Single Camera VS Multi Camera

Single Camera

Single camera set-ups are often used for things like films. It is a lot more expensive to do and is a lot more time consuming then using multi cameras. It is basically using one camera to shoot one shot and moving the single camera around after every shot. It takes a lot longer to complete and when unlike editing single camera use you have to wait until the end of filming to edit it. Films that I know have used the single camera technique are Skyfall and Batman. For example when a big part of the film is done they don’t want to have to do over and over again because it costs so much money so if they use the one single camera they can capture everything they want to the first time and then they don’t have to re shoot everything and waste time, money and effort. When using the single camera it can capture the most important things needed and the only things that are needed within the scene. For example when using the single camera technique often the director can just focus on the things that he wants in the scene. This still means more editing and more time because things may need to be changed and re done of the person in the scene was to do something wrong.

 Multi Camera

Multi camera techniques are mostly used for things like live shows and sitcoms. Some examples of these are things like Jeremy Kyle and the big bang theory. With the shows like The Big Bang Theory they don’t want to spend a lot of money or time filming them so if they use multi cameras things can be done much quicker and can be edited as its happening. This is much cheaper and easier option than single camera use. They would set up around 3 or 4 cameras in front of the actors and film the whole thing like that. With shows like Jeremy Kyle they like to film that as if it’s live. This is because it’s a reality TV show and a lot of the time people argue on it and move around a lot. With the one camera it would be too much and would take far too long to keep moving around all of the time when everyone moved. Its important to capture everything that happens. Also with this show having an audience they wouldn’t find it as interesting if they were to just keep stopping everything for the cameras. This way with having a range of cameras in front of the people on stage they can just let the show run smoothly and have some cameras focus on certain people and have one or two others vary their view so that you can always see what’s happening. However when doing sitcoms you have to depend on everyone in the scene at that time to get their lines right and if that doesn’t happen then they would have to do pick up shots to correct the mistakes.