Unit 20 - Single Camera Techniques Learning Aim A

Unit 20 – Single Camera Techniques Learning Aim A 

Introduction 

A single camera technique is the use of one camera during the production process. Multiple takes are recorded in this way of filming due to there being only one camera involved as different angles are needed. The use of single camera techniques began in the 1910’s and this has continued to be used throughout the years in film and television.  

The History of Single Camera Production 

Single camera production came to light in Hollywood cinema in the 1910’s and has remained a very common way of filming in the industry. Comedies and sitcoms were usually filmed using multi camera techniques until the early 1970’s when the television show M*A*S*H was created. Following this, Happy Days was shot suing single camera in 1974 before making the switch to multi camera. After this, single camera was used more for dramas.  

Advantages of Single Camera Techniques 

A big advantage of single camera production is that it is cheaper. Using more than one camera is more expensive due to having to pay for more cameras and for extra cameramen to help out. Creating a film using single camera means less people need to be paid and less equipment needs to be used, resulting in it costing less. Another advantage of this production process is that the actors that are in the scene don’t necessarily need to be on set at the same time. For close ups of characters only one actor is needed. This means that if two characters are meant to be conversing on screen, the parts can be recorded on different days and edited together, adhering to the actors’ schedules. The next advantage is that the scenes do not have to be recorded in chronological order. This is a good thing because it also adheres to the actor’s schedules as some may not be available to film a certain scene at a certain time. It also means that if different scenes are set in the same location, they can all be shot on the same day depending on which actors are involved. There is also more control when recording using single camera. Each shot can be set up perfectly, with the lighting and sound controlled to enhance any details in the scene. Another advantage is the practicality of filming this way means the scenes can be shot in smaller spaces. With the use of only one camera there isn’t a limit on how much space can be used. 

Disadvantages of Single Camera Techniques 

One disadvantage of single camera techniques is that it takes a lot longer to record the project. Every scene requires multiple takes from different angles which also have to be set up, taking a while to get everything done. Another disadvantage is the risk of less real reactions from the actors. If they are not on set at the same time and are just speaking to the camera, they are not getting the reaction to their lines from their costar, making the scene less genuine. The repetition in single camera production is also a big disadvantage due to the scenes having to be recorded over again to get the perfect shot with the different actors, possibly on different days. Editing a single camera project can also be long and tiring. This is because there is a lot of footage that has to be selected and put together in the correct order so that the project flows. 

Examples of Single Camera Techniques 

Film 

The Tourist (2010) is a film that uses single camera techniques. The genre of this film is a romantic thriller, made to entertain and excite an audience. In a clip from the movie titled “Burn This Letter”, This way of filming is used to make the scene look more dramatic. The clip begins with a close up of the character with a focused look in her face as she reads a letter. There is a voice over of her reading the letter aloud in this scene and the next shot is an over the shoulder shot of what is written. The focused look on the character’s face is then shown again in another close up but this time it is slowly panning around her. These shots are used to enhance the drama and intensity of what is in the letter. In this part of the scene she also appears to be very calm. The camera clearly showing her facial expressions adds suspense to the scene as it looks like she is not phased by the contents of the letter. Another over the shoulder shot takes place, this time showing the female character on a security camera. This shot allows the audience to know that she is being watched by someone, continuing to add to the thrilling impact the other shots have already displayed. This shot then pans around to a close up, revealing the character who is watching her. He looks very cautious and concerned, implying that the female character he is watching is either hiding or is up to something. These shots add some mystery to the scene as the male character seems curious to know what is in the letter. The camera then cuts back to the close up of the female character as she finishes reading. She has been told to burn the letter and by her facial expression she understands why. This part adds more suspense to the scene. The camera then cuts to another close up of the male character, looking more concerned. In this shot he mutters the line “it’s from him”, showing that he could know whats going on. The close ups to this point of the female character's face lead the male character to realise a part of what is happening. The next part that is shown is an over the shoulder shot of the female character burning the letter as she was told to in the contents of it. This highlights the importance of what is written and could possibly show the trust she has in the sender of it. Close ups of the security camera footage and the people watching her quickly follow behind. This shows the outcome of the female character reading and burning the letter, creating a thrilling impact. 

