Single-camera setup

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The single-camera setup (aka, single-camera mode of production) is a method of shooting films and television programs. A single camera—either film or video—is employed on the set and shots are often taken out of order. An alternate production method is the multiple-camera setup, which uses two or more cameras running simultaneously.

[edit] Analysis

As its name suggests, a production using the single-camera setup generally uses just one camera. (Additional cameras may be used simultaneously on occasion, usually in order to save time shooting a dialogue scene or to film a stunt that would be impractical to stage more than once.) Each of the various shots and camera angles are taken with the same camera which is moved and reset to get each shot or new angle. In addition the lighting set-up may be reset for each new camera set-up. By contrast the multicamera setup, with its multiple cameras, has the cameras arranged to take all of the different shots of the scene. Each camera of a multicamera setup covers its own angle of the scene and is switched-to in order to switch the perspective to a new camera angle.

For example, in single-camera, if a scene cuts back and forth between actor A and actor B, the director will first point the camera toward A and shoot shots number 1, 3, 5, 7, and so on. Then they will point the camera toward B and do shots number 2, 4, 6, 8, and so on. In the post-production editing process, the shots will be assembled into their final order. In contrast, multiple-camera shooting would record a variety of angles of actors A and B simultaneously; the director would then have the choice of switching among the angles while the program is being recorded (or broadcast) or cutting them together in post-production. Further, single-camera productions tend to cluster the shooting of all the scenes that utilize a certain set and cast, while most multiple-camera productions are shot "in sequence"—the shooting progressing chronologically through the script.

The single-camera setup gives the director more control over each shot, but is more time-consuming and expensive than multiple-camera. The choice of single-camera or multiple-camera setups is made separately from the choice of film or video. That is, either setup can be shot in either film or video. However, multiple-camera setups shot on video can be switched "live to tape" during the performance, while multiple-camera setups shot on film still require that the various camera angles be edited together later.

The single-camera setup originally developed during the birth of the classical Hollywood cinema in the 1910s and has remained the standard mode of production in the cinema. In television, however, a multiple-camera setup is just as common.

[edit] Single-camera television

Television producers make a distinct decision to shoot in single-camera or multiple-camera modes—unlike film producers who almost always opt for single-camera shooting. In television, single-camera is mostly reserved for prime-time dramas, made-for-tv movies, music videos and commercials. Soap operas, talk shows, sitcoms, and the like, more frequently use the multiple-camera setup. Multiple-camera shooting is the only way that an ensemble of actors presenting a single performance before a live audience may be recorded from multiple perspectives. In case of situation comedies, which may potentially be shot in either multiple or single camera modes, it may be deemed preferable to use the single-camera technique especially if specific camera angles and camera movements and a slick visual style are crucial to the success of the product, and if visual effects are to be frequently used. For more standard, dialogue-driven domestic situation comedies the multicamera technique, which is cheaper and takes less production time, may be deemed more feasible.

The 1960s saw increased technical standards in situation comedies which came to have larger casts and to utilize a greater number of different locations in episodes. Several comedy series of the era also presented sophisticated visual techniques. To this end many comedies of this period, including The Addams Family, The Munsters, Get Smart, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Gilligan's Island, Hogan's Heroes, The Andy Griffith Show and The Brady Bunch, used the single-camera technique. Apart from giving an overall slicker and more polished look, this was more suited to the visual effects frequently used in these shows; the magical appearances and disappearances, and the appearances by lookalike doubles where the regular actors played a dual role were created using editing and optical printing techniques, and would not have been possible had the shows been shot using a multicamera setup. In the case of Get Smart, the single-camera technique also allowed the series to present fast-paced and tightly edited fight and action sequences reminiscent of the spy dramas it parodied. Single camera comedies were also prevalent into the early 1970s. With its large cast and varied locations, the M*A*S*H TV series was shot using single camera style. Happy Days began in 1974 as a single-camera series, before switching to the multicamera setup in its second season.

In the 1980s, with domestic situation comedies in vogue, the multicamera shooting style came to dominate.

More recently, television has seen a rise in the use of single-camera in innovative comedies such as Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006), Scrubs (2001–), Arrested Development (2003–2006), The Office (2005–), My Name is Earl (2005–), Weeds (2005–) and 30 Rock (2006–). Unlike single-camera sitcoms of the past, nearly all contemporary comedies shot in this manner are produced without a laugh track.

The single-camera setup is generally utilized on comedy series that either require or strive for specific shots and camera angles and visual set-pieces. When the potential of the single-camera style is fully maximized, camera movement, the way shots are composed and edited, and other directorial flourishes will be as much a source of comedy as the behavior of the characters. On such shows, the creative teams are more likely to include fantasies, daydreams, and surreal, cartoonish gags, occasionally using computer-generated imagery.

See also: List of single-camera sitcoms