Music video- Bom, Bom

Single camera short- date against time

Scenes responsible for

0:30- 0:43

1:49- 2:03

2:59- 3:50

Treatment & Propsal

Single camera techniques

                          Single Camera Techniques 

Introduction

In this essay I will be talking about all the techniques that are in single camera productions, I'll be defining, explaining and giving examples of the use of cameras. Also lighting, sound and editing then talking about single camera genres and also multi camera techniques as well as single. The essay will give an insight into the television and film industry and the way they use everything, it can vary within sectors of the industry for example BBC news will use multiple cameras to get different angles but things such as short films will use single camera to get all the important angles

Camera

Camera's will be the most important thing used in any production whether it be single or multi there are advantages and disadvantages to each of them, the one that is usually favoured by directors is single camera production because of the control they have over it being greater than having multiple ones. Advantages for single can be the way the audience feel more connected and adds a level of realism to the look, the director being the one who sets up each shot but obviously the cinematographer having the main control over the way everything is shot and finally looks. 

Multi- camera production set-up 

Single camera production set-up

However many single camera productions can use multiple cameras for scenes such as conversations or any over the shoulder shots, also a lot during action scenes where there are a lot of things going on. Disadvantages of using single camera production is that shots will need to be repeated for any different angles, this can mean a lot of time will be taken up by the DOP and any other members of the crew. This is why multiple camera productions can be more beneficial because it allows more than one camera operators and shots can be done at the same time, but on different settings and scenes.

Lighting

Lighting set up.

Lighting is the second key term I will be explaining a very important thing in any production single camera or not, it can change the entire mood and setting for a scene also give it a realistic look a feel to it without any major editing or budget issues. With single camera production lighting is very easy to manipulate and control, it can be adjusted directly to that specific shot or angle even though a camera can create a professional look for a shot without lighting it will look bland. Whereas in multiple camera productions the lights will be adjusted to the cameras so this will make the production a bit more difficult and the scene can then have less space to work with.
A reflector can can be used to help if the production is low budget, it allows for light whether it be natural or artificial reflect towards the object or a subject used and will develop a realism of the mood. 

Sound

Boom mic with pole

Sound is the next key term i will be talking about in this essay, when filming in single camera you can't rely on the microphone from that camera to be a good enough quality to pick up dialogue, they can also pick up bad background noise which will interfere with the main dialogue. Additional tools are usually used with productions which can be plugged into a camera to pick up specific dialogue and drown out any ambient and non diegetic noise, these are called boom mics, zoom's and a boom pole can be used to pick up dialogue. 

Zoom mic

Sound effects are usually added in the editing stage, this is done to enhance or create a certain feel to the scene but some sound effects are manmade an example is people using real life objects and rustling them or moving them around a certain way and having an external mic to pick these up. In single camera production you can be more flexible with the sound especially in post production, because of the likeliness to be multiple takes of scenes and shots, meaning the editor has a variety to work with ensuring the best outcome sound wise. With multi- camera production which is typically on sit-coms, they'll often mic up the characters individually to pick up the clearest audio because with multiple cameras picking up different levels of audio it'll be harder to edit sound into each extract of footage. 



Editing

Multi camera vision mixer

Editing is the 4th technique I will be talking about in this essay, this is a vital thing with single camera productions due to only filming on one camera there is a lot of footage to sort through and edit, they need to make the transitions between shots correct so each shot flows and keeps the film running smoothly. Typically because of it being single camera all the scenes will be filmed in order and all together if they're at a certain location because of budget issues, this can then make the editing process longer because it's hard to compose shots if they haven't all been filmed yet. 

Premier pro timeline

There can also be multiple retakes during single camera to ensure that the scenes are perfected and how the director/dop wants it, having made 3 minute shorts and a 10 minute short I know that it has taken at least a few weeks to gather all the footage and then weeks to comply everything in a line in an editing software. In differentiation with multi- camera production can sometimes be edited live, with sporting events and competition shows they'll have multiple cameras that are all live at the same time. It will be edited and mixed live so they can chop and change things whilst it's being shot, it is all controlled by a vision mixer, a large board behind the scenes.  


