1. Chaz Zalesinski
Single Camera Techniques
Introduction
In orderto delve deeperintothe logistics,benefitsanddisadvantagesof usingasingle cameraset-
up,it iscrucial to firstlyunderstandwhatthisset-upentails.
As evidencedbyitsspecificname,the single cameraset-upinvolvesusingonlyone camerawhen
shootingaproduction,re-positioningitforeachnew shotand cameraangle,as well asrepositioning
the lightingof a shotalongwithany otherequipmentlinkedtothe camerasuch as microphones,
tripodsetc. To illustrate,whenfilmingaconversationbetweentwoormore characters,the director
may choose torecord the conversationinitsentiretyfromone angle,thenchange the angle byre-
positioningthe camera,lightingetc.Afterthis,the directorwouldagainrecordacomplete run-
throughof the conversationsoasto obtainit fromtwoor more differentangles.Once thishasbeen
filmed,duringpost-productionthe directormaychoose whichpartsto splice withone anotherto
create a natural flowof conversationorevoke otherfeelingswithinthe audience. Theymaythenuse
the obtainedfootage samplesfromthe differentanglesshotbeforehandtoperformthissortof
splicing.
The single cameraset-upisas oldas Hollywooditself,withfilmmakersbeginningtouse itas earlyas
1910 and ultimatelystandardisingthisstyleof productionforall future cinema.Thismeansthateach
filmproductionfromthenonto thisdayis producedusingthe single cameraset-up,allowingfor
more creative andartisticfreedomforthe directorof the filmandallowingfortheir visiontobe
bettertranslatedon-screen. However,whilethe singlecameraset-upmaybe the standardfor
cinemaas ithas beenformany years,the televisionindustryhasbeenalittle more diversewith
regardsto howthe productionwithinitare produced. Iamalludingtothe ‘multi camera’setup,
whichisalsoa practice that has beenseenheavilywithinthe televisionindustry.The multi camera
set-upinvolvedhavingmultiplecamerascapturingdifferentshotsall atonce,meaningthe scene
wouldn’tneedtobenranthroughfullyasoftenas itwouldwitha single cameraset-up.Withinthe
industry,duringthe 1910s-1940s the televisionindustryreliedheavilyonthe multi cameraset-up,
especiallywithinsitcomprogrammes. However,asthe 50s and 60s saw higherdemandforquality
TV showsas well aslargercasts andmultiple locationtobe featuredwithinthese shows,some
televisionshowsbeganadoptingthe single cameraformatof shooting. Thisstyle of productiongave
the showsa more cinematicfeel,andallowedforaudiencestotake themmore seriouslythanthe
standardsitcomthat was so commoninthose days.Asthe televisionindustrysaw anuprisingof talk
shows,game showsandsitcomsfilmedbefore live audiencesinthe 1970s and 80s however,the
multi cameraset-upagaindominatedthe televisionindustrywhile cinemastill continuedtoemploy
the single camerastyle of shooting. Thisstyle of shootingcontinuedtodominatethroughoutthe
90s too,althoughthe single cameraset-upsaw aresurgence inthe 2000s onwardsas more
cinematicTV showswere becomingmore popularandhigherproductionvalue wasathighdemand
withinaudiences.
In orderto betterunderstandthe importance of the singlecameraset-up,itisalsobeneficialto
compare it to the multi cameraset-up(whichIwill now refertoa SCSfor single cameraset-upand
MCS for multi cameraset-upforthe purpose of simplification).
2. Chaz Zalesinski
While the SCSrequiresthe directortorepositionthe cameraforeachnew shotor angle,the MCS
requiresthe careful positioningof multiplecamerasinordertocapture the scene initsentiretyfrom
each angle all at once,whetheritbe tosave time or reduce productioncostsdue to the high
quantityof staff required. Whilethe SCSisusedmostlyinfilm, itcanalsobe appliedtohigh-quality
TV shows(the likesof “Game Of Thrones”and“Stranger Things”) inorderto give the show a more
professionalatmosphere aswell astoimplore the audience totake the plotmore seriouslyas
opposedtowhentheyare watchinga sitcomfilmedbeforealive audience.These typesof showsare
oftenfull of multitudesof charactersandlocations,andusuallydonotfeature thingssuchaslaugh
tracks, againaddingto the more serioustone of thiskindof show. The SCS isalsobeneficial forTV
showsthat are heavyinspecial effects,astheyare easiertoproduce inpost-productionwhenusing
a SCS.
