Understanding Program Formats

Multi-Camera, Understanding Program Formats

Multi-camera is a technique used for a lot of different types of television, and for a lot of different reasons. 

Live events: Football Match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB0spy6xsPk
Live events are filmed and aired in real time, with action being shown as it happens. Some examples of live events include, sports games, awards events, some concerts, festivals. sports games and awards events are aired live so because it means that the audience at home receives the same knowledge as people watching at the event. A lot of people bet on sports games and being able to watch as it happens can be very exciting.
Coverage of Action is important in sports games like football because the audience at home are eager to know what is happening every second of the game. Multi-Camera is used during football games so that the audience can see the match from every perspective. Being a part of the action is such a huge part of watching a football game, and allowing the audience to see the game from different points of view allows for a lot of hype and excitement. Maintaining viewer interest is important during football games also. Maintaining interest means maintaining viewers for the channel during the two hours that the game is aired over. Because of the length of the matches. Even the most enthusiastic football fan wouldn't want to watch a game from one camera angle the whole way through. If there was a fixed camera over the pitch for the entire game viewers would get bored. They would not be able to follow all the action as it would be hard for viewers at home to make out the details of the game, they would be unable to pick up any emotion in the players face.
Any anger, excitement, hope on the players faces would go totally unseen by the audience at home. It would also be very hard to make out which player has possession of the ball with a fixed camera over looking the whole pitch for the full 90 minutes.

A steady-cam being used
(bottom left corner)

Steady-cams are used a lot during football matches, this gives the camera operator the freedom to go wherever he feels he needs to go in order to get exciting shots that the audience will enjoy. Although steady-cams are used a lot today, locked cameras with only the ability to pivot and zoom used to be used to follow the action of he game. Being able to pan the camera and zoom in on players faces was good but didn't give the camera operator or editor the freedom that steady-cams allow. This freedom includes being able to get right into the action, and capture every moment of the game for the audience at home. Although the atmosphere, and excitement of actually being in the stadium for a game can never be recreated for television, the fact that the audience can feel as though they are actually on the pitch alongside the players makes up for it. Like I have said before, the audience at home will have the advantage of seeing the looks on the payers faces, and studying every foul, goal, or trip. Supporters who are watching in the stadium might watch the match again at home, and realise that they missed an argument between 2 players, or that they didn't realise a certain player was that angry about the other team scoring.

Multi-camera simultaneous recording is used during sports games for this reason exactly. The audience at home doesn't want to miss any of the action so all cameras will be on throughout the game to make sure the editor always has something to cut to and if something important happens, the editor can cut to it straight away so nothing is missed by the viewers at home. Having all cameras recording at all times means

that not one second of action goes uncovered. Almost always, there will be one of two cameras that are constantly focused on the ball, and nothing else. The sole job of the cameramen operating these cameras is to follow the ball, while others might be looking out for drama among the players, or the managers, and crowds reactions. Multi-camera simultaneous recording is also useful when it comes to instant playbacks. The more cameras recording the game from different angles, the easier it is to pick a shot to show as an instant playback. Nine out of ten times, there will be several fixed cameras set up behind both goals. These cameras are placed this way so that if there's a goal, the producer can replay the clip straight away, and can even use both angles to make the clip more exciting.

High angle shot of goal 

Shot of the goal from directly behind

A close up of the look of joy on Rooney's
face after a goal

Instant playback can make an already excited audience even more excited or an already disappointed audience even more disheartened. Slow motion is often used when showing playbacks during football games. An example of this this football game at 40 minutes and 32 seconds. Rooney jumps in the air after scoring the first goal of the game. This technique is used to amplify the excitement of a goal, show something that might be missed in full speed, a hand ball for example, or to capture the look on a players face after a goal.
is during

