Job Roles of a Multi Camera Production

                                             Job Roles of a Multi Camera Production

In multi camera media productions there are many job roles which are required to be taken. This is because a multi camera production is a big task and requires a large set with many people taking a job role each to make the procedure smooth. There are also certain duties and skills which are required from the crew as the duties are the aspects that the crew workers need to ensure that they fulfil and the skills are the aspects the crew workers have in their possession which makes them do the job in the correct way.

Hierarchy:

A hierarchy is the arrangement of aspects from an order from top to bottom. It can got from most important to the most less important. An example would be at a school as the head teacher would be at the top of the hierarchy and the students would be at the bottom. This is because the head teacher plays the biggest role in the school as they are the main aspect of the school.

In live multi camera production there are 10 main roles for the production crew:

• Camera Operator
• Sound Mixer
• Vision Mixer
• Director
• Set Designer
• Lighting Desk
• Floor Manager
• Graphics Generation
• VT Operator
• Presenter

Below is the hierarchy order in my own opinion:

                                                                          Director:

The director is basically the most important person in the multi camera crew and this is because the director holds and takes responsibility on everything that occurs in a multi camera production so everything runs through the director. The director is mainly responsible for ordering the actors to do what he or she wants to make the film or show. The director also assists in hiring the cast for a multi camera production as they would like people to work with that would meet their own preferences.

Duties:

• The director must make a preparation before they start a production and this is because it is vital to have a game plan to be prepared for as it will help and the director shouldn't then come into contact with any difficulties.
• The director needs to decide on where the shooting will be done and they also need to include a layout in the plan of the step by step of the shots that they will be shooting.
• The director also offers the crew help on the aspect of where to and how to get costumes, props and scenery.

Skills:

• Must have a good eye for spotting people to be in their production as it is necessary to know which person or aspect will be the best choice for the production that the director is creating
• Must be prepared to be a great leader and this is because they are responsible for most of the aspects in the production so it all runs through the director.
• The director must be a very creative person as they will be making the production in the way it is. 

A director needs some qualifications before being able to become a director, normal television directors normally possess a bachelors degree in 'journalism, broadcasting, English or communications'. Television directors also usually have 2-4 years of experience in television production before they become a director.
                       

Above I have placed a video of a television director doing his job of directing. As you can see from the start of the video, the director is straight away placing orders on the cast and crew and this is as he is telling them what to do, what time everything will happen, also does a countdown from each shot to start and finish. As you can see the director is very vary and aware of what should be happening. This is shown at 1:05 because as soon as he finishes his countdown, he speaks out saying that everyone should have content on their screens at the present moment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_crew

http://www.ehow.co.uk/about_6111530_tv-director-job-description.html

Camera Operator:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_operator

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/television_camera_operator_job_description.htm

The camera operator in a multi camera production plays a big role as they are recording the show. Another name for the main camera operator is the 'cinematographer'. The camera operators work with the cameras that are used to film the productions, they do not just film randomly, they have to follow a shooting script which has the whole order of the shots that are required. The camera operator would usually work under the director meaning the camera operator would have to follow whatever the director commands.

Duties:

• The camera operator must always be willing to follow whatever the director orders them to do as it should be a skill and a duty to them.
• Need to be aware of the safety and security around the shooting set as many of the camera equipment can get into people's way.
• Need to be aware of any technical problems that may occur and they need to find solutions, for example in outdoor conditions they cameras could get dis functioned due to rain.
• Need to sometimes offer ideas and thoughts to expand the production

Skills:

• Need to have a creative mind to know about which kind of shots and angles they should use
• Need to have a steady body as when they are shooting they can't keep making movements in their body
• Should be good at practising shots before starting to fill

Above is a screen shot of the qualifications and requirements that are needed to become a television camera operator. As you can see it is very useful to have a large amount of experience in media productions.

                            

Above I have placed a video which is a news report on a camera operator from 'CNN' doing his job and showing how he does it. In most of the video the camera operator explains the functions about the camera and also how it should be set up.

Floor Manager

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/television_floor_manager_job_description.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_floor_manager

The floor manager in a television multi camera production is the person who is responsible for giving information that is from the director to the crew that are in the control room. The floor manager also needs to ensure that all of the equipment that is placed in the set it set up correctly and that it doesn't contain any harm to the other crew members that are around. This should be done before the shooting process starts and the floor manager should also do relevant check ups throughout the filming to ensure that there is no danger. The floor manager is also the manager of the cues meaning they communicate through from the crew members on when to start and stop.

