Unit 22: Multi-camera techniques

Multi-camera techniques

Task 1: Define Multi-camera techniques through a written report or an audio-visual presentation.

Multi-camera techniques, well what does this mean? the simple answer would be that it is a production which uses two or more cameras, but its much more complex than just that; why do studios choose to use this?, what are the advantages/how will multi-camera techniques differ to that of a single-camera drama?.

why do studios choose to use this?

The main reasons why studio companies use this technique would be for shooting a live production, for example: The x-factor, Dancing on ice, live sporting events and Big brother. Also panel shows such as: 8 out of 10 cats, mock the week, QI and never mind the buzzcocks. The companies would choose to use this techniques as it is a quicker format which would mean there is no need to set up the scene many times. It is also a cheaper way of filming and the editing process will be simpler to do. This is because The cameras contain a wider range of footage, more angles to work with a

nd, in cases of a live production, control of what is happening. Saying this the numerous angles produce a perfect way for an audience, watching a live program, to view all aspects of the events and emotions produced. This will then maintain more interest in the program. Continuing with the audience, Using multi-cam will ensure a feeling of observation, almost as if they are in the room with the characters/people from the program. So, answering the question 'why do studios choose to use multi-camera techniques?', It is because the technique is cheap, fast, simple and produces more footage to edit.

what are the advantages/how will multi-camera techniques differ to that of a single-camera drama?

The difference between Multi camera techniques and Single camera techniques are quite simple; Multi-cam use a variety of cameras to capture different angles of the same scene, Single-cam uses only one camera to capture the scenes. In my opinion, I believe that multi-cam would be the most useful of the two techniques, simply because there are much more advantages in the method:

• There is more footage to fit together when editing.
• More angles are created at one time.
• It is faster to produce.
• There is more control from the cameras.
• the filming would not have to happen in clusters.
• And finally, It is a cheaper technique.

There are many multi-camera production roles which all enable the production to run smoothly, some include: camera operation, sound mixing and overall management. Also there is the production documentation; timed scripts, shot lists, location plans, lighting plans, risk assessments, equipment check-list and camera script. Multi camera technique proves to be a very big time saver in the world of filming. Apart from having a wider range of clips for editing, scenes are shot quicker and things such as the sound checks, lighting and set up are not needed to be repetitively organized. In a studio the set up would usually look like this...

This allows for an abundant coverage of the studio, grabbing angles from each part of the set. It is useful for capturing the audiences reaction along with facial expressions (with an E.C.U) and the overall location (with a L.S).

Task 2:

• Watch the clips below and explain how the clips do the following….
  
• Communicate meaning to the viewer
• Maintain viewer interest

Kraftwerk:

Kraftwerk incorporates an array of shots almost simultaneously. The main shot I identified would be the tracking shots which not only identify the people involved in the performance, through a M.S of the group, but also add much needed suspense and action to the production. The music is technical and the group members are almost robot-like. This would connote control and signify a futuristic and modern interpretation on music. The shots would then back this up by maintaining the viewers interest. They would jump-cut

at very short periods of time which adds action which is lacking in the performance. Mystery is also created here, as the synthetic music changes as does the shots, they mirror the production of the music. The cameras want us to pay close attention to every part of the production and by doing this they will draw us from a C.U of the synthesizers to an E.L.S of the location. A birds eye view shot is produced looking down on the stage as a tracking shot, a still shot here would not work with the theme and therefore but using tracking shot it has created an excitable atmosphere. The Ariel tracking shot enables us to see the size of the venue, which in this case would be an extremely large hall, and signifies the bands success. There are many shots like this and they all fit perfectly with the music of the band. Overall, I feel that the smooth organic movement of the cameras allow fo

r a more robotic futuristic atmosphere, and the fast paced movement of the shots allow for excitement and movement which is needed to compliment the performance.

Fashion show.

The fashion show consists mainly of still shots which are repetitive throughout. The long shot of runway, establishes the setting and nicely introduces the whole show. A panning shot is shown as the modal walks down the runway, this is to show how the clothes move on the model, it is a way that the viewer can see what the clothes are like on a real person and is crucial in the filming of a fashion show. Close-ups are also used on the clothes to identify the detail and patten on the items. They produce a closer look on the clothing allowing for a more precise opinion. Close-ups on the model's faces show their expressions, in this case a serious face, and produce a kind of professionalism and seriousness to the show. A ped up is used to show a mid-shot of the whole outfit. It somehow creates mystery as it gradually u

nravels the clothes. The repetitiveness of the shots (L.S, P.S, M.S, P.U) make it simpler to follow, we can watch the show easily and it it light entertainment. The worm eye shot used connotes the power of the models and therefore the clothes they are wearing. This could suggest that the women who wear these clothes will be powerful and strong. finally, the long, low angle shot shows the model to be the centre of attention, she is the important aspect of the show.