A low angle shot of the England manager
after Brazil scored their first goal 

A close up of the Brazil manager
celebrating their first goal

The shots used during a football game can help with communicating meaning to the viewer. While the viewers at home are never going to be able to experience the atmosphere like the audience in the stadium do, camera angles and camera movements can help relay the overall mood of the day. If one team is losing the game by a few goals, an extreme close-up, low angled shot of the team manager, or a supporter looking upset might be shown, to give the audience at home an idea of the atmosphere in the stadium. Low angled shots can signify sadness, editors will use these codes to make the audience at home feel happy, sad, hopeful, or hopeless. If the editor chooses to show a high angled fast pan shot of the audience, or a close up of the teams manager celebrating after a goal, it communicates to the audience that something good has happened. Using close ups, and extreme close ups allows the director to make the audience at home feel as if they are there in the stadium with their fellow supporters. The director want the audience to feel happy with their fellow fans, sad with their fellow fans, the director also wants the audience at home to empathise with the players, by showing close ups of their faces throughout the game, the director can achieve this. Close ups can also give the audience at home a slight advantage on the people in the stadium as they are able to get as close to the action as possible.

A high angle shot of Brazilian
supporters celebrating a goal

The use of both diegetic, and non-diegetic sound is used during televised football matches. Throughout the game the audience at home are able to hear the diegetic sound of the crown in the stadium, as well as the non-diegetic sound of the commentators.
Being able to hear the audience in the stadium can add to the mood of the game. The director want the audience to feel as if they are there in the stadium, being able to hear whats happening in the stadium can help towards this. Commentating is used to help the audience to understand what's happening on the pitch. It is also a good way to fill space, if nothing is really happening in the game, the commentators might start talking about previous games, or players score records. This ties in with maintaining the viewers interest.

The score is always shown in the top
left hand corner

Graphics and visual effects are used in football games. The score is shown in the top left hand of the screen over the top of the game. Other effects that are used are logos, or idents, that are used to transition from the game to a playback and then back again. The score is placed over the top of the action at all times so that the audience at home can keep up with the score. Some audience members might tune in late to the game and will want to know who is winning straight away. The graphics that are used as transitions are used to break up the live action from the playbacks. Without something to indicate to the audience that they are coming away from the live action, there could be confusion regarding what is going on in the game.
Lower third graphics are used when one player leaves the pitch and another comes on. This is to make it clear to the audience who is leaving the game, and who is joining so that they can continue watching without confusion.

Graphics explaining who is leaving
the game, and who is joining.

Football is a fast paced game so the speed and mix of the cuts match this. Apart from when going in to a instant playback, there are no transitions, just fast, straight cuts to the next shot, this is most likely to ensure that none of the action is missed. Although the ball, players, cameras and cuts move very fast, the mix is actually relatively slow. To avoid confusing the audience, the editor will try to stay on one shot for as long as possible. A longer shot will last maybe 10 seconds before cutting to the next one. Like I said, although the mix is slower than you might expect. The camera is constantly moving to keep up with the ball, players, and action.

Public events: Britain's Got Talent, Graham Norton Chat Show 

Public events are shows that anyone from the public can be involved with.  
Multi-Camera is also used for chat shows and various other audience based shows such as X Factor, Come Dance With Me and Britain's Got Talent.
Coverage of Action: Multi-Camera is used on shows like Britain's got talent so that the audience at home can see every ones reaction to the performances. If there is a fixed camera on the performer and the judges, audience, and hosts are never shown, it can make for a very boring watch, but being able to see how the audience and judges are reacting adds to the entertainment, and maintains the viewers interest. This is also used to manipulate the viewers emotions. Communicating Meaning 
The Viewer: The reaction of one judge can sway the reaction of a nation watching at home. This means that producers can make the public feel certain ways about certain contestants, this is usually for entertainment purposes, but can also be used to make the audience feel emotion for a contestant. If a contestant is telling a sob story to the judges, one camera might be picking up one of them with a tear in their eye, this will mean that viewers at home will feel empathetic towards the judge and the contestant.

An example of using multi-camera to manipulate an audiences reacting is Susan Boyle's audition on Britain's Got Talent in 2009. When Boyle stepped onto the stage she was sarcastically wolf whistled by a member of the audience, as soon as this happened, the shot changed from a long shot of Susan on the stage to a close up of Simon Cowell's face looking very surprised at the fact that anyone would wolf whistle Boyle. Boyle, with the camera back on her, then responded with a hip movement and 'And that's just one side of me' immediately, again, the shot was changed to a close up of Cowell's face, When Boyle explained that she was hoping to become a professional singer, shot changed again to a close up of one of the audience members faces looking in disbelief that this woman would be able to sing professionally. This happened again when Boyle said she aspired to be like Elaine Paige. Although this sounds completely inhumane, because of the editing and the way the cameras were focusing on certain peoples facial expressions, the audience reaction at home was to play along with the disbelief as well.

