1. Unit 20: single camera techniques
The single camerasetup,orthe singlecameraproduction(SCP) whichisalsoknownasportable single
camera is a methodusedduringfilmmakingor videoproduction.single camerasetuphas remained
ever since and is known as the standard mode for production for cinema.
There are twocamera formats,single cameraandmulti camera.A singlecameraproductionisusually
usedonthingssuchas dramas, documentariesandcomedies.Eachshotandcameraangle istakenby
one camera so ittakesa lotof time and effortwhereasamulti cameraformatis takenbyusingmany
differentcamerasand there isa camera at everycamera angle andshot neededinparticularscenes.
The choice of camera formatreallydoesall dependonthe choice of genre thatyou’re partakingin.a
single camera is employed on the set and each shot to make up a scene is taken individually.
Referringbacktothisbeingusedsince the earlydaysof HollywoodTV production,inearlyHollywood
TV theyhada technique calledthe studiosystem.Thisisamethodof filmproductionanddistribution
dominatedbyasmall numberof whatpeoplecall majorstudiosinHollywood. The singlecamerasetup
was originallycreatedduringthe time of whenthe classical Hollywoodcinemawasfirstcreated.This
was in the 1910’s. For over a century Hollywoodcinema has usedthe single camera production and
created the look of multiple camera’s working simultaneously.
If we talk about the differences between multi-camera production (MCP) and single-camera
production (SCP) we can tell what kind of production you would get from either of them. SCP like
explainedabove isjustone cameraand isusedmore on comedies,documentariesanddramasand it
is used by taking many shots from many angels and in the end its just edited together. A MCP is a
methodof shootingtelevisionprogramsandfilms.Several camerasare setup indifferentangelsand
simultaneouslyrecorda scene.Ina general setup, the two outercameras shootthe close upsof the
characters whilstthe middle camerasshootthe mastershot whichcaptures the overall actionin the
scene andit showsthe surroundings.Yousee thingslikeMCPonprograms suchas Coronation street,
Good Morning Britain, Hollyoaks and many more. Here is an image of what the multi-camera
productionwouldlooklike,andthenon the right of the image there is a single-camera production.
There isa varietyof advantageswhenitcomestosinglecameraproduction.The firstadvantagebeing
it allows you to have creative control to interpret the script. The scripts are easily editable with SCP
and allow the producers to shoot quicker, in one location, e,g. in a house. By using single-camera
production it can save a lots of the travel costs for the production teams and the whole production
2. works out to be cheaper than what it would be using multi camera. You wouldalso have to spend a
lot more money on hiring camera men/ women so using single-camera production has a huge
advantage when it comes to saving money. Reducing the cost of the whole production, is that this
type of format puts the product makers at a benefit. This is because, as singe camera shots tend to
cut individualsout in close up shot conversations,this means that only one person is needed and
another actor can be used in place of the original co-actor for the meanwhile. By doing these
producerswill savemoneyandactorstime astheywillonlypaythemforthe scenestheydoandwhen
doing a large production involving many big actors, production expenses can be large figures.
Therefore, if the team can replace large actors in the meanwhile, theycan save themselves a lot of
moneyand alsobe able to shoot for the otheractor wheneverthey’re available toshoot.The scenes
ina SCPdon’thave tobe shotinsequence therefore moredetailwill be includedanditwill havemore
of a dramaticeffectinthe editing.itscheaperandeasiertomove andsetup than whatmulti camera
productionsare too due to you onlyusing one camera. Whenyou’re usingSCP the directorhas a lot
more control over everything and can change things to the way they want it.
Disadvantages Of Single Camera Techniques
AlthoughSingleCameraTechniquesare usedall the time inmajormodernproductions,there are still
a lot of factors how it may not be as useful as Multi Camera Techniques, here is a few examples,the
cameraswill take longertosetupasonlyone isinuse,whereasmulti cameraproductionshave many
cameras alreadysetup foreach shot,whichis extremelyuseful insavingtime.One Actoris filmedat
a time,therefore theywillbe more aware of where the cameraisandmake it obvioustheyare trying
to followit,where asmulti cameramovescamerasall oversothe cast won'texactlyknow where itis
and have full flexablity. There will be more scenes to edit together and there will be more difficult
decisions in the order that each scene goes in. For footage such as car crash sequences, it would be
impossible toreplicate the same crash,therefore tomake it realistic,manycamerassurrounding the
scene wouldbe suitable.Multi cameraoffersmanyothershots,soif the directorisn'thappywithone
shot, he would have to redo the scene, whereas multi camera has different shots to substitute in.
Movie - Genre: Thriller
In the film Silence Of The Lambs, directed by the late Jonathan Demme, the use of single camera
techniquesisfairlyobviousthroughouttheproduction,especiallyinscenesof characterdialogue,such
as the iconic scenes with Dr Hannibal Lector and Clarice as the camera is jumping back and forth
betweenthe two,the cameraclose uponLectorsface as he givesagraphic storyon how he indulged
incannibalism,theuse of suchshotsoressentialingettingthe scenejustright,itmakesitallthe more
uncomfortable for the audience, staring directly at Lector and this is what makes the scene perfect.
However,i amgoingto focuson anotherscene fromthe film, maybe notasiconicbutisarguablyjust
as memorable,thisisthe Lotionscene,focusedbetweenSerial KillerBuffaloBill andhisVictim, who
is trapped in a large, well-like, hole in the basement of his home. Firstly, there is a wide range of
cinematography within the scene, and it is horrifying to watch, we feel how dirty and gritty his
basementis,we can smell andtaste the dirt and the damp of the hole that the victimis stuck in and
we feel terrible for her.