Task 3: Produce a mind-map of ideas that develops your plan under the following headings…

Task 3: Use the ideas from your mind-map to write a treatment for your programme giving an overview of the programme and how it will be appropriate for your target audience.

The studio is going to be set up using a variety of equipment to fill the studio. We are going to have: two Panasonic video camera’s, one will capture a mid-shot of the presenters while the other camera will focus on getting a close ups. We also will have two lights in the studio, which will be positioned left and right of the presenters to help enhance my facial expressions. This will be done by using high-key and ambient lighting. We will also have two stools, which will be positioned in front of the backdrop and behind the table. The backdrop will be a painted canvas, which is of a suitable nature for our primary target audience of our show. Finally we will have our two presenters and our camera crew located in the studio, which will be positioned around the equipment they are in charge of.

We will produce a series of pre-collected footage that will appear in our live show. The production will include one music video; a single camera production, which was shot in the school to provide the live audience with a high sense of personal identity, which will hopefully engage them with the show. We will also have another piece of pre-recorded footage that will appear on the show, which will be aimed at our primary target audience. However we will have a large amount of live footage, which will mainly be the presenter’s speech dialogue, a small mini game such as a game of Cards or Blow Football to engage the audience with the production. We will also have a small introduction from the team to anchor the meaning of the show and create several enigmas, which will hopefully suspend the audience’s disbelief and provide them with a high level of diversion.

The content of our show will mainly consist of: presenter’s dialogue, music video, a single camera production, a small production which will be based on a well known music bed to give the audience a high level of personal identity. The small mini game will be broadcasted as a live feed to the main hall. As our primary target audience is people of the younger generation, we feel that all primary needs and typical conventions of a television production will be met as we will create several enigmas and provide them with an unrestricted range of information on the show.

Our visual style of the show will very much reflect on the mood we want to create in our production. But as we are aiming our broadcast at the younger generation a lot of the colours will be saturated to make our production stand out. Additionally we want to use bright colours on our set to develop pathetic fallacy so it generates a happy mood, which will hopefully be reflected in our live production. Also as the backdrop is bright blue, our presenters will be juxtaposed from the background, which will create a good mise en scene. We will have a modern dress code within the production to help create a high level of personal identity as we have the same dress code as our primary target audience.

We will try approach our live show with an informal style of address, as the typical convention of a children’s show is filmed with an informal style. However we are going to use a direct mode of address to engage the audience with the production. We’ll do this by asking rhetorical questions on the show to the live audience and creating mini-games where the audience members will be involved. Additionally we will use simple dialect in our script as our primary target audience will respond better to simple vocabulary.

Task 4: Create a production table that can be accessed by the whole group. Create a section for each of the following…

Equipment:

• 2 Panasonic AG-DUX 100B
• 2 Panasonic TH-650 DU Tripods
• 2 Manfrotto 1005 BAC floodlights
• 2 Chairs
• Cue Cards
• Backdrop
• Mackie ONYX 1640 Mixer

Task 5:

Create a final shooting script and floor plan for your multi-camera programme.

Task 6: Complete the relevant risk assessment form……

Unit 2: Pre-production techniques

Understanding the requirements for production


Definition:
Resources are a stock or supply of money, materials, staff and other assets that can be drawn on by a person or organisation in order to function effectively.


Used for:
Resources are used to piece each project together. We need resources to able ourselves to achieve the best result for the production. I have used resources throughout most of my units; Unit 21, 22 and 29, in each case it allowed me to develop full detail in my projects and also acted as backup help to allow me to create successful productions. 


Type of research and unit:
Unit 21, Unit 22 and Unit 29 all tasks.

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Definition:
Codes of practice and regulations are a series of codes, developed in partnership that should be adhered to when undertaking work.


Used for:
Codes and conventions were used in my work to ensure a full understanding of the regulations of my productions and to understand the limits we can reach in the productions. In unit 29 the codes have been used to help me produce work which does not break any of the OFCOM rules. It has allowed me to realize what is acceptable in my projects and has encouraged me to develop original ideas which do not defy these codes. 

Type of research and unit:
Unit 29, task4 and task 6, Unit 7 task 10

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Definiton:
Equipment is the necessary items for a particular purpose

Used for:
Equipment was always needed throughout my units. It allowed me to be resourceful and produce quality peices of work which were successful. With the high quality pieces of equipment i have been able to create some proffestional standard peices of work.

Type of research and unit:
All units

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Definiton:
Personnel are the people employed in an organization or engaged in an organized.