Disbelief from an audience member

The shots then went on to change from judge to judge, none of them looking particularly hopeful that Boyle would be the next Elaine Paige. The audience at home jumped on the band waggon and weren't expecting anything too special either.

When Susan started singing 'I Dreamed a Dream' from Les Miserables. The audience were shown Cowell looking completely shocked, followed by Amanda with her mouth wide open. A camera in the wings even picks up the hosts reaction before the shot changes to the audience clapping and cheering. Throughout the performance multiple camera shots and angles are used to show the audience standing, and applauding and the judges various facial expressions.

Without the use of multi-cam the audience at home wouldn't have experienced the doubt from the judges and studio audience and the reveal that Susan is in fact a spectacular singer wouldn't have been so dramatic. The director wants the audience to feel shocked, and amazed, and maybe even a little bit guilty when they realise that this woman is actually a brilliant singer. All of this is achieved by using multi-camera simultaneous recording. The audition process of shows like Britain's Got Talent and X Factor are pre recorded, edited and aired months later but the way that they are edited give them the feel of live television. This rings true for a lot of chat shows and game shows as well. For these types of programs, all of the cameras will be switched on and recording the whole time so when the editor comes to put the show together, any shot that they feel will get the desired reaction from the studio audience will be put in as part of the show. Taking Susan Boyle's audition as an example again, the reactions of the judges and the audience could have come from an act at another point in the day, but because the reactions fit with how the editor and producer wanted the audience at home to feel they might have been put in for effect to provoke these feelings. 

Chat shows will use the same technique so that if someone says something funny or one of the guests has a good reaction to something the host is saying, everything is recorded and can be used for effect in the final edit. This helps to maintain the audiences interest as they are not just being shown a back and forth between the host and the guest, they are getting genuine reactions and interactions and an insight to everything that the studio audience can see. This coverage of action can make the audience feel closer to the guests on the show as if they are sat in their living room with them. This is the reaction that the producers want from their audience as the intimate feel of chat shows is what makes them so popular. In this clip from The Graham Norton Show, the audience is asked if they have read 50 Shades of Grey. When one man puts his hand up to say that he has, the shot changed almost straight away to show a mid shot of the audience member. This was done so quickly and easily as a result of multi-camera simultaneous recording.

Crane shot of presenter and audience

In a typical recording of 'The Graham Norton Show' some of the camera angles and types of shots that are included are; crane shots of the host and the audience, using a crane to allow the camera to
capture high angled shots gives the audience at home a good view of what's going on in the studio. Using a crane also allows the camera to follow the action. Every week, the show has a performance from a singer. After their performance they will walk from the stage, on one side of the studio, to the couch, on the other side. The crane follows them with fluent movement, the more smooth the movement is, the more at ease the audience at home feel. A lot of the time, the aim of shows like this is to make the audience forget that they are watching a TV program. Fluid movements can help to achieve this.

Following the singer from the stage to
the sofa

After the opening credits at the start of the show there is a crane shot which changes from high angle to a mid shot of the host. Another advantage of using multi-cam is that the editor can show the audience what they should be looking at. Using a mid shot shows

Mid shot of the host

the audience that their full attention should be on the host.

Long shot from behind the audience

Other shots that are included in a typical episode included; long shots of the host from behind the audience, this will sometimes be used to show an audience reaction, or simply to be able to fit all the guests and the host in one shot. If everyone on the sofa is engaging in a back and forth, the audience at home will want to see everything that is going on, this is when a long shot is usually used. The cameras that capture the long shots from behind the audience are likely to be fixed cameras, this means that as well as showing all of the action and audience reactions, it is a good shot for the director to cut to if none of the other cameras are picking up anything good. Mid and close up shots of the guests are also shown as they talk and answer questions. Like I have said, the idea of chat shows like this is to make the audience feel as though they are in on the conversation, so showing the guests close up in a two shot, if two of them are having a conversation, of a single shot, if one of them is answering a question, means that the audience can feel as if they are closer to these celebrities that they may never meet in real life. The audience likes being close to the action as it makes them feel like they are a part of the conversation.