The MCS isa shootingformatusuallyreservedforthingsthatmustbe capturedquicklyorwithina
short space of time.Thisincludesthingslike game andtalkshows,whichoftenairlive andsitcoms
filmedbefore alive audience,whichagainrequire tobe capturedwhile beingperformedlive before
some kindof audience,whetheritbe bigor small.Thisshootingtechnique requiresall of the
camerasto be positionedperfectly,notoverlappingwithone anotherin-shotandthe lightingmust
be set upto accommodate everyangle of the scene.Thisstyle of shootingisusuallyusedwithin
showsthat feature small castsandveryfew sets,asfull setsmustbe builtto accommodate every
angle necessaryforthisstyle of shooting.These are the maindifferencesbetweenthe SCSandMCS,
howevernowIwill delvemore deeplyintothe advantagesanddisadvantagesof the SCSin
particular.
Advantages of Single CameraProductions
The main benefitsof the SCSrelate tothe cost of productionandthe creative freedomthatthe st-up
allowswithinaproduction,formanydifferentreasons. Startingwithcosts,the firstthingtomention
wouldbe the fact that itwouldsimplycostmuchlessto hire outequipmentforaSCS,as onlya
single cameraisrequiredforthe shoot.Thisinturn meansthatlessof the secondaryequipmentis
required. Thisincludesmicrophones,lighting,tripodsandlenses,whichcanall add upin cost ina
MCS. Thisin turn leadstolessstaff beingrequiredtooperate thisequipmentdue toa lowerquantity
of it,as well aslessfacilitiesbeingrequiredtostore and transportthe equipmentonandoff set.
AnothernoteworthyfactisthatSCS productionsdonotrequire afull 360 degree setpiece,meaning
that lessspace isrequiredtoaccommodate suchsets,againreducingthe overall costof a
production.Thismeansthatbudgetscanbe approachedmore realisticallywithinSCSproductions,
and filmsare notrequiredtostepoutof boundsandendangerthe projectto be able to filmit
professionally.
From the creative side of things,the directorhasmore freedomtomanipulateshotsartistically
withinaSCS production.Notonlydoesthe SCSallow forthe directorto use a vast varietyof
locationsdue toeasierset-upandtransport,butitalso allowsthemtopositionthe camerainmore
excitingways.Asthe cameraisthe onlyone onthe set,more attentioncanbe giventoits
movement,positioningandotherartisticconnotations,makingthe productionfeel more personal to
3. Chaz Zalesinski
the audience. Thisalsoappliestothe lightingof ashot,as onlyone angle of the lightingmustbe
takenintoconsideration,therefore makingiteasiertopositionitaccordinglyforeachshot.
Anotherimportantfactorto considerthatworksinfavourof a productionwhenusingaSCS are the
logistical advantagesthatcome hand-in-handwithusingonlyone cameratofilmaproduction.The
initial setupof a shot issimplifiedgreatly,asonlyone cameramustbe takenintoconsideration
whensettingupa shot.The lightingfora shotis alsomuch simplertosetup,as it mustonlywork
fromone angle and not workperfectlyformore thanone camera at once,allowingformore
controlledandpossiblyartisticlightingwithinashot. The directorsandcamera operatorsdon’thave
to worryabout othercamerasappearingwithinthe shotasonlyonce is present, andthe nature of
the SCS allowsfornon-sequential shooting,meaningthatthe filmdoesn’thave tobe shotin
chronological scriptedorderandthereforemakingschedulingforactorsandstaff more convenient
whichmakesthe overall productionof the projectthatmuchmore efficient.
Disadvantages of Single CameraProductions
While provenwithinthe previoussectiontobe quite beneficialduringproduction,the SCSdoeshave
itsfair share of disadvantagesandlimitationstoo,whichIwill lookintonow. One of the mainfactors
of thistype of set-upisthatit is extremelytimeconsuming.Eachshotmust be setup and filmed
individually,aswell asthencompiledintoalogical sequencewithinthe postproductionprocess
whichtakesup evenmore of the crew’sproductiontime.Inthe end,thiscouldactuallyleadtoa
more expensive shootingperiodasit’ll ultimatelytake longertocomplete shootingwithaSCS,
whichcouldharm the productionina way.
Each of these shotsmustalsobe meticulously compositedwhensettingupeachshot.Thisentails
the lightingof a shot,positioningof charactersandprops,and an appropriate angle forthe feel of
the scene that the directorisgoingfor.In otherwords,the mainissueswhenfilmingwithaSCS
(especiallyif filmingnon-sequentially) is‘continuity.’Thisiswhatensuresthateachof the scenes
flowperfectlyfromone another,andobjectsdon’trandomlychange positionbetweenshots.This
cannot alwaysbe done perfectlyevendue tohumanerror,andso continuitymistakesare plausible
and evenverypossible whenfilmingusingaSCS.