Used for:

In all Units i have completed, i used personnel in order to create a high standard production. Choosing the people i felt comfortable working with allowed our team to become one which was a success in producing and completed proffesional standard work. Each of the people working in the team had specific talents which layed in different areas of the media. All together we were able to move confidently in out production.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 29- Task 8, Task 17, Task 18, Unit 22-  Task 5, Task 4, Unit 21-  Task 8, Task 9, Task 10

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Definiton:

Materials are the things needed for an activity.

Used for:

Materials i used included scripting, interview questions, and questionnaires  to allow me to gather the correct research for each product. This also allowed me to find out relavent information of the consumers demands from my production.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 22- Task 4, Unit 21- Task 8, Unit 29- Task 10, Task 11,

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Definition:

The budget is the amount of money needed or available for a purpose.

Used for:

There were budgets made for some productions which were generallly presented throughout the client briefing.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 29-  Task 8

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Definiton:

Documentation is material that provides official information or evidence or that serves as a record

Used for:

The area in which we used the most documentation were in the initial planning of each production. We would create proposals and treatments along with scripting to allow the production to run smoothly.  They were extremely useful to my work as they allowed me to follow a well-structured schedule and meet deadlines created.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 29- Task 7, Task 8, Task 17, Task 18, Unit 21-  Task 6, Task 9, Task 10, Unit 22- Task 4

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Definition:

Health and saftey are the steps taken to ensure the safety of the personnel involved in the activity

Used for:

During each of the productions i had to make sure a correct health and saftey chart was created, allowing for the right precedures to be taken in any emergancy.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 21- Task 11, Unit 29- Task 19 ,Unit 7- Task 9

Unit 1: Research techniques

Task 1: Understanding the purpose of research:

Definition:

Market Research is the research taken by potential advertisers or producers on the demands of their market aimed at. 

Used for:

Advertisers or producers would use this to respond to exactly what their audience demands from them. Market research is constantly identified throughout my work as I found myself using numerous quantitative and qualitative data to identify my audience’s preferences. An area in which I found myself using the most amount of market research was during Unit 29 and Unit 21as well as all the tasks in Unit 7. Through doing this research I was able to fully understand the methods taken during productions in the media. It allowed me to gather useful information from my audience and thus, use it wisely to enhance my productions.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 29 task 9, Unit 21 and Unit 7

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Definition:

Audience data is the information (letters or figures) for a researcher to collect vital data on the audience who watch a TV programme or film. For example, the numbers of people collectively viewing a television programme.

Used for:

Audience data is the qualitative and quantitative data available in providing advertisers and producers with the necessary information on their target audience. Questionnaires would be used in order to produce what the audience likes and dislikes, it would help when initially planning a production. I used this technique predominantly when evaluating my practical work. The audience data is collected after viewing the product, and then audience feedback is given to help me evaluate my work. I used this most in Unit 29 when producing a TV advertisement as I needed to gather viewer comments and overall feedback from my target audience.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 29, task 21

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Definition:

Competitor analysis is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors. This analysis provides both an offensive and defensive strategic context through which to identify opportunities and threats.     

Used for:

Specifically in advertising, competitor analysis is used to identify faults and achievements of competitors in the same market. I used this technique during my advertising unit to ensure a placement in which to broadcast my production. The use of doing this was for me to discover the type of programming I would be competing against and ensuring my production was placed in the correct place and at the correct time.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 7, task 13

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Definition:

Audience awareness is noticing who your audience are and adjusting your production to suit their needs. It is also being aware if what your audience is able to understand and suiting your production to their enjoyment.

Used for:

Audience awareness is used to produce an understanding of an audience. It is used by producers and advertisers as research into their audience’s needs, much like the audience data is used to collect evidence of the consumer interest, Audience awareness is being able to understand the area which needs to be filled in order to secure an interested listener. I have used this technique again in my advertising units along with many other production units as I needed to ensure I understood the brief for my productions.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 7 task 7, Unit 29 task 7 and Unit 21 task 6

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Definition:

Advertisement placement is the time and channel an advert is placed, allowing for maximum consumer interest.

Used for:

Advertisement placement is used to ensure consumer demand is created. It is needed to provide a place where adverts can be seen by their target market and is a competition of who can achieve the best placement for their advert. During my units I have used this to ensure I would place my production in the correct spaces on TV. Looking further into the matter I had discovered that my initial placing would not have been as beneficial as it would in other places and times.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 7, task 13 and task 7

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Definition:

Content is the information placed in any one thing.

