Single Camera Drama

Laura Wright

Single Camera History• 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, both single camera and multiple-camera productions are common.

Single Camera Setup

• A production using the single-camera setup generally means using just one camera.

• In single-camera, if a scene cuts regularly between actor A and actor B, the director will first point the camera towards 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.

• The single-camera setup gives the director more control over each shot, but is more time consuming and expensive than multiple-camera.

• Each of the various shots and camera angles is taken using the same camera, which is moved and reset to get each shot or new angle.

• The lighting setup is typically reconfigured for each camera setup.

• In the post-production editing process, the shots will be assembled into their final order.

When are Single Camera Setups Used?

• In television, single-camera is mostly reserved for prime-time dramas, made-for-TV movies, music videos and commercial advertisements.

• In the case of situation comedies, which can be shot in either setup, it may be preferred to use the single-camera technique especially if specific camera angles and camera movements for a feature film-like visual style are considered crucial to the success of the production, and if visual effects are to be frequently used.

Effects Using Single Camera• Apart from giving a feature film style, Single Camera setup is more suited to the visual effects frequently used in comedy shows such as magical appearances and disappearances, and lookalike doubles where the regular actors played a dual role. These were created using editing and optical printing techniques, and would not have been possible had the shows been shot using a multi-camera setup.

• The single camera setup used in 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.

• Although using single camera setups increases the creativity from the director, it is also very time consuming as the camera needs to be manually moved by crew members.

The 180° line is a technique/rule that most directors stick to. An imaginary line is drawn between two characters and the camera must stick to one designated side otherwise the characters don’t feel like they are connected when the audience watches it, if the camera was to stray the other side of the line it would look like the characters are talking to someone else completely this would ruin the flow of the film and perceived interaction between the two characters and cause disorientation.

180° Line Technique