ND Media Production Y2 Unit 21: Single Camera Techniques



Introduction:

In this essay, I will be talking about the different types of formats that are used to carryout single camera techniques and the different genres that use single camera alongside. Single camera is used in productions done with only one camera in action to capture each shot, this is commonly used in film production now a days rather than a television production would use multi-camera techniques/cameras. Single camera will be mainly used in television production for music videos and dramas. An example of television shows that use single camera techniques would be 30 Rock and Awkward.

Formats

Series: A television series is show that has numerous different episodes that combine into a season. Many television series will keep same characters throughout their series and may keep an on-going theme. Two examples of this are:

• American Horror Story: is an American horror television series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Described as an anthology series, each season is conceived as a self-contained miniseries, following a disparate set of characters and settings, and a storyline with its own "beginning, middle, and end." Each session takes the viewer on a journey to a different story line that features various different characters storylines, and locations. It’s currently on its 5th season that’s starring a new leading female actress Lady Gaga who has replaced Jessica Lange who starred in 4 of the 5 seasons.

• Sons of Anarchy: is an American crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter, about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in California's Central Valley. The show centers on protagonist Jackson "Jax" Teller (Charlie Hunnam), initially the vice president of the club, who begins questioning the club and himself. Sons of Anarchy premiered on September 3, 2008 on FX and seventh and final season aired premiered September 9th 2014, and final episode aired December 9th 2014.

Serial: A television serial is a type of television program that may take one of the following forms: miniseries, soap opera, and telenovela. It can contain from 3-10 episodes long, however, they can just be a once off occurrence. Examples of a television serial are:

• Doctor Foster: Doctor Foster is a British drama television series that was first broadcast on BBC One on 9 September 2015. The five-part series, written by Mike Bartlett, is about Doctor Gemma Foster suspecting her husband has been having an affair and finding out the truth.

• Hand of God: Hand of God is an American drama series created by Ben Watkins. The premiere episode is one of two drama pilots Amazon streamed online in August 2014. Viewers were allowed to offer their opinions about the pilot before the studio decided whether or not to place an order for the entire series. In October 2014, Hand of God was ordered to full series by Amazon Studios, it has 10 episodes. The series officially premiered on September 4, 2015. Hand of God follows Pernell Harris (Ron Perlman), a corrupt judge who suffers a breakdown and believes God is compelling him onto a path of vigilante justice.

Single Drama: A single drama can also be known as a “TV Movie” as it’s designed to be a “once off” story for television. The average time that it will run for is 90 minutes. Single dramas are often based of a topical issue that is common in every day life. An example of this would be:

• Marvellous: Marvellous is a BAFTA-winning British drama television film that was first broadcast on BBC Two on 25 September 2014. The 90-minute film, directed by Julian Farino and written by Peter Bowker, is about the life of Neil Baldwin, from Westlands in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. Baldwin, who is an honorary graduate of Keele University, was appointed as Stoke City Football Club's kit-man by the manager Lou Macari in the 1990s.

Genre:

Period: A historical period drama is a work of art set in, or reminiscent of, an earlier time period. The term is usually used in the context of film and television. An Example of this would be:

• Downtown Abbey: is a British period drama television series, The series, set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downtown Abbey, depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with the great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.

Doc Drama: A docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of radio and television programming, feature film, and staged theatre, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. On stage, it is sometimes known as documentary theatre. An example of this is:

Soaked in Bleach: is an American drama documentary that documents the details the events leading up to the death of Kurt Cobain, as seen through perspectives of Tom Grant, who is a private investigator that was hired once by Courtney Love.

Crime: Crime drama is a television show that follows the life of the main character that has committed a crime, it can be told through the eyes of the police or FBI. It’s one of the most people genres to date with various television shows and films taking on the genre and taking different crimes that would be carried out on a daily basis. Examples of crime dramas are:

• Dexter: is an American television crime drama mystery series. The series centers on Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department who also leads a secret life as a serial killer, hunting down murderers who have slipped through the cracks of the justice system. But different to any other serial killers, he kills people that are guilty of their crime.

• Breaking Bad: It tells the story of Walter White, a struggling high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, who, together with his former student Jesse Pinkman, turns to a life of crime, producing and selling crystallized methamphetamine to secure his family's financial future before he dies. 

Soap Opera: A soap opera is a television that relates to different events that occur in daily lives of the same characters. They usually use different types of storylines that can arrange from murder to an affair or to a health problem. The average time that they will air on television per episode is 30 minutes and will be aired most commonly during week days. Examples of soap operas are:

• Eastenders: is a British television series that began in 1985 first previewed on BBC, the series follows the local residents of fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End of London. The series primarily takes place in Albert Square, a Victorian square of Terrance houses, it has many different storylines for each of the characters or even families.

• Emmerdale: is a British television series that began in 1989, set in a fictional village called Yorkshire Dales; it also follows the local residents of the village in their everyday lives. It’s aired on ITV on a weekly basis’s.

