An example of when multimedia camera formats are needed - the same shot is being televised and somehow, the viewer still needs to be interested.
There are many reasons for using the multicamera media format across the wide range of different genres. One of the main reasons is that it looks visually pleasing. For many of these genres of television, it is important that the viewer maintains interest, particularly if the image being displayed on the screen stays the same for a long amount of time. Without multicamera, the directors and owners of the programmes could easily run the risk of viewers becoming bored or distracted with what they are watching, leading to the decline of overall viewers. Because of this, it is important that the viewers interest is maintained. Also, the different shots and angles taken on the programme could also communicate meaning to the viewer. For example, if the camera were to pan across the screen during a beautiful dance in a talent show, this could further interest the viewer to be able to tell the story and really become one with the programme that they are watching. Another reason is that it is practically easier, particurlarly for live events that are quite quick paced or that the audience is involved in, it is so much easier to use multicamera media format to be able to film, especially if it is going straight to live sets. Another practical reason would be that it has better coverage, for everybody that is viewing it, as it would be able to cover all of the action and from different angles. Sport
Sporting events are a prime example as to when multicamera formats are used and what they are used for. Usually, sporting events are broadcast live on television, literally as they are being filmed. One of the reasons that multicamera formats are so important to use through sporting events is the pace that the event runs at, usually being extremely fast paced. Sometimes, depending on the sport, everything is moving so quickly that it's practically impossible for somebody with one camera to run with a camera against the action. Also, it wouldn't be aesthetically pleasing - especially if the sports are gentle or have an artistic element to them, the multicamera format would allow the viewers to keep up with the sport and connect to the sports players on the television. An example that I have used are the women's gymnastics from 2012. The women's gymnastics, as I stated before, is a very graceful sport. Even though it is more likely that the camera movements will be stationary for most of their performance, shots such as reaction shots are essential. For example there is a shot from 0:11 - 0:18 of the gymnast running up toward the vault before doing her tricks on it (in this case it is a flip) and landing back down on the mat without any faults. The fact that the movements that she is doing is so graceful and the camera pan to the right, following her, also so graceful, allows the viewer to engage with the movements. The multicamera footage then allows a reaction shot of the gymnast herself, at 0:18 where she is shown smiling briefly, looking very proud of herself. Naturally, as humans, when we see other people happy, especially after they have achieved something, we learn to share their happiness, which the viewer could do, the multicamera making this practically possible. There were only a total of three different cameras from the beginning to the end of this clip, which means that it wouldn't be a ridiculous amount of money for what it was, either.
Concert
The shot of the crowd reaction to the artist.
Concerts are one of the best times to use multi-camera productions and this is for a number of reasons. The first reason is that it is important to see more than one reaction shot of the audience as they themselves are listening and watching the artist. This will then allow the viewer themselves, as they are watching television to feed off of the audience's reaction, and therefore automatically connect with them. If the audience's reaction is quite negative, then multi-camera production will allow the viewer to feed off of their energy and perhaps influence what they think of the performer as well. This is then a disadvantage of using multicamera formats. However, if the audience reaction is positive and people are either stunned to silence in awe or if they are extremely excited and energetic, this can also influence the viewer and excite them as well. Also, it's important to view the atmosphere of the crowd and also the scale of wherever the performer is performing. If it is a particularly loud and thrilling performance, the use of multicamera production would allow a shots such as a panning shot across the stadium to feel the buzz and the atmospheric energy. If it was a smaller audience in a smaller scale stage, as shown in the example, the multi-camera productions will still allow the viewer to get a feel of the closeness and the comfortable atmosphere that the performer is in. In the example above, which is the artist 'Lorde' singing her second single 'Tennis Courts', live on 'Letterman', the first shot of the performer is a mid shot at 0:10, showing the performer and who they are, setting the stage for the viewer. This therefore allows the viewer to gain the main purpose of the performance and more importantly they can see who exactly is performing. In this shot she is by herself, which could symbolize to the viewer her independence and loneliness, communicating meaning. In addition to this, At 0:18, there is a fade to the drummer of the band supporting the artist. This could only be achieved with a multicamera format and