Television Drama 

True Blood (2008 – 2014) is a television show that uses single camera techniques. It is a drama series that similarly to the The Tourist, uses a lot of close ups to excite the audience. A clip from an episode in season 7 begins with a two shot of characters sitting in a car. The male character begins by talking about a plan, saying “if we’re going to go through with this plan, you’re going to have to take my blood”. During this line, the camera cuts to a close up of the female character so that her reaction can be seen. She looks concerned in this shot, creating a sense that she is thinking about what has been said before agreeing with him. The Next shot is a medium shot of the male character biting his wrist so that the female can take his blood. This shot doesn’t show the aftermath of his wrist after it has been bitten, adding a small element of mystery to the scene. The shots that follow go back and forth between a medium shot of the girl drinking his blood and an over the shoulder shot of the male. Quickly changing between these shots shows the importance of what the characters are doing. After this a close up of the male character is shown, allowing the audience to see his expression as she finishes taking his blood. It appears that he may be in pain but it also shows a sinister expression on his face. This can be interpreted as him as a scheming villain. 

Sitcom 

Modern Family (2009 – present) is an example of single camera production in a sitcom. In a clip titled “Lily’s Musical Taste”, the opening shot is a medium shot of Lily in a car, beginning to open up about her music taste to her fathers. This shot centres the character and the point she is trying to make, showing that the topic in discussion is important to her. The camera then cuts to a close up of one of her fathers, gaining a reaction to what she is saying. The close up shows the father’s reaction more clearly. The camera then goes back to a medium shot of Lily so that she can explain further. She goes on to say that she “[doesn’t] like Beyonce”. This immediately changes to a close up of the other father to gather his reaction as well. The camera is positioned in the way it is due to the car being a tight space. Due to this the camera can be set in a way to position all cameras within the shot. It can then be moved for close ups eliminating the other characters from the shot to help add to the scene. At the end of this scene, all three characters are in the frame. This will have been done to add the comedic effect due to the reactions of the fathers as Lily plays her music. 

Media Campaigns Learning Aim D

The Evaluation

I received a good response overall for my media campaign for Box Clever Events.

As of right now, the Instagram page has a total of 51 followers which keeps increasing every day. The images appear to have have gotten a couple of likes and the feedback that I got on the page suggests that posting more frequently would increase the number of likes and followers that can be collected as well as maintain the number of followers the page already has. This feedback, along with what I received on the promotional video and the poster, has helped me conclude how successful my media campaign was. I thought Instagram would be the best social media platform to use because it has more potential to showcase what The Harton and Westoe Boxing Club and Box Clever Events has to offer. Since only photos and videos can be posted, the audience can see what is there instead of having to visualise it. Since creating this page, the amount of success that it has had can be noted. This page keeps accumulating followers if more posts are added the success will continue to grow.

I created a poster because I believe that handing out or hanging up posters, brochures or flyers is an effective way to campaign. This poster got a good response due to its simplicity. I was told that it is very clear to understand and that it gets straight to the point of advertising the eight weeks of free training that The Harton and Westoe Boxing Club offer. However, it was said that more could have been added to it in order to make it more noticeable.

I released a promotional video for Box Clever Events as a way for the company to become more noticed. I posted this video onto YouTube because it is the most used site for content creators with millions of users every day. The feedback I received on this project was positive in the sense that it made the viewers want to join the Harton and Westoe Boxing Club but there is room for improvement. The viewers said that more text should appear on the screen and the text that is there should have more screen time so that the information about Box Clever sinks in. This is a good thing to take note of for any future media campaigns I may create. By creating this learned even more of what the people would want out of a campaign than just with the questionnaires alone.

Although the overall media campaign for Box Clever Events was a success, there are a few things that I would change. If I were to create this again, I would Facebook instead of Instagram for the social media side. I would make this change because Facebook gives its users the opportunity to review what is advertised. Using this feature can give the public more of a voice and give the new viewers some insight on their personal experiences. Instagram does not have this feature as it only has the ability comment on posts. Another thin that I would change with this campaign is an element of the promotional video. for this I would take the advice I received when I asked for feedback and add more text to it so that the audience can be made more aware of what Box clever Events and The Harton and Westoe Boxing Club have to offer. The final change that I would make to this campaign is   the target audience. If I were to do this again, I would aim the campaign at young women. When scrolling through the official social media accounts and visiting The Harton and Westoe Boxing Club, I noticed that not many of the boxers or trainers are young women as it is mostly male dominated. Overall I would try to help box clever get a wider spread of people join them.

