
one individually
Final Cut - Thisis where the Sound,Music,andTitle
designersare introduced,addingtheir
ownwork to the editedfootage
- Once the final cut has beendecidedon,
the ‘EditDecisionList’issentto the lab
where a cutterformsa negative of the
final cut
It is importantto state that this part of the process of SingleCameraProductioncan take up to six
monthsto complete fully7
.
5 https://www.raindance.org/the-6-stages-of-editing-as-a-film-director/
6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dailies - Unedited, RAW footage shot during production
7 http://www.writing-world.com/screen/film1.shtml

13. To round upthe report; thisisa brief overview of the fourdistinctstagesof Single-Camera
Production.Pleasefindall links andevidence tobackup myresearch inthe footnotesatthe endof
each page.
By Amy L Wilkins
26/1/2018