Used for:

Content is the main source of any research and product. It is an element which is needed in anything done, and my work did not differ. Content was added throughout all of my work in every unit. Often, content was research into methods and the area studied at the time, but also some content was specified in the actual productions created.

Type of research and unit:

All units

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Definition:

Production research is research that contains information about the desired product.

Used for:

Product research was used throughout my main production units, although some elements of it fell during some other units also. Product research is used mainly to allow a researcher to develop the key information on their desired product. It follows everything from the initial ideas to the placement and branding of the product and allows for an easier way to create the product in hand. During my units I used product research to gain fuller knowledge on the production in hand.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 7, Unit 29 and Unit 21

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Definition:


Consumer behavior is the behavior of the products audience towards the shown product, this can be seen through an audience classification table.


Used for:


Advertisers and producers use this element to allow a more realistic appeal on the product being made. If the consumer behavior shows them to be uninterested or perhaps bored, then this allows  changes to be made. I have used this element in my work during evaluations and client brief checks during the advertisement unit.


Type of research and unit:


Unit 29, task 9 and 10

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Task 2: Applying a range of research Methods and Techniques

Type of research

Definition:


Quantitative research is often shown through charts and statistics. It is a more accurate way to collect data as we have only one choice to pick from (as opposed to giving an opinion on the matter). 


Used for:


This type of research is generally used when producing an account of audience figures or collecting audience data on genres and types. I have used this in my TV advertisement unit as I have gathered information on audience preference on the advert i was producing. 


Type of research and unit:


Unit 29, task 9

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Definition:

Qualitative Research is the opposite to that of quantitative research as it is based more on the opinion of an audience rather that the statistics. 

Used for:

This research helps in understanding specific needs of some consumers. I used this in my advertisement unit, similar to the tasks used for quantitative research. It allowed me to follow some consumer demands and apply them to my chosen production. 

Type of research and unit:

Unit 29, task 10

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Primary sources

Definition:

Interviews are a way to collect feedback on your production. They occur when a selected person is asked relevant question on the desired product

Used for: 

Interviews are used to gather feedback on the productions, they can also occur during the initial planning for the production as part of an audience feedback. I have used the interviewing technique when gathering qualitative research. 

Type of research and unit:

Unit 29, task 10

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Definition:

Questionnaires are a useful way of collecting data on audience and consumer demands, They allow the creator of a product to begin planning with relevant information to help.

Used for:

I used the questionnaires to gain full consumer demand from my target audience. It allowed me to choose the themes and basic plot for my productions and gave me an understanding of my chosen target audience. 

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Secondary sources

Definition:

The world wide web is the main source of information and provides a service to use for almost any information desired from its user. 

Used for:

The worldwide web was used for all units when gathering information or knowledge on a specific topic. It allowed me to gain useful insight into the context of my units, and allowed me to understand some methods and research.

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Consumer categorization

Definition:

Classification is the way we separate the population in terms of class. 


Used for:


Classification helped me in understanding where i should place my productions. I made a chart showing the placements of what social class would be most likely to watch specific channels. Therefore allowing me to choose the relevant channel to place my product on.


Type of research and unit:


Unit 21, task 6 and Unit 29 task 7

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Interpreting results

Definition:

Evaluating is done at the end of any product, clarifying its success. It presents the weak points and strengths of the product made and incorporates audience feedback.

Used for:

I used evaluations at the end of my units to sum up the success rating of my product. It gave me ways to improve in my future productions and gave me insight into the positives and negatives of my editing. 

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Task 3: Presenting research results 

Definition:


Written research is information gathered usually at the end of the production, however is also used to present the research done in the helping of the production.


Used for: 


All tasks throughout the units used written research as i was able to present the product and research in detail. It allowed me to gather resources on ways of making my product stand out and gave me insight into other examples of work done in the past. 


Type of research and unit:


All 

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Definition:

Graphic aids are the graphs and charts used to help me in my audience data and feedback. Such as qualitative and quantitative data.

Used for:

I used graphic aids when aiming to gather audience feedback on genres and types for my productions. These allowed me to fully see the answers needed to achieve a successful product.

Type of research and unit:

Unit 29, task 9

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Definition:

Proposals are at the beginning of any production. They are the initial ideas for the narrative or plot of the production and allow a basis for the production to lay on. 

Used for:

I used proposals when beginning any work. They allowed me to structure my narrative and gave me options to either follow or develop through the creation of the desired product. 

Type of research and unit:

Unit 21, task 8

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Definition:


Bibliography is a styled reference which allows the reader to find out where the writer found there information from. 


Used for:


A bibliography was used in my essay on unit 7 during a task on understanding industries. It allowed me to create a professionsl styled essay which would help me in future work. 


Type of research and unit:


Unit 7, task 5