Media Campaigns Learning Aim B

Media Campaigns Learning Aim B from Dawn Thompson

Media Campaigns Learning Aim C

Media Campaigns Learning Aim C from Dawn Thompson

Media Campaigns Learning Aim A

Media Campaigns  Learning Aim A 

The Greatest Showman is a musical which was released on December 26th 2017 and is continuing to be marketed to the present day. From the way the advertisement has taken place, an audience of multiple ages, genders and ethnicities have given this movie a chance. It has been advertised on television, social media and many different events have been held, helping to appeal to multiple different audiences. 

Social Media Presence 

This movie is quite active on social media with pages on Instagram and Facebook and an account on Twitter. Their Instagram page includes videoclips from the film, images of the cast and advertises what each cast member are doing now that the film has been released. Instagram is a social media platform that they will have chosen to use because of the ability to post clips from the movie itself. Posting these clips gives the audience a taste of what the film has in store and can help them decide whether or not it’s something they could be interested in seeing. 

Facebook is another social media platform that they have chosen to use. Their Facebook page, like their Instagram, consists of photos and videoclips from the film. Posting these on multiple different platforms gives them the opportunity to branch out to a larger audience. This is because not everyone as multiple social medias, meaning it can give everyone a chance to see it. When looking through the Facebook page for The Greatest Showman it is noticeable that they have also used this platform as a way to advertise upcoming events that are planned as another form of campaigning. Facebook allows its users to leave reviews on the page as a way allow people to share their opinions on the film. Instagram does not have this feature as it mostly just shows images and videos. However, when you first see the reviews on the page, they are all positive. This will have been done to initially make the person viewing the page want to go and see the movie. 

Twitter is another social media platform that is used to promote this film, using it in the same way as they use Facebook and Instagram: to share photos and videos in order to entice people into watching it. They have also used Twitter in a different way than the other social media platforms as they have tweets sharing how they have campaigned the movie in other ways such as their partnership with Sky. Their Twitter also provides information about the movie’s soundtrack being nominated for a Grammy with lead actor Hugh Jackman tweeting about it himself. They have used this platform overall as more of a way to advertise the other campaigning work that they have done more so than to show selected parts of it unlike the other two platforms. 

Another way that The Greatest Showman has been campaigned is by the release of the film to DVD and the soundtrack to CD, but also with the newest album they have released: The Greatest Showman Reimangined. This album consists of popular artists in the industry such as Panic At The Disco, Kelly Clarkson and James Arthur covering the music from the film. This is a unique way to campaign a movie and will have been done again as a way to get the audience on side. By having popular artists sing their songs, the soundtrack can get more recognition which in turn can make the film more noticed. The singers that are featured on this album could have an influence on their fans, meaning that somebody could hear one of the covers and want to hear the original version and possibly watch the film. The “reimagined” versions of the soundtrack are frequently played on various different radio stations, making it difficult for them not to be heard. The Grammy nominee “This Is Me” from the original soundtrack is also played quite a lot, however not as much as the covers, making the movie’s collaboration with these big artists a very good way to campaign.  

The Greatest Showman has also been campaigned due to their partnerships with Eve Sleep and SKY.  

Eve Sleep is a company that designs mattresses and by using “A Million Dreams” from the original soundtrack they created the notion that their mattresses with give consumers the best night sleep due to their audience believing that they will have “a million dreams” if they buy it. 

SKY is a company that gives people the opportunity to access more television channels that freeview can offer. They also offer a broadband and mobile network. The used Panic! At The Disco’s cover of “The Greatest Show” for advertising purposes to attract new customers in a similar way that EVE Sleep used “A Million Dreams”, by advertising in a literal sense. By using “The Greatest Show”, SKY imply that the greatest shows can be found by using them. 

At the end of 2018 a workshop was created in the UK for The Greatest Showman. This was an event that offered fans the opportunity to perform the songs from the movie. This event was advertised on Facebook and was made to showcase the success that the movie had. The workshop ran for a couple of months and popped up all around the UK. The workshops proved to be very popular with people. Whilst this was after the film had finished airing in the cinema it was timed well. The DVD copy was released on 14th May 2018 in thge UK. The promotions of the workshops would've boosted sales for the DVD copy.