3. The scene starts off witha mediumlongshot,but all we can see due to the complete lackof lighting
is the jaggednessof the rocksand BuffaloBill,barelyseen onthe edge of the hole lookingdownpast
the camera, speaking to his victim, because the camera is so low to start with, we immediatelyfeel
vulnerable, as if we are watching the scene from inside the hole and we too feel uncomfortable,
especiallydue to hislinesgiveninthe production,hiswordsbarelymake sense andthistoomakesus
aware that he is very unhinged and crazy, especially in the predicament he has gotten himself into.
We also see him holding his dog, he is very fond of his pet and we find it odd how someone so
psychopathicandcarelessof peopleslivescouldbesofondof thistinydog,helatcheshisarmsaround
the dog as it wiggles around in his arms and he is so gentle with it, this shot shows a lot about the
character insucha shotspace of filmtime,the wayhe looksdownintothe holewiththe darklighting
surroundinghim,onlylitbythe lanternonthe basketwhichoffersthe onlyvisiblelightingandisgreat
forsettingthe tone,easilyseenbythe useof thirds,we seehimstraightaway,eventhoughhe doesn't
barelytake upmuch of the screen.Thisperfectlycapturesthe true essenceof the character.Now the
beginning of the scene would've been terrible to film in multi camera, due to the focus on the
characters, it is importantnot to take the pointof view outof perspective,the cameradoesn'tneed
any more cuts,all it needsisthe camerainplace and change back and forthto focuson the emotions
of both characters and this is what the film does throughout the duration.
As the dialogue gets more intense and emotional between the characters, the camera gets closer
towardsthem.The camera staysperfectlystillforwhenBill isinshot,he triestostaycalmand talkto
hisvictimbutgets more aggressive whenshe startstopanicmore,withthis,the camera isa close up
of the victimsface,the camera ishandheldandfollowsherface aroundas she panics,thisshowsthe
complete fear in her eyes
and inher voice,the camerabeingsoclose to herface showsus how claustrophobicthe hole istobe
in and we are uncomfortably close to the girl who is crying, pleading to Bill, all the way through the
scene we feel empathetictowardsthe girl andhow the camera looksdownonher,we know that Bill
isincomplete control of herandshe hasnowayout,herfuture isn'tlookingtoogood.Again,the only
lighting is sourced from the lantern on the rope and it swingsside by side,lighting different parts of
herface as itgoesback and forth,all that isvisible tothe lightisherbody,the floorisn'tshownat all,
all the audience is forced to see is her emotions. Bill shouts and swears at her, she is alreadyfragile
andshe feelsscaredandfeelslike heronlyoptionistoputthe lotionbackintothe basketasshe weeps
uncontrollably.
However,arguablythe bestshotinthe scene,iswhenthe lotionisplacedinthebasketandthe basket
isliftedbackup,nowthatthe lanternisdownthe hole,the victimandthe audienceisfinallyaware of
hersurroundingsandthereisatrackingshotwithaslow zoomof oneof the wallsof the hole,smeared
withbloodmarks and claw marks printedinbloodfrom where previousvictimshave triedtoescape
4. and failed,leavingfingernailsrippedfromthe fingersinthe stone,the victimis now certainthat she
will die in the pit from the hands of Buffalo Bill and she screams harrowingly and this makes the
audience feel completelydisgustedbecause of this zoom, Buffalo Bill mockingly screams alongwith
her and this terrifies us watching it.
This scene isdefinitelymyfavourite fromthe entire movie,due tothe emotionsshowninthe actors
whichwere perfectlycapturedbythe single cameratechniques,analyzingthisscene,we cansee just
why multi camera techniquescan'twork, due to multiple camerasaroundthe set,it wouldruinthe
atmosphere of the scene,thisispreciselyaninteractionbetweentwopeople thatworkssowell with
onlyone camera,andtocutto differentperspectiveswouldruinthe lonelinessandvulnerablityof the
scene and make the audiencefeellike there isnotonlyjusttheminthebasement,butotherswatching
too, and this would not make the scene so terrifying and scarring on the brain.
Movie genre- horror
https://www.youtube.co m/watch?v+2wzuKverqX8
single cameratechniquesare useda lotin thisfilmespeciallyinthisclipfromthe shining(1980). The
shining is a horror made in 1980 by Stephan king, there are a lot of benefits of using single camera
techniquesinproductionlike this.Forexample itmakesthe charactersseemmore realisticaswe are
actuallyfollowingthemaroundandtheyare not juststuck inone place.Inthisclip fromthe filmalot
of techniques such as the stedicam are used. Whenthis is usedwe are following the little boy as he
rideshisbike throughoutthe hotelwiththe camerahavingtobe ontrackusingadolly.The scenefrom
the film was used by a man sitting in a wheelchair with a Steadicam, the reason he was in the
wheelchairwasso he couldget the perfectheightof danny(the little boy) andcreate a scene where
everyone could almost see it from dannys eyes.
5. It had to be used like this because if they had placed a Steadicam on a track and tried to shoot the
shot where we can see it from dannys perspective it wouldn’t have worked out as you would have
beenable tosee the track and the dolly. Whentheyshow door237 it isshownat a verylow angle so
itlookslike the dooristoweringoverus.Itgivesthishuge senseof fearasitcomesacrossaspowerful
and with dfanny being a very small boy it gives you a sense of worry and a huge amount of nerves
because yousympathisewithhimmore.Thisshotmakesitlookominiousandpowerful showimgthat
there is something bad behind that door making the atmosphere very intense.
Genre- comedy
Miranda isa BritishtelevisionsitcomwrittenbyandstarringcomedianMirandaHart. Miranda shows
use of single camera techniquesbecause whenthe protagonistismakinga joke,she talks directlyat
the audience to engage them in the program.