Duties:

• Must ensure that all of the equipment is working before and after
• Need to get the audience to their correct positions
• Must give ques to guests,actors and presenters
• Can also help in planning the show

Skills:

• Need to have maturity to do their job properly
• Must know in their mind about all of the equipment and layout.
• Must have the ability to work under a lot of pressure

                            

Above is an  image of the specifications and requirements that are needed to become a floor manager. There are 3 main aspects that are needed and required for the person to have experience in. Media studies are very important to have experience in, also drama/theatre studies and experience in photography will also be useful. As you can see in the second paragraph it notifies that a degree is not always needed as you can still apply to become a floor manager with experience in the three subjects.

                                                                  Set Designer:

                     http://www.creativeskillset.org/film/jobs/productiondesign/article_4645_1.asp

          http://www.prospects.ac.uk/production_designer_theatre_television_film_job_description.htm

                                                    

Set designers are responsible for the full visual concept of the set which will be shown in the television. They also have to work very closely with the director as they will also be receiving extra tasks on what to improve on and where to sort the sets out. Also known as the Production Designer, the designer also design the set by basing it from the script of the production, as they read and acknowledge the script they would get the basic idea of what kind of layout and set the production will need.

Duties:

• Must look at the script to decide on what the set should appear like
• They must also plan the budget due to the set and what they'll buy
• They need to hire and manage an art department team

Skills:

• They need to have excellent design and creative skills
• Need to also have good managerial skills as they will be managing the art department team
• Must also have good presentation and communication skills

Above I have placed a screen shot of the requirements that are needed to become a professional production designer. As wee see most of the requirements require you to have experience and knowledge in design skills.

Video Tape Operator

                                                     

                    http://www.creativeskillset.org/facilities/post/job_profiles/article_5344_1.asp
                         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_crew#Video_Tape_Operator

 Video tape operators work and manage in the machine room. In the room they have the task of operating the video as they cue and prepare the videos into the programme. They also set up and operate the video tape equipment to play back and record the programme. They also read the programme log which tells them when the show will be recorded and also when it will be completed. There aren't any specific requirements needed to become a video tape operator.

Skills:

• Need to have good IT skills as you will be required to be using systems
• Great communication skills to acknowledge the problems and needs
• Must have very good organising skills

Duties:

• Need to manage the machine room
• Need to operate the recording equipment in the machine room
• Need to identify which equipment is correct to use

   Graphics Generation

                                          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_coordinator

Graphics generator is the person who works on the motion graphics. They also decide on what graphics will be appearing on the television screen and they will also decide on where the graphics will appear on the screen. To become a graphics coordinator you would need 2 or more years of the related graphics experience.

Skills:

• You must have an understanding of graphics and be well knowledged about the subject
• Be quick workers
• Should be creative

Duties:

• Must have the graphics already made
• Be quick with the graphics

                                                                    Vision Mixer

http://www.creativeskillset.org/tv/jobs/Studio_Broadcast/article_5483_1.asp

The vision mixer will work in the gallery room where the director and VT operators will be. The job that they have is to work from the running orders which are made by the director and they outline each aspect. The vision mixer will be the person that works on the computers and put the graphics and effects on the screen which the viewers will be seeing live. During the show, the vision mixers work quite closely with the director and this is because the director will be giving them commands.

Skills:

• Must be able to multi task as there will be many things to do
• Must be able to react quickly to the commands from the director
• Should have good organisational skills
• Should have good teamwork skills

Duties:

• Must practice putting the transitions in beforehand
• Must always be on their role of the machinery
• Make sure they multi task when needed

                                                        Lighting Desk(Console Operator)

http://www.creativeskillset.org/film/jobs/lighting/article_3889_1.asp

The person who works on the lighting will have the job of making the lights be in the right places at the right times, by doing they they will have to change the colour frequently and also fiddle around with them.

Skills:

• They must be quick workers as they will have to rapidly change the lights from time to time.
• Must have IT skills
• Must have good communication skills as they will be handed tasks

Duties:

• They will have to set up the lighting before the show starts and also be with them during the show
• Also have to set up the dimmer board
• Must also operate different boards

Presenter:

The presenter has the role of being a talker that will be shown on the television screen to the viewers at home. The role they have is to be presenting the show as in talking about it and they will also hold interviews with other guests.

Skills:

• Must have excellent communication skills as they will be talking a lot and will be shown on camera
• Must have a clear voice to communicate to the camera well
• Must have good researching skills to hold a good interview

Duties:

• Must do research before the show so that they will be knowledgeable throughout the show and will have good information about the show and the guests that will be appearing.
• Must make a dialogue script before the show so that they will know what to say and do
• Be well prepared



Multi-Camera Techniques

Multi Camera techniques

This report is aimed to the channel E4 as they have approached me by asking me to make a report for them that will outline the range of multi camera techniques that are used by many media productions and institutions. There are two main types of camera shooting techniques and these two are; single camera technique and the other is the multi camera technique and this report will be based on the use of the multi camera technique.