Close up of a guest

Mid shot of the guests

The cameras also pick up multiple angles around the sofa so that however the guests sit and whatever might happen throughout the show, the audience at home can always be part of the action. The visual style of the show is bright, personal, and glamourous. The bright, and glamorous background gives the show a star studded feel, and engages the target audience, while the intimacy makes the audience feel as though they are there on the sofa with the guests. If the studio was dark, and the cameras were all set on a long shot, the audience would feel left out of the action, and the mood of the audience would reflect the darkness of the studio. Visual style is all about delivering what the audience would expect to see, and is important to keep in mind when creating any type of show. For example, during a TV drama, the audience would expect to see darker tones shots, more close ups, and faster cuts, but in a comedy, the tone of the whole show would be brighter, and lighter, and the shots would be longer, usually involving 2, or more people.
In the way of sound, the audience at home are always able to hear the studio audience and their reaction to what's happening on stage, this helps to provoke he desired reaction from the audience. The Graham Norton Show, like most chat shows, revolves a lot around humour, the director wants to make the audience at home laugh. Being able to hear the studio audience laughing and having a good time can create a stronger reaction from the audience at home. The audience at home are also, obviously, able to hear the hosts and guests the whole time.
The speed of the mix and cuts vary depending on the point in the show, at the beginning of the show, the mix was slow and was settle on the host for a few seconds before cutting to a different shot, the cuts are all fast straight cuts to the next shot. There are no fading cuts at all. As the guests get talking on the couch, the mix starts to gather some pace but is ultimately quite slow moving. The show is supposed to be a casual wind down at the end of the week so cutting to each new shot too quickly would ruin the mood of the show, the audience at home might become confused as to who is talking, or feel left out of the conversation, this could effect viewing figures.

The shows title showing over a crane
shot of the host

At the start of the show, after the title credits, the title of the show comes up on screen over the first shot of the show which is the crane shot coming into a mid shot of the host.

A picture of young George Clooney
being shown on the TV behind the host

A clip being shown in full screen for
the audience at home

Inserts of pictures backing up the hosts
jokes at the start of the show

Other graphics that are shown throughout the program are inserts of clips and pictures relating to what the guests and host are talking about, for example, a screen shot taken from the weeks episode of Newzoids that features a caricature of Miranda Hart, a guest on the show in episode 5, is shown in full screen for the audience at home to see. Another example is a picture of a young George Clooney that is first shown in full screen for the audience to see then shown on the smaller TV behind the host. All of the pictures shown in full screen are also shown on the TV, which is put behind the host so that when the camera settles on the host talking about the picture, the audience are able to still see it. The movie clips are shown in full screen to the audience at home but are played to the audience in the studio on the TV screen. The clip has to be played in full screen for the audience at home so that they can concentrate fully on the clip and not what's going on around the TV in the studio. Playing the clips in full screen also means that the audience can see a lot more detail. The last shot of the clip stays paused on the TV behind the host for a while after it has been played while the host and guests talk about it.
At the start of the show, the host tells a few jokes, some of these jokes will be aided by pictures that are shown in a pip style. The pictures are not being shown to the studio audience in the same way that they are being shown to the audience at home. The image that shows on screen for the audience at home has been edited in, the images were most likely shown to the studio audience on the night using smaller screens around the studio.
The Graham Norton show is filmed in advance, edited and then shown on a Friday night. During on particular episode, that aired on the May 8th, the day after the general election, the host mentions the election and goes on to make jokes about how he should know who's won, 'I'm really glad that those people won' making it fairly obvious that he can't possibly know because the polls hadn't been taken when the show was filmed, earlier in the week.
At another point in this episode, Greg Davies, a guest, is asked a question by Miranda Hart, and is caught scratching his nose, when a joke is made saying that he might have been picking his nose, he says "Can you do it again so they can use it" in a jokey manner. What he meant by this was to re shoot the question and he would be ready with a funny answer and they could cut out the part when he is scratching his nose in post production. Unfortunately for him, they left it in, probably because the producers thought the initial footage would get more of a reaction from the audience at home.