this, once again, sets the tone for the performance - however it is also aesthetically pleasing. The fading shot to the drummer sets a very swift and gentle tone to the performance. Also, the viewer has an advantage, as only they can see this in the live edit that they are watching, yet the audience would not have been able to see this. At 0:38, there is a slow pan from high in the air down to the artist, as soon as the beat of the song kicks in, therefore emphasizing the sound and the image together. At 0:51, there is a slow panning left shot of the audience and shows the atmosphere of the performance. At least nine of the people shown in this crowd had their phones out, filming Lorde, as the camera continues to pan, more people are shown with their electronic devices. It was quite a small stage and therefore quite a small audience, however alongside the mood of the song and the tone of the performance, it works well. The shot actually pans in time with the pace of the song, therefore allowing the heartfelt emotion through the lyrics and the pace of the song shown through it. At 1:57, there is another shot of the crowd, this time from the left angle of the stage and from Lorde's perspective. This time, the crowd's facial reactions are seen. Most of the audience are singing along, totally still as they watch her perform. The fact that they are singing along allows the viewer to believe that they are enjoying this performance, possibly encouraging the viewer to do the same. However the energy has clearly been lost in the audience, as the multicamera shots have proven. There are many shots within the video that suggest the mood is of stunned silence.
Public Events
Public events usually come with a large audience or crowd at the scene. Commonly, the public events are part of the royal family or anything linked with royal importance and these normally take more than two hours screening time and yet all of it is shown on the television,usually without adverts or any screen breaks. Obviously, with such long yet important events, the most important aspect is to maintain the viewer's interest. It is extremely easy in these situations for the viewer to turn off the programme due to the lack of excitement. Therefore multicamera production is used to maintain this. For example, the Royal Wedding in 2011 was said to be the biggest public event since the late Princess Diana's funeral. The ceremony and the services had been rumored to be three hours long. One single camera used to film this would neither be aesthetically pleasing nor practically possible, especially with the large scale of crowds at the scene of the event. However, one definite disadvantage to using multicamera formats for these events would be if one camera were to fail. There have been many incidents where somebody as cut to the wrong camera at the wrong time and sadly, this is being broadcast to millions of people. At such an important event such as this one, missing any moment would be seen as a tragedy and therefore would create many complaints. Such a big public event would mean many people coming out from all over the world at the same time to watch it, which means that many high angles or suspended cameras are needed for the screening. This is to: first of all, show the scale of the event and the publicity that it had gained, secondly, allow the viewer to get a better, more comfortable perspective. Automatically, in the video example above, at 0:06, there is a high angle sweeping shot of the abbey that the wedding was taking place in. The ceiling is particularly high, which one camera would not be able to show, however using multicamera production does allow the viewer to experience this themselves. This is also important because the Royal Wedding was a big event but also a very private one. Everybody had the chance to wait outside the church or in the streets to see the carriage go past however not everybody could enter the actual ceremony, only certain people on a guest list could have arrived. This meant that the rest of the world that was not in the church had to watch the ceremony televised on screens, therefore using multicamera formats was the only way they were able to see exactly what took place in the church. Therefore using the right format of cameras to show this was definitely essential. The whole church has a royal glow to it, shown from this angle. Also, from this angle, the viewer is able to see the beauty and the size of Kate Middleton's tail end of the dress, which from any other angle would probably be difficult to recognize the full scale of, therefore a high angle was definitely essential. This shot also moves alongside the pace of Kate walking down the aisle and the movement is so gentle that it flows nicely, looking aesthetically beautiful. The biggest and probably most beautiful shot in the whole of the broadcasting is the shot at 1:35, which is aesthetically amazing. Not only is the capacity of the cathedral shown but also all of the royal colours, particularly gold and red, shining from the high angle that it has been shown at. Even the people that were inside of the wedding itself would not have been able to get this view. Therefore, for the viewer, this highlights the importance. Practically, one camera would able to cover the wedding, yes. However it wouldn't be very aesthetically pleasing to the eye, since even though it was a beautiful moment and occasion, it would become boring. Therefore shots have been used such as mid shots and reaction shots of the guests at 2:32 and 2:43 to create a deeper variety of shots giving the viewer something different to look at.