Above is an example of the average set up of shooting a studio show using the multi camera technique, as we see from the image there are three main cameras that are used to film the process of the guest and the host conversing. Camera number 2 is the main camera in this situation as it is filming the guest and the host together conversing, in this shot you would most likely expect to see a long shot of the two people as they are conversing. Camera number 1 is the camera that will show the host and this would most likely be a close up of their face. The last camera which is camera number 3 will have the same process of camera 1 however this camera will show the guest of the show.

In modern day television there are three types of genres that are very well known for using multi camera techniques and these three genres are:

·         Live Events

·         Studio Production Shows

·         Live Studio

These three television genres use multi camera for their shows because that technique is the most useful as there is a lot more going on in these shows than other shows that use the single camera technique. The shows that use multi camera tend to be more active and have more action and movement contained in contrast to the shows that use the single camera technique.

There are two specific reasons which make the genres stand out in their own way. These two ways are Practical and Aesthetic. Practical reasons are so the viewer can visualise the coverage of action and this specifically means how the multi camera work is put together to make sure that the view gets to see everything that is going on. It also looks at the constraints of the studio work and how it is set up to make the work.

The other reason for using multi camera is for aesthetic reasons. Aesthetic reasons go into more depth meaning the work of the multi camera is done to give a certain visual style for the viewer. It is used to see the visual style of what is being shown on the camera and it is also to see the mode of address of how the camera work makes the people in the shot look like they are conversing with the camera and the viewers and this makes up what will maintain the viewer’s interest.

Live Sports

Live sports mostly use the multi camera technique. This is because in sports there is usually a large amount of action going on in wherever the sport is taking place. So multi camera is used to let the viewer visualise everything that is going on so they do not feel as if they are missing out on anything.

The sport that I have picked out as an example is Basketball. This sport contains a lot of action as there are athlete putting in a lot of effort and work. There are also many people involved in the sport such as the coaches and the fans. So this means that the camera work needs to be in the right way so it will cover everything going on.

There are functions for each of the cameras that are used in a basketball match as there are jobs for each. One camera may be focused on the court, another one can be focused on the stadium, another one could be focused on the fans and another camera could be focused on the coaches. At the point 0:27:57 there is a piece of play that happens and one of the Michigan team players scores.

When the player scores there is a camera that shows the

 court so it shows all the players on the pitch and the ball going in to the net.

Then as soon the ball goes in to the net there is another camera that has a function and it shows the fans reacting to the basket in happiness.

After is shows the fans it straight away shows the player that scored the basket to also see his reaction and it shows him clapping and cheering his own players on.

The last camera then shows the basketball court again.



The reason for it to be coverage of action is because the camera work needs to rapid as there a lot of action going on so the camera work needs to show everything that is going on in a quick process.

The very main reason in which sports shows use multi camera set up is to ensure to the institution that the show maintains the viewers interest throughout the whole process. This goes down to the fact that if it was a single camera production not everything would be covered as it would most likely just be one shot throughout the game panning from side to side, it wouldn't add that extra touch that is needed to maintain the viewers interest. As it is a stadium the constraints aren't a big let down to the filming procedure as there is a big amount of space for a lot of camera work to be done.

Concerts:

Concerts are big events as many people come to see a performance from an artist or a band. As concerts are normally held in big venues it requires for there to be many cameras that can catch all of the content occurring such as the music and artist and also the audience to see their reactions.

This video I have chosen is a concert done by Jay-Z in the Hackney Weekend. This is because this concert used multi camera very well and this is because there were many different shots of many different aspects at most of the times of the performance. As you watch the video you will be able to notice that the cameras never stay still at any point, they are always changing cuts and making different shots to make the content look appealing. The main practical reason for using the multi cameras in this concert was because they wanted the show to appeal and maintain the viewers interest. As it one a whole hour long performance they had to ensure that the camera work would not get boring or worn out throughout the concert because it would have a very negative effect on the viewer as they would get bored if they were tending to watch just one shot throughout the performance for a whole hour. So this is where the camera work came into place and ensured that the multi camera was used correctly. This video is such a good example that even a time code isn't needed to show when or how it maintained the viewers interest. Throughout the whole performance there were excellent shots to show the whole environment and the artists and the audience. The visual style of the concert was very dynamic and fast paced and this is because the music was rap and rap music tends to be relatively quick, so the multi cameras ensured that it looked like a rap video as the shots kept changing from the artist to the stage to the audience to have a good effect on the viewer. The scenery was also set throughout as they liked to show where the scene was set such as in the 0:7:35 mark they showed the place where it is set which is Hackney.

