Multi Camera Techniques/Sitcom

The sitcom I decided to analyse the multi camera set up fro was the comedy show friends that was aired from 1994-2004. The set was important to the story line as it the main three sets were Monica’s apartment, Chandler’s apartment and the coffee house know as “Central Perk”. “Friends” used a multi camera setup and they also had a live audience, as the sitcom was made for all purposes including drama, romance and comedy, you would hear an audience in the background every time a comical remark was made. In this short scene it is shot in chandlers apartment which just across from Monica’s, the first camera shot I see from the far left shooting at the door as one of the characters walks through it (Rachel).  I believe this to be camera one in four of the multi camera that were set up for this scene., the second camera is set up on the mid right of the set shooting directly at Chandler, the third I believe to be mid left of the set and the fourth and final multi camera would be set up on the far right hand side. This multi camera set up is very similar to what a chat show or live production would have, however what is different about a sitcom is that is pre-recorded and also doesn’t have a camera to show an audience, even though you can hear the audience in the background. The purpose of having an audience is so when a comical response or joke is made on set, it seems funnier to the viewer when the show is eventually aired, occasionally in other sitcoms a laugh track is used known as ‘canned laughter’. This is a separate soundtrack used for recorded comedy shows containing the sound of audience laughter, sitcoms including: “Modern Family”, “Scrubs”, “30 Rock” and “Brooklyn Nine Nine” all don’t use any background audience or canned laughter in their shows. However this sitcom and others like “ and “Two and half man”, the background laughter and noise is a live audience response instead. (All three of these shows uses the same techniques which were all produced and directed by the same individual “Chuck Lorre”).

Studio set up/Hairspray

On June 11th 2015, our department was asked to film and make a live video of the performance of the musical Hairspray, performed by the practicing actors and actresses in performing arts. We were first asked to watched the play before beginning to film to get an insight of what we were working with; this give us the chance to make sure we had the cameras set up in the right place and where to get the best shots of the performers. We set up four different multi-camera and placed them in the best possible places to film. Looking at the way the cameras were set up from the front (from the perspective of the performers) the first camera was set up on left, the second multi camera was set up in front of the crowd in the middle directing straight ahead, the third camera was placed just to the side of the piano player and fourth and final camera was set up symmetrically opposite from camera one. Throughout the day our team switched roles every half an hour so everyone got the chance to take charge of a production role; There were eight different production roles that were set up that our team had to assign different people too, the roles were: floor manager, camera men (one, two, three and four), vision mixer and the director. Unfortunately as it was a busy time there wasn't much time to get every little thing organised, so I took the production role of a camera man and never changed roles. However, as at the beginning of the day I was on camera one sharing roles with another student, I changed sides to camera four during the second half of the performance. With different live vision mixers changing every once in a while, they had the job role of telling us camera people what instructions to follow, this meaning where we need to shoot the camera and also if our camera is being used and whether or not to stay still. The day as a whole was productive, motivating and interesting to experience; our team successfully fulfilled our tasks of creating a live performance with excellent shots and live mixes, although at times it got stressful, I believe the day of shooting was successful and I believe the actors and actresses in this performance would be proud of the film we made.
(Above is the studio plan of the performance, showing where the cameras were set up and also where the stage and crowd was placed.)

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Studio Plans

 This first image is a studio plan of  "The Graham Norton Show"; it shows where I think the multi cameras are set up and where they are directed. The second image is a studio plan of a music festival, where Ed Sheeran performed at "Glastonbury 2014". It is quite complex compared to a studio set up, however this shows where I believe multi cameras are placed and directed at, I tried showing this using arrows and putting in brackets what camera it is and where it would be placed.

Multi Camera Techniques/Chat Show

Graham Norton

This multi camera studio set up is designed specifically for the Graham Norton show that is aired on BBC 1. In this short clip you can see that who the presenter clearly is and who the guests are; this is because Graham Norton (Presenter) is sit on his on chair on the left interviewing the guests which are on his right just in from of him, he is sat the position a presenter would be and the guests are all sat closely together on the opposite side of him. In this particular multi camera sat up i can estimate that there are four different multi cameras in tact. The first would be on the right directing straight to Graham Norton, the second would be to the left facing the guests on the show, the third camera would be behind the crowd getting a shot of all guests, studio and the audience, the last would in the middle capturing mid shots of all guests. The three cameras at the front of studio i believe to be on one 180 degree tracker just shooting the front, and the last camera to be at the very back of the studio. Using multi camera techniques and various multi cameras isn't as complex as it would be for a music festival as a studio is much smaller to film and also there are only limited shots you can capture. The Graham Norton show wouldn't  need as many multi camera techniques as a festival, it is very similar to any studio set up production and the majority of those set ups would have similar multi cameras in the same place and use the same multi-camera techniques. Like all chat shows, the Graham Norton show uses on screen motion graphics and graphic logos, as the chat show is so vastly popular, shots have to be in tact and perfect every time showcasing the guests that appear on to it; in this episode Mark Walburg is one of the guests on the show, he is showcasing his ability to name 57 movie titles in the space of a few seconds, whilst he speaks one of the multi cameras is set on him, after he finished other cameras showcase other guests reactions to it. As the show is being broadcasting and is being mixed live; The crew have to be very fast when changing shots from one to another, the camera men have important jobs of keeping the cameras on the most important person at that time.

Multi Camera Techniques/Music Festival

The first production I will be analysing is festival concerts, an example of a performer I decided to analyse is Ed Sheeran at Glastonbury in 2014. As watching this clip it shows that there are many multi-cameras in place in order to get the best shots possible; throughout the two minutes in which I watched this clip, there are potentially seven different multi cameras that are in tact. As you can see the opening shot is a mid shot of the singer which then cuts to a wide high angle shot of the audience with a motion graphic stating who the singer is and what song he is performing; in a space of a few seconds you can already see that there are two different multi cameras in place. The purpose of using multi camera is so we can view the festival on a screen from multiple angles showing the different expressions and different views from the audience and the performers perspective. The purpose of filming an audience is so the viewer can see how much excitement and how atmospheric Glastonbury is, also it is to show the masses of people that are in the audience; this shows crowd popularity for the music festival and also the singer himself.  From this it follows on to a reverse shot showing the back of the performer, his equipment, the stage and also the crowd. This is the third multi camera shot and shadowing this is a focus pull shot of the audience, which eventually zooms out to see more of the crowd. The purpose of this is to see the excitement and emotion of the members of the audience, and to get an insight of the action within the crowd. Using multi camera techniques during an immense music festival such as this one is important every multi camera has a purpose for being there, the different techniques are useful to the viewers watching it on screen, the audience, the performer and the production team. Showcasing this performance through different multi cameras is crucial to get an insight of everything that is going on live during a performance. Other shots included in this clip are high rise shots, a mid shot (from the left hand side) and also fish eye shot from the bottom left of the stage, showing the crowd, stage and the singer. The shot used for the crowd that is under the stage I believe to be on a track, and I feel there are two showing the left and right side of the audience. The shot moves focally and horizontally, which is what leads me to believe this. The multi camera used behind the performer I think also uses a track and again as the stage is so vast I believe there to be two. However for the high rise and high angle shots I think are used on cranes and only remain to focus in out and also to zoom in out of the crowd and the performer. Using a range of multi camera production techniques is important, as the location is so immense; masses of camera techniques are needed to be in tact, by using multiple multi cameras throughout a performance.