The high angle shot of the cathedral, was beautiful,
Game Shows
The cube appears to be larger than it probably is from this angle, creating mass amounts of tension.
Game shows are particularly important to maintain the viewers interest, especially as they are only filmed and shown on the television to entertain both the viewers and the audience in the studio. Therefore if the viewer looses their interest in the show, the whole purpose of a game show has been lost. Game shows that include using the mind tend to use different shots such a high shots, reaction shots and shots of the prizes that are set to be won to build all of the tension within both the audience in the studio and the viewer watching. Game shows that are more physically and skillfully based that the viewer cannot necessarily join in with, however, tend to use very different shots to show the sharpness of the skills that are being demonstrated, therefore making the show aesthetically pleasing and at the same time, maintaining the viewers interest, because if they cannot use their mind or do anything physically, it is even more important to ensure that they stay interested. The crowd's reaction are one of the most important reasons of using multicamera formats in this genre, especially if there are certain family members or friends of the competitor watching intently on the side. Seeing their reactions, for example at 5:44, seeing the anxiousness of the crowd and the viewer feeding off this nervous energy will then influence them to be just as nervous, as naturally that is human nature. In contrast to this, at 9:48, their reactions are ones of relief and joy as the competetor finally completed one of the challenges. Naturally, using any other format, one camera would not be able to see the audience's straight after the initial reaction of the competitor as it wouldn't be practically possible. At both 12:19 and 12:21, there are reaction shots of both the presenter and the competitor in the cube. Using one camera wouldn't be able to capture their reactions to one another, however using the multicamera format ensures that this is possible. The Cube is a very scary and intimidating game for the contestant, therefore the show has to make sure that it is just as intimidating for the viewer, to maintain their interest. For example, at 23:50, there is a low angle shot of The Cube and both the presenter and the contestant. Not only does this make the cube look larger than it is, but it also puts the contestant on the same scale, creating the tension and the excitement. With one game show, it is impossible, with the use of a single camera, to gain all of the action with one shot. However, as shown from 28:16 - 28:18, with multicamera, this is possible. Games particularly like the Cube not only have tense, basic music, but also a very hushed audience. Particularly when someone has finally won a challenge, at least five cutaway shots are used to emphasise the relief and completion.
an example of when different cameras are used to play different tricks on the viewer, to make them believe something and then reveal that this was in fact an aesthetic illusion.
Talent Shows
Talent shows are made specifically for entertainment, particularly to family-time television. They are part of a genre called 'live studio' shows, as they are shown live in a studio, with an audience. These can be made for both positive and negative reasons. This is because the producers claim its to find talent, however in the process of finding talent, bad or unwanted is guaranteed. Every year, the average view count has been suspected to be over five million people each weekend. Therefore the biggest factor here is definitely maintaining the viewer's interest, or the ratings of the show could dramatically drop. This clip is from a talent show known as the 'X Factor', a singing competition that lasts for roughly twelve weeks altogether. In this particular clip, the final eight contestants have come to perform a song as one, showing off the skills to each other. Once again, the viewer must be interested in the show, or they run the risk of loosing their ratings. After the presenter introduces the performers, there is a high crane shot of the stage and most of the audience watching, setting the atmosphere at 0:13. The style of this is proffessional and polished, there is just one fluid movement and it works perfectly with the anticipation from the crowd for the performers to start singing. There are also many practical reasons to why this format has been used. Practically, since there are so many people performing at once, using just one camera would never be able to capture all of the singers together, especially as they are moving around. For example at 0:16 there is a shot of the first three girls, to introduce them to the performance. Then at 0:19 the shot has been cut to only focus on the one that was singing at the time. This would have been done using the same camera. However, the shot at 0:43 is another crane shot, showing all of the performers together, before 0:45, showing another single performer. This would not be able to be done with one camera as it would be physically impossible for the camera to capture all of this with one movement without missing any of the actual performance. A disadvantage to this, that has been done before, is if one of the camera's fail. This means they aren't able to function properly and sometimes it takes a while before they are able to switch to the next camera. This will also cost a lot of money to film, to make it aesthetically pleasing also. Chat Shows