Public Events:

Public events use the multi camera technique because most public events tend to be extremely big and important occasions as they are normally broad casted live on television and are important for people to see.

The public event that I have chosen is Barack Obama's victory speech after becoming the president. This event was extremely big as it was a very important function for America and the whole world was watch as it  happened. This event managed to use multi camera in a good fashion because it was very important to ensure that it was used by multi camera. The video started off with a camera shot of a crane coming down and this was to set the location for the viewer to acknowledge the scenery. Then at the 23 second mark it changed shots to a straight shot from the middle of the crowd looking forward and this was to set the stage meaning that that would be the place where most of the action will take place. It then went to a long shot of Obama and his family and then straight away it showed the crowd that was there, this was because there was supposed to be a good order to show and to let the viewer see the audiences reaction to see whether they were happy or sad. The mode of address in this speech was quite direct and forward as we managed to see the president talking in a straight long and close up most of the time as the camera was in front of him. This was to create a direct mode of address to make it seem as if the President was talking to the viewers at home as well as the crowd that were there. It seems as if the camera set up may have costed a little bit of money for the institution as they were many cameras available and the set up must have also costed a relatively large amount of money as there were cranes also used.

Studio:

Game Shows: 

Game shows are shot in a studio where there is sometime only a limited amount of space, there is not always the greatest amount of space so the multi camera work needs to be functioning well and sufficiently and making the most of all the space they have.


The game show video that I have chosen is from a show called Deal or No Deal and the set up for this show tends to have the audience at the back of the studio and the camera crews in front of the audience and then the set including the presenters and people at the front. The show tends to be serious at times as this show contains a lot of tension and patience throughout the show at many points.

As we see in the images above it is a procedure that happened just before the box was opened, the mode of address turned straight to tension as everything slowed down and started to show the contestants face before having the box opened to see his reaction, then when the box was opened and it was bad news it managed to show the game contestants reactions as well to show their feelings on what just happened. The tension would be built in the viewer at home as the camera work would make them feel tensed to see what would happen next. This also communicated a lot of meaning to the viewer as it showed many people sad and worried.


Chat Shows:

The example that I have chosen is a chat show called Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. The chat show uses multi camera to ensure that most of the aspects are being captures in the scenes as everything should be captured for the viewer. The visual style is direct as the two people in the camera are talking to each other, as throughout the video there are mostly long shots of the two sitting down it shows their body language for the viewer at home to acknowledge. Here is an example of how this chat show studio would be set up:




The chat show using the multi camera technique, as we see from the image there are three main cameras that are used to film the process of the guest and the host conversing. Camera number 2 is the main camera in this situation as it is filming the guest and the host together conversing, in this shot you would most likely expect to see a long shot of the two people as they are conversing. Camera number 1 is the camera that will show the host and this would most likely be a close up of their face. The last camera which is camera number 3 will have the same process of camera 1 however this camera will show the guest of the show.
This would be an advantage for the institution as they would not have to pay a lot of money for the camera work as pretty much only 4 or 5 cameras are needed.


Magazine Shows: 

Magazine shows tend to be very direct in the mode of address and this is because the presenter is mostly talking to the camera in large portions of the show, in this show the presenters Jeremy and Richard tend to focus and talk to the camera a lot to make sure it maintaints the viewers interest by making it look as if they are talking to the viewers. At the 10th second till the 30th second we notice that there are two presenters changing and talking to the camera to make it a very direct mode of address. The visual style tends to change when it is out of the studio and onto the parts when they do their tasks and journeys. Then we see many camera shots and angles to make it seem interesting to the viewer. Cost wise it doesn't look as if it would effect the institution largely in the studio as not much is needed to make the set just a few cameras.


Talent Shows:

Talent shows are live studio based shows which are quite different to other shows. Talent shows require for the viewer to see everything that is going on so that they get a full feel of the performances and talking parts.


This example that I have used is from the show name X Factor and it is a talent show where people who think they can sing come out and audition in front of judges. When the contestants come out it normally shows a long shot of the stage then it would show the judges to see what they think of the first glimpse of the contestant then it would show the audience to also see their reactions. The visual styles are quite bright and normal coloured as it isn't really a sad or worrying show. The mode of address tends to be quite direct as people are talking to each other before and after the performances and the camera catch what is going on. At 2:50 we notice that the camera changes shots and changes from the singer to somewhere else and this is because they want to show the judges reaction so this is why they changed the shots. This would maintain the viewers interest because it would keep them intrigued and not bored because it wouldn't be staying on one shot the whole time.