Genres and formats

The main and recurring cast.

There are various different types of formats that are associated with single camera production, typically because using single camera will compliment a format one of the most popular formats is a series. A series is a running of episodes which will have the same characters in every episode give or take a few, the story line will be different within episodes. But there is always a background sub-plot which exists whether it be a 'solve the murder of' or 'who will find the' some can focus on central characters through a particular season or a selection of episodes. An example is Gossip Girl (2007-2012) it follows a group of privileged teens living on the Upper East Side of New York can hide no secret from the ruthless blogger who is always watching. It is an American teen drama based off a book, the main background sub-plot being who is 'Gossip Girl' the person terrorising the teenagers each season has a different story line whether it be between a certain couple or an individual.

Hollyoaks camera setup

Single camera is usually better to use in a series because they're not live, they're all filmed within months and then leave months of time to edit before the release. Another format that is associated with single camera production is serial, they will run for a specific period of time like a series however some types of serial can go on forever until they stop producing it. They'll keep the same characters from each episode to the next however the story line will develop through the episodes, but it is always open for development serials such as soap operas as who will carry on a developing story which will contain a multi- strand narrative meaning a overlapping of stories within the episodes and there will often be a way in which they link together. Stories will then fully develop and usually link into another story or situation therefore it is never ending, there isn't a main protagonist meaning not all stories will get completely closed meaning characters can leave and come back in future episodes/ seasons.

Eastenders camera setup

An example of a soap opera which is a single- camera setup is Hollyoaks running from 1995 to present, it has never ended and never fully gave any closure even though it hasn't been continuous from 1995 it has been open to continue for years. Episodes have a running time of 30 minutes including adverts and centers around adults and teenagers with interlinking families and capturing loves and careers. Soap opera's which use a multi-camera setup are Eastenders and Coronation Street running from 1985 and 1960 being the longest running serial in the UK, they use multi-camera due to the popular demand of the episodes and the need to be filming quick- time. 

Boardwalk Empire 

There are also various genres within TV series one of them being a period drama this is also sometimes, referred to as a costume drama and will often be part of the romance genre set in a certain era in the past. Another type of genre in the form of drama would be an adventure text, also set in the past to create this effect and realistic atmosphere of a certain historical period, with appropriate sets, costumes, props etc. They must be suited to a specific era that the drama is aimed at to be able to convey it realistically, it can sometimes be difficult to do with a Period Drama but scenes will just have to be filmed repeatedly to get different angles.


Another genre that can be associated with single camera production is Crime, sometimes referred to as a thriller these focus on the law and a form of authority and the criminals. They use techniques such as low lighting throughout, that can be done by using a reflector. Shows such as Silent Witness and CSI use a single camera  setup by just moving one camera around and repeating the scenes.

Horror is another example of a TV genre, this is mostly made using single camera production because it makes it easier to create a feeling of realism to them, making them more personal to the audience. They use a lot of P.O.V shots creating suspense, making it look more haunting and give it a shaky feel also low-key lighting is used with horror because it is cheap and effective. An example of Horror TV shows are The Walking Dead, Supernatural and Hannibal.


Comedy is another genre used with both single and multi camera productions, they're often filmed in front of a live audience in a studio or a stage-like setting because it makes it easier to use multi-camera techniques. An example is Scrubs which is filmed using single camera and is set on real locations so only requires a single camera, but shows like Friends is multi- camera and filmed in front of a live audience. 


As this essay states there are many advantages to using a single camera production some of which include the director being able to have more free control over what they want the shots to be, it can be more of a personal production allowing for the audience to be more involved. Also it can be more stylised and include exciting camera angles and a variety of locations are open to use, there is definitely more freedom with single camera allowing yourself to have multiple run throughs of each scenes.

