Single-Camera Production vs. Multi-Camera Production

Single-Camera Production vs. Multi-Camera Production

A single-camera set-up is a method of film-making in which a single camera is used, this means that just the one camera has to be reset for every new shot or angle. Examples of productions that have used the single-camera method include; Spaced (TV Series), Extras (2005-2007), The Office (2001-2003) and I'm Alan Partridge (1997-2002), TV shows such as The Office specifically uses this method as the situation for that comedy is that is a documentary and a single-camera enables the director to achieve 'raw' looking footage usually seen in documentaries and the single-camera allows the characters to act more awkward which is how the show aims to produce much of its humour. 

A multiple-camera set-up is a method of film-making in which multiple cameras are employed on the set and can record consecutively or simultaneously. By using multiple cameras each camera can focus on different objects or can have different angles of the same object. Examples of productions that use the multiple-camera method include; talk shows such as 'The Jonathan Ross Show', talent shows like 'The X-Factor', sitcoms such as 'Friends' and generally speaking most Action movies use the multiple-camera method. Shows like 'The Jonathan Ross Show' and 'The X-Factor' use multiple cameras because they have to capture live reactions or 'noddy shots' and then also be able to cut between multiple angles, for example, a shot of the audience, a dolly shot on someone singing, a close-up of a judge etc. 

The two methods are equally effective in film and television production, however, each of the methods are more useful than the other for specific productions. One example of this is 'live television' such as sport events, for this type of production a multiple-camera set-up is more practical because there is a lot of 'action' in sports, for example in Football the focus of the camera is on the ball and with the ball constantly moving around a stadium a single camera will not be able to capture the 'action' in as much detail as it would be constantly moving and having to zoom in, this is why a multiple camera set-up is perfect for live television, with a Football match multiple cameras can be placed around the arena each capturing the action from different angles the director can then easily switch between the necessary cameras. Another example of one method being better for a particular production is the use of a single-camera in documentaries, often with documentaries the camera needs to be easily manoeuvrable especially if the documentary is shooting in a location that is dangerous. 

For most advantages and disadvantages of single-camera the multiple-camera counters them or vice versa (what you find is that the advantages of one is the disadvantage of the other, but not in all cases). Advantages of a single-camera production is that the director has more aesthetic control, for example each shot can be lighted individually whereas in a multiple-camera production the lighting is more restricted over the multiple cameras. Another advantage of the single-camera method is that it is cheaper in the way that only one camera is employed with the multiple-camera method the more cameras used the more expensive it becomes. On the other hand there are some disadvantages related to single-camera productions; it is very time consuming as the camera has to be constantly reset and moved around, another disadvantage that may occur is that in dialogue scenes each actors' scenes have to be shot consecutively one at a time (if they are not in the same frame) therefore this may result in less realistic reactions from the actors (because they may not be anyone else to react to when shooting separately), this could be avoided in multiple-camera set-ups as different cameras can focus on individual actors and even from different angles. 

Advantages of the multiple-camera method include; it is more time efficient as it doesn't take as long to shoot a production because all of the cameras are position differently, another advantage is that you get a lot of the scenes shot in a shorter amount of time when compared with a single camera as various angles can be captured simultaneously,  a final advantage is that it makes editing more easy as the editor has a lot of material to compile together and has more options. However, there are some disadvantages of the multiple camera method in productions such as; the director has less creative control over the production, it is more expensive as a larger crew is required to operate all of the equipment.

Overall both methods are useful in different ways and serve their own creative function which varies between different productions, therefore it is difficult to name one as superior.