Social media would have been used to campaign this film due to its popularity in today's society and releasing the original soundtrack allowed more people to want to see the film. Recreating the soundtrack made the target audience see that popular musicians are fans of the movie also, giving them another form of merchandise. Creating this campaign across these different platforms was done simply to get as many people as possible to watch The Greatest Showman. This works by getting people who are fans of different artist to listen to the soundtrack and be drawn to watch the movie. This in turn again boosts the sales for the DVD copy.

Unit 14 Digital Magazine Production Learning Aim C

For my double-page spread, I have decided not to add columns in the article. This is because I wanted to challenge the codes and conventions of a print magazine. I wanted to do this because I wanted my magazine to stand out from the rest of the film magazines. I believe that creating the double-page spread this way can appeal to the target audience more. I would like to inspire young filmmakers and in my opinion not adding the columns into this article can inspire them to challenge their creativity.

Pre-Production Evaluation

Pre-production Evaluation 

Initial Planning 

Logistics 

For the pre-production to keep everything organized I used a folder to keep all my work in one place. This meant things wouldn’t get lost. As for getting to place I had to use public transport, so things had to be carried on the bus. This just made it awkward to carry everything. However, when possible my partner would be able to use his car so logistics was easier as everything could be placed in the boot which made things far easier.  To keep a log of this we made a equipment list. This allowed us to keep track of everything we needed each day we went out to shoot. 

Finance 

With finance we had to look at what funds we would need to carry out the task at hand. We had to decide what equipment we would need and how much it would cost to get to the locations that we would be filming in. Finance didn’t have a huge impact when it came to the pre-production but it did however limit the reach and we had to film within areas we could get to on public transport. Within the pre-production we planned what cash we needed. Luckily, I had cameras, tripods and SD cards to hand so it would not cost anything up-front. I did however look at how much it would’ve cost should I have needed to buy the equipment I used. If I had of had to buy the equipment it would have had a huge impact on the final product. As with the equipment list we also made a finance list. This allowed us to keep track of all of the spending on the project. It meant we couldn't go over budget on things such as transport.

Creative Process 

The creative process to making “The Feeling of Love” began with me initially not knowing what to write about. This had a direct impact on the pre-production because it slowed things down in the beginning while I decided on what I wanted to do. All I knew at the beginning of it was that I wanted to help people with any piece of creative work that I’d ever have the opportunity to make. I knew at a later date that I wanted the genre of it to be educational, but I still was unsure of any ideas. At the time I also wanted it to be a drama as that is the genre that my short stories usually fall into, but I wanted to challenge myself and try to write something different. I ended up talking to a friend of mine about dating and that’s when my first idea came to light. Originally My idea was to recreate a date that I had been on. But the issue with that was the short film had to be fictional, so I decided to create two fictional characters named Sam and Charlotte. The short film ended up being an educational romance due to a single idea for a scene that I had. As I want to help anybody who watches my work, the scene entailed one of the characters explaining how nervous they were as they were getting ready for their date. I decided to use that as the official starting point and elaborated on it. I made the decision afterwards to have both characters explaining how they felt on the build up to their date. This is due to educational side that I wanted it to have. With these scenes in particular I wanted to show young people some of the feelings and worries that they may encounter in a similar situation and possibly show that it is completely normal to feel that way. But in order to show that in those scenes I needed to show how the characters met in the first place, which is when I came up with the idea that the characters would be students who met in college. I decided that they would be college students as that is the age that many people begin to date and I felt that the characters being of that age would make it easier for the young people to relate to it. However, I also wanted to leave people questioning the outcome, which is why I thought it would be a good idea for the film to abruptly end during the date, making the audience question how the date went and if the characters were worrying for nothing or if they had a reason to.  To help people understand what I wanted to portray I decided to write it all up into a script and then support that by making storyboards. This allowed the cast and any crew to see the same vision I had.

Project Management 

Personnel Management 

For organization of personnel I had all the cast within a messenger group chat. This made things easier because everyone could see what each other had said. This made organising people to be on set at certain times easier. It meant we could see both when people were available and unavailable, so that I didn’t have to try relay information and made getting replies faster.  Along with this we also had a personnel list. This list included the cast/crew members name along with contact information. This meant we could easily have access to them should we need to contact them. 