Constraints of studio, or location environment
When filming anything for television, a lot of decisions need to be made before hand in order to ensure the best outcome for the show. A lot of productions will have the choice to film in a studio, or on location. There are a few things that the producers will need to take into account, these things include lighting, sound, accessibility, and time limits. Usually sets are built with a lot of space behind the camera for all of the lighting, and equipment to fit. One benefit of filming in a studio is that there is more space for lighting rigs, filming on location will either be outside, where there is a great deal of space for lighting, or somewhere inside, for example, the house in the first season of American Horror Story. This house is otherwise known as the Rosenheim Mansion, this is an exceptionally large house that allows for lighting to be set up with enough room for cameras as well. Lighting rigs in a studio are useful because it means there is no guess work, the director knows exactly what can be achieved with lighting in a studio whereas on location there will be natural light to work with as well. This isn't always a good thing, as natural light can cause unwanted shadows, or overexposure. Some shoots will be able to benefit from the natural light, though, as the right amount of natural light means that less electronic lighting will be needed. There are obviously windows in the Rosenheim Mansion which will let light in, this can be stopped with blackout blinds if the window is out of shot, another way that lighting can be manipulated on location is by placing a light facing in through the window making it look as though the sun is shining through.
Sound is another thing that producers can never be sure of when filming on location. When filming outside there are elements such as wildlife (birds, dogs, cats etc.) weather (wind, rain etc.) and traffic that might disrupt the sound when filming. You wouldn't come across these issues when filming in a studio. The sound in a studio is also a lot more controlled with personal microphones than on a location shoot. This means that the audience is able to hear what the actors/presenters/guests are saying a lot more clearly.
Accessibility regarding cameras, lighting, vehicles, etc. Television studios will have designated parking areas for cars, vans, and trucks that are carrying people, equipment, props etc. but locations might not have this luxury. Production teams might find that they have to squeeze all of their vehicles into tight spots in order to make the most of the space that they've got. Having the capacity to fit cameras and action in a scene on location can sometimes be tough. Using the house from American Horror Story as an example again, the house is so large that the cameras can fit into the rooms comfortably leaving enough room for the camera to pick up that the house is large. While some scenes will probably have been shot in a studio, the kitchen scenes for example, the house could be used for most of the scenes throughout the entire series. This saves time, and money on creating multiple sets as everything is all in the one house already. The house is built on a large plot of land, so there would probably have been enough room for any vehicles to park during production.
A lot of programmes that are set inside a house are often filmed in a studio, an example of this is Mrs Browns Boys, the whole show is set in 2 different locations in the house, the kitchen, and the living room. Mrs Browns Boys is filmed in front of a studio audience, so needs to be filmed in a studio. This means that the rooms are fixed in a stage like setting, this is so that the audience can see what's going on during the show, but it also makes it easy for the cameras to get in and film the action. Since the camera never needs to turn more than 180 degrees, anything behind the camera line is rigs, studio space, and audience.
When it comes to filming in front of a studio audience, the crew is large, and the process costs a lot of money. This is because people will be needed to setup, and standby lights, cameras, set, as well as other things. These people are needed, and will be paid for the whole of the production, including rehearsals. They are needed to stand by the equipment incase of any malfunctions, or changes in angle, or position etc. Because shows like Mrs Brown's Boys is filmed in front of a studio audience, every scene will have to be rehearsed much like any other play, musical, or show. This means that instead of just needing a lighting and camera team etc. throughout filming, they will also be needed throughout the rehearsal period. Although this can be costly, it does mean that everything can be filmed, and finished a lot quicker. With shows filmed in front of studio audiences, everything is set up, the show goes on, and then everything is edited very quickly in comparison to other TV programs. Everything will be filmed in one night, even if there are a few slip ups and a scene has to be filmed two, or three times, everything is already set up in place so it's just a case of calling action again, and carrying on. With TV dramas filmed with less cameras, however, everything will take a lot longer. Although the team will be a lot smaller because there is less equipment involved, with a scene involving two people for example, the lights, camera, mics, and actors will have to be set up in order to capture one persons actions, and reactions, and then everything will need to be set up again, to capture the same scene from a different angle. Scenes like this can sometimes take over 6 hours to film, and so, in turn, will cost more money. Either way filming for TV is expensive whether it's with a large crew in a small space of time, or a smaller crew in a large space of time.