Multi-Camera Case Study

Unit 23: Multi-Camera Techniques

Assignment 01 - Multi-Camera Case Study

Multi-Camera is a method in which multiple cameras (two or more) are used during a shoot. It is used in both film and television. The multiple-camera setup is especially advantageous in terms of being able to record simultaneously, and to film from a number of different angles - thus giving you a wider range of shots (to be edited later in post-production).
(As a prime example for my case study) I have chosen to focus on QI’s multi-camera production format. QI (‘Quite Interesting’ for short) is a British comedy panel game and TV quiz show. The panel consists of four participants (typically people with a stand-up comedy background). Each panellist has a buzzer, with the sound of each buzzer being based on a specific theme. Studio-based programmes such as QI rely on multi-camera as a method of ensuring continuity – this allows the viewer to see the communication between each panellist / host. From the beginning we have the entire studio (all the panellists / presenter) in a long, wide-angle shot. Stephen Fry is shown first in a long-to-mid shot that gradually turns into a full mid-shot as the camera zooms in - Stephen Fry being (of course) the primary figure and centre-piece of the show. This is followed by brief, individual shots of each panellist. There appear to be 8 cameras in all, one for the presenter, one for each panellist (4), one long-shot per opposing team (2 v 2), and a single wide-angle long shot of the entire studio. In panel / chat shows,   what the audience (or) you as the viewer can see is hindered only by the number of available shots; thus the multi-camera setup is a means of capturing interactions, facial expressions, debates, even spontaneous moments that would otherwise not be picked up so easily if only a single camera was used.
In a quiz show such as QI, there is usually a significant distance between each team / group. When Stephen Fry asks a question, it’s down...