Resource Management 

All the resources I had included, a camera, a tripod and an SD card. To make sure I had all of this I kept it all in my house and took it with me when filming. Sometimes it would be transported in a car, sometimes on a bus. Once done everything was given back to its respective owners. Some of the cast kept second outfits on them which they kept themselves and just brought along to shoots. As for software I had use of two different editing softwares. At college I had Premier Pro which didn’t always work, because of this my partner had HitFilm installed as a backup software.  With all of this we also kept a resources list. This meant I knew what I was meant to have with me and allowed me to do equipment checks. This is good because it means if anything is to go missing we can spot it sooner rather than later and fix the issue.

Time management 

The hardest part within time management was getting everyone on set at the same time. With all the pre-production was easily done and ready at the same time. This meant the pre-production was easily finished and things didn’t need to be changed to meet the needs of the actors. I had dates set when I wanted things to be done by which I followed to the best of my abilities. The start of the pre-production was slow because of trying to get ideas together on what I wanted to do. Once I had this idea time wasn’t an issue.  Whilst we didn't have meetings with the pre-production work if I was to do a similar task again I would have meetings and to make sure I was working to time properly I would keep meeting minutes. This would be a good idea because it would mean everything is written down and we can refer to it when needed. With the work I done I did however write everything out on a schedule and kept to the deadlines I set on it as best as possible.

Professional Practice 

I followed the industry standards by doing all of the pre-production in the most professional way possible. This impacted the pre-production because it meant everything was very in-depth. This consumed more time, but I was happy with how it made things look. Another direct impact that it had was that it took longer to do, however this didn’t set things behind due to effective time management. To help keep things professional all the paperwork we completed for this task was kept nice and neatly within a folder. This meant anyone looking for anything could find the work straight away and it saved time. I believe this makes things more professional as within the real world this is how things would be kept. 

Monitoring Progress 

To help monitor my progress I had all my work within a folder. This allowed me to keep tabs on what needed doing at what hadn’t been done. With this I also kept screenshots of the process and took photos of the processes I carried out to monitor what was being done. This impacted the pre-production because it meant I had more files to manage, but because I named and organized all digital files properly the extra files didn’t prove to be an issue. By having a system in place for the storage and management of files it saved time and as stated above everything was easy to find. This made everything more professional and meant during the pre-production process things were less likely to get lost and people could reference the paperwork at ease.

Risk Assessment 

For the risk assessment I had someone who has experience carrying these out. I had my partner who’d done them at college go over it. When he had finished the risk assessment, he took me over any issues he had found and walked me through them showing me how to avoid them. This meant the environment we were filming in was safe.  With the risk assessment everything was written down on a risk assessment form. This meant that during the process people could have a look at it at any time they needed. This meant if issues were to arise they could check this form and know how to deal with it in a safe effective manner. This paperwork was also stored safely with the rest of the pre-production paperwork in the folder.

Crisis Management 

One of the biggest issues we had during pre-production was within the restaurants. Laila wasn’t able to make it to where the restaurant was located. To compensate for this Adam’s girlfriend who also worked within a restaurant asked her manager if it would be possible to film there. After being agreed that we could use that restaurant the manager fell ill so we were again without a location as the location was closed until he recovered. This had a huge impact on the pre-production because all the paper work was ready to be signed for the first restaurant and had to be scrapped when we couldn’t film there. It had to once again all be scrapped when the manager fell ill. This was really pushing me to the time frame we had set and meant I had to work a lot faster to find an alternative. I emailed a new restaurant and couldn’t get a response, because of this I went down to talk to the manager who kindly agreed and that got me back on track. 

General Thoughts 

During the pre-production process we ran into a few small problems and the big problem stated above. Overall, I am happy with how I carried everything out. If I was to carry out a similar task again, I would set a timetable to work with. I feel not setting a proper schedule and timetable had an effect because I was just working my way towards deadlines and trying to do everything at the same time. This impacted the pre-production because in the beginning everything was a mess before it was sorted into a file. This had an impact because it slowed me down meaning I had to take time out to sort all the paper work to make it tidy and understandable. If I had a schedule everything would have been done on set days and my time management would have been better than it was. A few small problems arose with actors and when they were available. In the future to reduce the negative impact on the process I would have reserve actors in case others couldn’t film at all.