But there are also disadvantages that being the process is more often than not lengthier than the usual, and making it more expensive to film meaning it'll take longer to be completed. And action can often end up not flowing smoothly and is more of a stop-start jumpy process, making it appear stunted and its easier to make continuity errors. 

With multi-camera production there is also a lot of advantages and disadvantages even though less than single, there is less of a chance of re-shoots being needed, and a higher chance of being able to edit the footage with more shots being available. Disadvantages being that it can be difficult to get the correct lighting because of the variation of camera angles used and that equipment can't be in shot, also a Director will have little to no control over how they vision the shots to be. 

Pre production paper work for music video

Talent releases.



Location releases.



Production schedule & risk assesments and shot list



Story boards

Pre production paper work for single camera production.

Shot lists

Location release forms and recce's 



Location photos 



Talent releases 



Storyboards 

Research and planning for music video

The song we are choosing is Bom Bom by Sam and the Womp, it came out in 2012 and since the music video has generated 31,340,411 and since has gained BPI: Gold and AUS: 4× Platinum and debuted at number-one on the UK Singles Chart with 107,461 copies sold in its first week. 
Sam and the Womp are a British pop group consisting of trumpeter Sam Ritchie and Dutch-born singer Bloem de Wilde de Ligny but is better known as 'Bloom'. Their style isn't tradition mixing with elements of Balkan music and ska with a bit of modern electronic and dance elements. 

The song on a blank piece of paper is literally just nonsense lyrics revolving around the party rave and dance culture, the band has came out and said it centers around the dance called the 'womp' which they reference several times within the song. Ritchie the trumpeter of the band told The Daily Star regarding the song: "It started off as a funky, brassy instrumental. 
Bloem, who's known as Lady Oo, was dancing in the band but was promoted to vocal duties and it became a fully fledged pop song." The genre of the song and band is a twist of ska, balkan music and elements from the dance and techno genre, this is clear in other songs such as 'ravo' and their music videos using strobe lighting and absurd scenery. 



Their style of music definitely links up with their dress style, as seen in the picture they dress quite 'out there' almost abstract. Wearing bright, colourful clothes like the themes in their songs and music videos. 













Planning the video.

Music Video Synopsis

Song title: "Bom Bom"

Artist: Sam and the Womp

First Verse:

The music video will start with introducing the different characters that we will have in the film, we will have several characters ranging from younger people to older all of different styles. The whole theme of our music video will be following the unconventional style that the lyrics portray not really making sense or going with a normal narrative, going down the absurd/surrealist route.  " I'm the cat with the bass and drum" This is the first line of the song and this is where we introduce the main character, this person will continue to return in the song, rather than be shown once.

Chorus:

 The whole theme of our music video will be following the unconventional style that the lyrics portray not really making sense or going with a normal narrative, going down the absurd/surrealist route. 

It will take place in rooms with white walls and backgrounds, an idea we have is using a white sheet, and covering it in different patterns, and weird props and to have people dancing in front of them. during the video the camera will stay stationary, but the camera itself will change, for example using a Go Pro for a 'fish eye' effect, and using different lenses to change the focal points. " I'm so cool and I'm so groovy when I go bom, bom, bom". This is the main chorus lyric, its short and snappy this chorus does not fit the conventional chorus, most songs have at least five lines. 

Second Verse:

The second verse will be very similar to the first,  but we will be changing locations and backgrounds, for example the first verse is against a white background, and a white sheet covered in props. For the second verse, we will be using garages and open fields. 

Chorus:

The chorus will be the same as the first, using the fish eye lens to create a weird mood and using different lenses to change the focal points, for this chorus the props will be used more to create random dance moves. The chorus is repeated again at the end so the last chorus, will be slightly different only focusing on the main characters and cutting from different locations and backgrounds.