Multi-camera Job Roles

Multi-Camera Job Roles

By Jada Wright

Duties
Absolutely everybody involved in Multi-Camera jobs must have certain duties, most of which are similar to each other. For example, they must come to the set and the rehearsals every time that they are set - this is essential, especially the rehearsals, to make sure that the live showings go well. However, there are skills that the crew need, which are specifically tailored to their jobs allocated. Within the crew, there is a hierarchy that they follow, placing all of the crew in certain areas.

Camera Operator
Camera operators are responsible for ensuring that everything that is being sent out on the television is adequately caught on camera. Without the camera operator, the programme would technically not be able to function. 

Therefore there are many skills that come with being a camera operator.

- To be a camera operator, one must have a very sharp eye in order to spot the certain angles and shots that are needed whilst filming, and therefore physically maintaining these angles and shot types throughout the rest of the show. If the shots are incorrect or messy, this would make the programme aesthetically unpleasing and would just look messy, therefore having a sharp eye is a very important skill needed to be a camera operator.
- Having a knowledge of specific camera lenses for different shots is also important, due to the fact that not all shots could use the same lenses, especially if some are faraway or even closer than others. If the wrong lens is used at the wrong time, especially for live shows, not only will it be difficult to change at the time but the audience at home misses out on a huge part of whatever they are watching. 
- Sometimes, the programme may be unscripted meaning that the camera operator must be able to adequately film and know the shots from memory.

There are also many duties that the camera operator has to perform whilst working in television.

- Before filming even takes place, the camera operator meets up with the directors in order to discuss and select the frames and shots that they plan to use. 
- Camera operators are also in charge of filming certain shots at specific times, especially if the programme is being broadcast live. If the camera is out of shot or out of focus, it could spoil the whole programme and therefore loose ratings. 
- They must have a steady hand as for when filming takes place, again, especially if it is being broadcast live. There have been a few incidents when in live shows, the camera had fallen over as the camera operator stumbled and therefore leaving the show looking untidy and unprofessional. 
Case Study
In this Case Study, Brian explains the advantages and disadvantages of being a camera  operator.
Advantages include:
- Shooting and filming in different locations.
- An insight in new information whilst working.
- Satisfaction when the frames are aesthetically pleasing.
Disadvantages include:
- Working in awful weather conditions.
- It's handheld most of the time.
- Caught in the traffic or any road problems.
- Having to wait around if it is an information based television show.

Sound Mixer / Audio Engineer
The sound mixer is completely in charge for the quality and main sound projected in a television show. In television, with many entertainment programmes, it is important that the levels of sound are acceptable, and more importantly, are clear. If not, the viewer looses out on most of the sound in the show, probably leading to mass amounts of complaints, not giving the show a good reputation. 

Duties to perform whilst being a sound mixer/audio engineer includes...

- They must ensure that the sound is being projected is audible at a suitable sound length for people to hear it.
- They must make sure that the sound is clear and not muffled or distorted in anyway unless for a specific purpose relating to the sound.
- They must be able to handle professional audio equipment whilst filming and is responsible for recording the sound needed whilst filming.

Skills needed to become a sound mixer includes...

- They must have a sharp ear for distinguishing when certain sound is unnecessarily higher than another. Without this, the whole programme could well and truly fail.
- A sufficient amount of knowledge on sound equipment and sound in media.
- An acute sense of timing for when mixing the sound live, so that sounds don't overlap and become messy.

Case Study
Some of the disadvantages and disadvantages of being a sound mixer has been listen below, taken from the Case Study above.
Advantages
- Different experiences daily.
Disadvantages
- Dealing with the clients and the directors.
- Some of the equipment is difficult to handle.

Vision Mixer

The vision mixer is the person in charge of taking more than one video and fusing them together, most of the time whilst adding an effect. This is usually used for the more aesthetic side of a television programme. Sometimes the cuts can be hard and to the point - sometimes they can have an effect on them, depending on the structure of the show and what the vision mixer had been told to do. Particularly in live shows, there is something called a 'VT', which is a pre-recorded video tape that is shown at various points during the programme - the vision mixer is responsible for ensuring that this is sufficiently carried out. 

An example of when the vision mixer
is needed - in the X Factor, before
they performed live, the VT clip
of them earlier in the that week.