Anotherissue linkedtousingaSCS to produce a projectisthe ideaof the actors needingsomething
to playoff of.Whenan actor isfilmingashotwithinthe SCS,the waya shotisset up usuallymeans
that no otheractors are actuallypresentbehindthe camera.Thismeansthatthe actor withinthe
shotthat is beingcurrentlyfilmedmustrelyheavilyontheirperformanceskillsaswell astheirown
imagination,aswhat theyare reactingto isoftennotactuallyplacedinfrontof them(thisis
especiallyarelevantpointwhenanalysingproductionthatincorporate heavyamountsof CGIinto
theirplotsandoverall production. Inthe end,thiscouldhurtthe overall presentationof a
production,asthe actors’ reactionsmaynot alwaysseemnatural andcouldpotentiallyhurtthe
realismof the scene thatthe directoris tryingto capture usinga specificshot.
Since I have takena lookat the theoryof s single cameraset-up,itwouldbe beneficialforme toalso
take a closerlookatsome examplesof cameratechniquesusedwithinthisshootingstyle,analysing
theirdesiredeffectonthe audience andhow well theyachieve suchaneffect.
4. Chaz Zalesinski
Single Camera TechniquesinFilm – “Avengers:InfinityWar” (2018)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVk38HNbDSY)
The firstproductionthat I have chosentotake a closerlookat withregardsto itsuse of single
camera techniquesis“Avengers:InfinityWar.”While notexactlyafilmfocusedonanartistic
approach,thismovie isdesignedalmostsolelytoentertainthe vieweraswell asto tell asimple,
easyto followstorythroughoutthe film.
It couldbe saidthat the mainbenefitof thismovie’suse of aSCSinsteadof a MCS isthe heavy
amountof CGI that mustbe addedto the scene inpost-production,due tothismovie beingapart of
the sci-fi genre whichisoftenveryCGI-heavy.Thisdoesnothoweverdeemthe single camera
techniquescompletelyunnecessaryhowever,asthe directorcan still use the setup,lightingand
movementof the camerato conveya specificfeelingtothe audience,whichseemstobe the very
ideaof thisscene’sopeningshot.
(FigA)
As seeninFigA (as well asthe cliphyperlinkedbelow the subtitle) thisscene seemstobe usinga
dollytrackingshot,followingthe characterof TonyStark as he makeshisway past debrisand
panickingcitizensinanefforttoinvestigate hissurroundings.Whatmakesthisparticularchoice of
trackingshot interestinghoweveristhatthe shot appearsto be usinga simple handheldcameraas
opposedtoa Steadicam,whichisoftenusedforshotslike this.Thischoice of equipmentmakesthe
above scene a lot shakierthanit could’ve beenwiththe use of aSteadicam, whichwouldsmooth
out the camera operator’smovementsusinggyroscopetechnology,somewhatdisorientatingthe
audience toan extent.Thisfranticandalmostpanickymovementof the camerafollowingTonyashe
investigatesthe threatputsthe audience directlyinhisshoes.Itreflectsthe internal panicthathe
feels,aswell asthe public’sfear,andputsthe viewerstraightintothe actionwithrealisticlighting.
The viewerknowsjustaslittle asthe character theyare viewingon-screen,andthe handheldmotion
of the dollyshotmakesitfeel almostliketheyvieweriswalkingalongsideTony,bothheadinginto
the unknown withlittle control overtheirsituation,againimpliedbythe fearful andfrantic
movementof the camera, therefore engagingthe audience’sinteresttowatchon.
5. Chaz Zalesinski
Single Camera TechniquesinTelevision(Streaming) –“Daredevil” (2018)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxUgzyjhTDE)
Much like mypreviouschoice,“Daredevil”isa show producedbyMarvel Studios,thistime bytheir
televisionbrandaswell asteamingupwithNetflix,ajuggernautcompanywithinthe televisionand
streamingindustry. WhileMarvel’sfilmsare veryCGI-heavyandfantastical,Netflix decidedtotake a
more groundedandgrittyapproach towardsitscharacters, one of thembeingDaredevil.Again,this
productionismostlydesignedtoentertain,thoughNetflix showsoftenhave beenknowntotake
artisticturnswithintheirproductionsaswell assome creative risksbothonandoff screen.