Chat shows are commonly a presenter with different guests, having a conversation, usually not too seriously based, as they are shown at times that most families would probably be watching, such as the morning or on a Saturday evening, as entertainment. The example I have chosen is from a programme called 'The Ellen Show', where Ellen DeGenres meets different celebrities or people with inspiring life stories that need to be shared. In this particular show, Ellen is having a conversation with a woman that has recently been cured from going death after suffering many years of her life not being able to hear anything at all. Typically, as the conversation is between two people, it is essential that the multicamera format is used to go from each person as they speak to each other, as to not miss out any crucial parts of the interview that would, in this case, be emotionally tearing. For example, the opening shot at 0:01 is of both Ellen and the woman being interviewed, before the interview even begins. Then, straight after Ellen asks the first question, another camera that is positioned diagonally across from the woman, has cut to her alone. This already alerts the viewer that the attention shall be on her for most of the interview. Beacause of the nature of the interview, and how serious and some may say miraculous the reality of the situation actually is, there are always going to be reaction shots from the audience. At 2:23, another camera stationed at the front of the audience had picked up a reaction shot from the woman's husband. Even though the audience may not be able to see the reaction, the viewer would, due to the multicamera format, therefore they would be able to emotionally connect with him through his emotions being portrayed and the story being told at the same time. Magazine Shows
Magazine shows can be confused with chat shows, however they are quite different. Chat shows do not have much of a pattern to the conversations that form, however magazine shows do - they have more of a structure in the forms of interviews and can be a lot more serious, as they are shown in the evening of the weekday. They are shown live also, which means that anything could potentially take place - therefore multicamera's are essential to cut away from the chaos if it were ever to happen. There are also times to cut away for pre-recorded footage shown between the interview and the introduction. For example, in the video I have chosen, at 0:00 we see both of the interviewers, ready for the interview to take place, then at 0:09 there is a pre-recorded footage of the show 'Sherlock', starring the person that is to be interviewed. This allows the interview, already, to tell the viewer who is going to be on the show and some of their previous work. At 0:20 there is a shot of the interviewers sitting with Benedict Cumberbatch who didn't appear to be there before the interview had even begun, as the camera wasn't on him. However, this sweeping shot, panning upwards to create a smooth high shot, already excites the audience and prepares them for the interview ahead, being both aesthetically pleasing and keeping them interested. At 0:28, there is a mid shot of Benedict finally speaking his first words to the camera, the camera only focused on him. However at 0:41 and many shots after this, whenever the camera is set on the interviewers, it always shows both of them, yet when the camera is on Benedict it only shows him. This could reflect his importance and his status, as he has one camera to himself and both of the presenters have to share one in every single shot that they feature in, even if only one of them is speaking at the time. Practically, for magazine shows such as these, sometimes with a small audience which usually consists of those that actually work in the studio, it is impossible for the camera to capture the whole show unless it stayed at one long shot throughout the whole show. This would probably be cheaper to film as less equipment would be needed, however it would not be aesthetically pleasing or the least bit interesting at all and the show would definitely not be very popular with anyone. A disadvantage that has happened previously, however, is that something goes wrong in the studio and since all of the camera's are held in such a small space (being the studio) there is nothing to cut to, to distract the viewer from the disaster being caused. There was an issue like this when one of the presenters allowed a guest to bring in his dogs and they just barked and howled over the whole interview, therefore the programme had to finish early.
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