The duties that the vision mixer has to perform are

- Making sure that they cut and mix the videos together at the exact, precise time, in the exact way that they had rehearsed, if indeed they had rehearsed.

- Mixing the two video's in a clean and polished standard. If it is a serious show and the vision mixer decides to use the bouncing effect to transition from one video to another, this cold be seen as unreasonable or disrespectful.

- Consistently listen to the director, as they are the ones who know what they want out of the show and ultimately what they want it to look like. The vision mixers must never loose focus and always stay on top of what they have been told.

The skills involved, however, are...

- Being able to stay calm under pressure, especially in live shows. If anything were to go wrong, there would be no time to panic as the show only has a specific allocated time slot and cannot go over this.

- Have a firm mindset and be able to make decisions on the spot but yet be able to think about the outcome of those decisions at the same time. In a live show, nothing can be undone, therefore it is ideal that the visual mixer gets these decisions right the first time through - which means no hesitation.

- Having the capability to concentrate and not get distracted. Whatever the visual mixer decides on, the viewer sees. This means that there are no chances to temporarily loose yourself, even for a split second, as anything could go wrong and it would completely be their own fault, they would be held responsible. 

Director (also known as a Television Director)
The director has one of the most important jobs in the whole of the crew. They are responsible for everything - whatever they say happens, absolutely must happen. There are no second thoughts when being a director, without them, the television show wouldn't run as everybody would have separate ideas and visions. They alert the crew on what they want doing and when they want it to happen, based on previous meetings discussing the show and what ultimately, whatever they believe the show should look like.

There are many duties needed when being a director, however here I have listed just three of them.

- They must decide and supervise where everything goes. For example, the props, the lighting and sound equipment, the people involved and of course, the cameras. If anything is wrongly placed, it could aesthetically ruin the show and could be practically at fault.
- They are to begin the camera's rolling when they see fit, if not, running the risk of missing a cue.
- They must alert the crew in charge of mixing both audio and visual elements when they are supposed to do this, ideally at the time that they are scheduled to do it. 

When being a director, it is equally important that you possess the following skills.

- Being quick. Live television shows and sporting events happen at a very quick pace, many shots are being used, therefore the Director must not only tell the cameramen which areas they should be cutting to, but also say it quickly so they have the time to do it.

- If things become too heactic, the Director is responsible for keeping order, therefore they must be strong minded and firm headed, otherwise running a risk of pure chaos.

- Being able to find flaws and pick apart any situation. Even though this sounds brutal, in rehearsals or even live, the Director must be able to point out where certain areas have gone wrong so that they can be fixed before the final take.

Set Designer
The set designer is responsible for placing where everything on the set goes. This is quite a long and laborious job in some conditions, especially if the set is quite large and there are many areas that need working on.

Many of the duties involved in being a set designer - however this is just a few of them.

-  The set designer has to have a specifc eye for creativity and must be precise in measurements, etc.
- The set designer must be able to pick out the advantages and disadvantages from placing furniture in certain places on set. If something is to fall whilst filming, they are responsible
- To verbally communicate with the director and the presenter and the floor manager and to clearly explain the reasoning behind placing certain props in certain places.
However, alongside duties, there are also many skills needed to be a set designer.
- Thinking outside of the box and being open minded. There are so many chat shows and information shows that take place in a studio now, a risk is run of the sets becoming too generic or too boring. Therefore, it is important to have a creative mind and also not to be afraid to try something new.
-  Practical skills in in drawing and designing models.
- A keen eye for detail. 

Lighting Desk
Those that are in charge of the lighting desk are responsible for the lighting before and during filming. They must make sure that everything on set is visible and that the lighting levels are balanced, and they are especially important when there are moments in which a spotlight is needed or is aimed to be used. 
Duties included when in charge of the lighting desk include
- Pre-Planning the lighting. There is hardly any time to improvise with the lighting since one problem could potentially ruin the whole show, therefore the person managing the lighting desk must previously plan to avoid this.
- Actually assembling the equipment needed. The equipment would be delicate and probably difficult to assemble therefore only crew members that are high in the lighting desk knowledge should entitle themselves to work with this and they are responsible for the equipment.
- Doing test shots to ensure that the lighting is sufficient enough to film.
Some of the skills needed when in charge of lighting in production include
- Being able to work in a large team of people and yet still listen to the director. Overall, it's the director's vision, therefore even though there many be many people involved in filming, they will have to make sure that they carry out the task they were given.
- However they must also be able to fairly, calmly and firmly explain their own creative vision of the lighting. Even though the director can suggest a certain way that he wanted things to be filmed, they may not have the same knowledge.
- They must have clear eye for lighting, if something is too dim they must be able to see this without it coming to the point were somebody else has to point it out for them.