The fact that thisshowprimarilyfeaturesaSCSaddsto the professional andcinematicfeel that
Netflix showsare knownforaswell asMarvel,allowingthe viewertobecome more investedinthe
storyand take the fictional andpresumablyfar-fetchedplotsandactionsequencesof the show
more seriously.Thisexampleisone of those unique actionsequences.
FigB
As seenabove onFigB (as well asthe hyperlink) thisscene alsofeaturesatype of trackingshot,this
time followingMattMurdock as he makeshisway outof a prisonwhile fightingoff escaped
prisoners.However,the reasonthatIchose to take a lookat thisshotwas itsuse of camera
movement. Unlikemypreviousexample,thistrackingshotappearstouse a Steadicamto smooth
out itsmovementsforthe majorityof the fightsequence.The camerafollowsMattsmoothlyforthe
majorityof histime inthe hallway ashe appearsto be incontrol of the situationaroundhim(hence
the steadyand calmmovement,reflectinghisfeelingsandimpartingthemonthe viewer),until he
beginstopull punchesfromthe people he isfighting,whichiswhenthe camerabecomesalotless
stable,almostmakingthe audiencefeelasif theythemselvesare the onestakingthe hits.Thisis
highlightedbythe sequence’suse of low-keylightingaswell asheavyuse of choreographyas
opposedtoCGI as it wouldbe infilm.Thisshot howevermaynothave beenone continuous
6. Chaz Zalesinski
sequence,asitmayhave just beeneditedseamlesslytoseemlikeone continuousshot,though
judgingbythe steadinessandcontinuityof the scene thismaynotbe the case,and the shotmay just
have beenanexample of greatchoreographyandpractical effectsputintopractice.
Single Camera TechniquesinTelevision –“Doctor Who” (2017)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnouj9Yz-Gs)
Takinga lookat myfinal example,Idecidedtoonce againdive intothe televisionindustry,thistime
analysingthe cameraworkof a showwitha smallerbudgetthanmyprevioustwochoices –“Doctor
Who.” Producedbythe BBC, Doctor Who oftenpridesitself withsymbolicimageryandexquisite
cameraworkas opposedtomoundsof CGI or complicatedchoreography.Inthe end,the show is
againdesignedtoentertain,howeverDoctorWhooftendeliversamore refinedandlogical
approach to itstense andimportantmoments,inthiscase one of the Doctor’s iconicspeeches(can
be viewedinlinkedvideo).
While the previoustwoproductionsappearedtouse the SCSinorderto ensure easyplacementof
CGI or performance of choreography,the BBCwouldmostlikelyuse thisset-uptoreduce production
costs (asDoctor Who’sbudgetwas quite low contextuallyforthisparticularscene) andtoallow for
betterfunctionalityof the shotthattheyare filming,asdiscussedbelow.
FigC
FigC, above,showsone of the two main mid-close-upshotsusedthroughoutthe Doctor’sspeechas
he deliversit,withafewcut-awaystothe othercharacters’facesas theylistentohimspeak.This
sequence demonstratesshot-reverse-shot,asitappearsthat the deliveryof thisspeechwas
recordeda fewtimesfromdifferentanglesandthenseamlesslysplicedintoafunctioningsequence
inpost-production(whichlogisticallycouldhave beenhardforthe actor as he hadto deliverhis
speechmultiple times,whichcouldmeandifferentdeliveries,whichcouldmake it a harderjobfor
7. Chaz Zalesinski
the editorstomake the cuts more seamlessinthe final product). The sequence alsomakesuse of
the 180-degree rule,soas to not disorientate the audienceordestroytheirspecial awareness.This
meansthat the front,back and rightprofile of the Doctoris shown,butneverhisleftprofile asit
wouldhave beenunnecessaryanddisorientatingtothe audience.Itisalsonoteworthythatthe
camera appearsto be slowlyzoominginonthe Doctor’sface as hisspeechbecomesmore sincere
and desperate,turningeventuallyintoanextremeclose upbythe endof hisspeech.Thisnotonly
adds tensiontothe scene,butcouldalsobe a way of gettingthe audience tofeel more emotional
and paycloserattentiontowhat the the Doctor is sayingasthe camerafocusesonhimfor longer
periodsof time andthe frame featuresmostlyhisface bythe endof what he has said.
In the end,all of these clipsdesire toachieve adifferenteffect,andIbelieve thatthiseffectcould
not be achievedforanyof themif the single cameratechniquestheyusedweretakenaway.In
conclusion,myanalysishasshownhowcrucial anddiverse these techniquescanbe underdifferent
circumstances,expandingmyunderstandingof mediaproductionwithindifferentsectors.