Floor Manager

One of the most important jobs whilst filming on a television set is the 'floor manager'. Without the floor manager,the presenter wouldn't know which camera to turn to at certain times and this therefore, the programme wouldn't flow as smoothly and sharply at the same time.
Duties whilst becoming a floor manager inlcude
- Making sure that all of the equipment work before filming. If it doesn't, then obviously something would go wrong and therefore fail the entire show.
- Give cues to the floor staff and the presenters as soon as it is time for them to turn to a specific camera, also making sure that they can see them.
- Quickly deal with any technical difficulties being experienced on the show, which could be either frequent or rare, nevertheless the floor manager must be ready.
Skills involved in being a floor  manager include the following.
- They must be able to work quickly and under pressure. Anything that goes wrong in whilst filming would mean that the floor manager would have to deal with, therefore there is no room to panic or run out of ideas if anything were to happen live.
- They must be good at multitasking. They do not just have one job, most of them have more than one and are responsible for more than one area in the production, so they must know how to do this.
- A good, precise sense of timing. Especially whilst giving cues to the talent or the presenter, if the floor manager makes a mistake or takes to long to cue to another camera, the presenter will still follow them, leading to them looking at the wrong camera at the wrong time, therefore giving the show an unprofessional look.

Graphics Designer
The graphics designers are responsible for any text or transitions that come on the screen during a show. This can be whilst filming live, or added in afterwards in the case of a pre-recorded show. It can even be changed after the broadcasting of a live show, an example being 'X Factor', where the numbers that are usually shown for each act are replaced with the words 'the lines are now closed', to prevent people from still calling in.
Some duties involved whilst  being a graphic designer include
- They must clearly communicate with the director, asking for any specific details that they must include. Sometimes, the graphics can be the most important part of the show, therefore they must be correct.
- They are responsible for placing different graphics on certain areas of the screen whilst filming.
- They are also asked to put some areas of information on the screen when they are asked to, such as texting numbers.
Some skills that are handed when a graphics designer
- Having a sufficient amount of knowledge in graphics and how to design under pressure.
- Finding practical solutions to problems. There are some situations that a graphic designer has to deal with that can only be solved if they think rationally.
- A wide creativity and imagination. Without this, the show could look rather bland and would not be aesthetically pleasing nor memorable.

VT Operator
The VT operator is responsible for inserting different clips and small videos into the main video rolling. Most of the time, they add the video and the video mixer then ensures that the colour and the balance is sufficient enough for this to be broadcast on television.
Duties of being a VT Operator include
- They are responsible for cutting certain clips at specific times.
- They also prepare the VT's that are needed, lining them up and queuing them so that they are shown at the right times.
- They are responsible for ensuring that the director's vision has been fulfilled and that they do not cut too early or too late.
Skills of being a VT Operator include the following
- The VT Operator must have a sharp sense of hearing. As soon as the Director wants to cut to something, the VT Operator must automatically carry out this action.
- They must be able to work quickly and effectively under pressure. Without this, the whole show could crumble.
- Finally, they must have a sensible sense of timing, impeccable in fact. There is no space in live shows for them to run a VT late, especially in the news.

Presenter
The Presenter is responsible for showing and introducing the show. They are the entertainer in some cases, and the information-giver in other cases, such as news programmes. 
Duties of being a presenter include
- They must read off the auto-cue in many situations, with a clear voice.
- Sometimes they must write and memorize their scripts, rehearsing them also before the camera rolls.
- They must research the background and have a sufficient knowledge of what they are speaking about.
Skills of being a VT Operator include the following
- A clear voice. Without this, the viewer and audience would not be able to understand or comprehend what they are saying.
- An inviting persona. Even if this was something like the news, they would have to be somewhat comfortable with the camera in front of them, otherwise they could come across  uncomfortable to the viewer, leading them to turn off.
- Being able to improvise in awkward situations, as they are the only people on the television that the viewer can see and therefore must also remain calm.