Comedy: A Comedy television show is about a series of funny or comical events, which are intended to make the audience laugh. Comedy is a very open genre, and frequently crosses over with other genres; it’s also one of the most popular genres in television and film. Examples of comedy series are:

• Two Broke Girls:  is an American television sitcom, Set in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, the show's plot follows the lives of roommates Max Black and Caroline Channing. Whereas Channing was raised as the daughter of a multimillionaire, Black grew up in poverty, resulting in differing perspectives on life, although together they work in a local diner while attempting to raise funds to start a cupcake business. The series had guest stars such as Kim Kardashian.

• Parks and Recreation: is an American television sitcom a perky, mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. It uses the same filming style used in The Office, with the same implication of a documentary crew filming everyone. The ensemble and supporting cast features Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Paul Schneider, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O'Heir, Retta, and Billy Eichner.

Narrative structures:

Linear (or sequential): A linear narrative structure is where the storyline happens in chronological order and does not include any flashbacks or flash-forwards. An example of this would be:

• The Hangover: The hangover trilogy showcases the story of Phil Wenneck, Stu Price, and Alan Garner, who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party to celebrate their friend Doug Billings' impending marriage. However, Phil, Stu, and Alan have no memory of the previous night's events and must find Doug before the wedding can take place. In the second one, they head to Thailand for Stu’s wedding and reoccurring events/flashbacks face them yet again. There is also a 3rd film that corresponds to the first and second with the events that took place in the other two films haunting them.

Non Linear (Non Sequential): A non-linear narrative structure is where the storyline does not happen in chronological order and can be done in many different ways such as arranging all of the scenes in a random order or has multiple flashbacks and/or flash-forwards. An example of a non linear film:

• Pulp Fiction: is an 1994 American black comedy crime film,  The film is known for its eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and a host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references. Pulp Fiction connects the intersecting storylines of Los Angeles mobsters, fringe players, small-time criminals, and a mysterious briefcase. Considerable screen time is devoted to monologues and casual conversations that reveal the characters' senses of humor and perspectives on life.

Flashbacks: Flashbacks are points in a storyline were it goes back in time to show something that happened in the past, this can be something that has already happened in the storyline or something that happened before the start of the story. Examples of a flashback:

• Lost: Lost is a drama series containing elements of science fiction and the supernatural. It follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet, flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. The story is told in a heavily serialized manner. Episodes typically feature a primary storyline set on the island, augmented by flashback or flashforward sequences which provide additional insight into the involved characters.

Realist: A realist narrative is a storyline that is grounded in reality and is believable to the audience as they appear real, or are based on a true story however the story itself does not have to be real. Examples of realist narratives would dramas which commonly revolve around a person’s life.

Example:

• Million Dollar Baby: is an American sports drama film, This film is about an underappreciated boxing trainer, the mistakes that haunt him from his past, and his quest for atonement by helping an underdog amateur boxer achieve her dream of becoming a professional.

Anti-Realism: An anti-realism narrative is a storyline that is not grounded in reality and is obviously fictional. Anti-realism narratives usually revolve around fantasy and science fiction genre though it’s not resisted to those genres.

Example: The Avengers

Is an American superhero film that’s based on Marvel comic book teams, as the comic books and the film Iron man was a success, Avengers was assigned to come out July 2011. As superheroes aren’t real in daily live it allows viewers to watch this fictional supernatural events taking place and gives an outer body experience for the audiences.

Endings: Endings is when the narrative comes to an end. They bring the story together and can sometimes be the best part of a film; there are various types of endings such as:

• Closing Endings: These are the most common types of endings that are used in a narrative, it usually shows how the main character over comes a problem or what will happen to them as it’s a definite ending. The storyline should finish and tell exactly what happens throughout and all should be revealed to the audience. An example of closing ending:

The Breakfast Club: One of the best closing endings to a film, we follow the story of Five high school students, all different stereotypes, meet in detention, where they pour their hearts out to each other, and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought. The film closes with the students leaving detention after saying their goodbyes either till Monday or forever, an over voice of Bender played by Judd Nelson, of how they do not have to define themselves for their teacher on writing an essay about who they are, and the ending scene shows Bender walking through the American style football pitch and fist pumps into the air. This scene has been known for the closing shot.

Opening Endings: Opening endings are not that common in narratives, an opening ending will begin with the ending at the start of the film but will not have a definite ending when the film concludes. It leaves the audience astray as to how the film should end and what the film was really about and makes them question the film. They are not common in films done by big production companies but may be done by freelance production companies. Example of Opening ending film:

• Black Swan: American psychological thriller-horror film, the opening scene the ballerina played by Natalie Portman dancing on stage with her fellow dancer. The film ends with the young dancer killed by her own pressure to be the best that she can be and see herself with a piece of glass stabbed into her stomach with the contrast of the blood on the white dress.

Technical

Camera: A camera is very important when shooting any type of film or television programme, it’s a device that consists of a lightproof chamber with an aperture fitted with a lens and a shutter through which the image of an object is projected onto a surface for recording (as on film) or for translation into electrical impulses (as for television broadcast)

Lighting: Lighting is an essential for any type of scene that is going to be shot, it creates an atmosphere and depth to the scene, it can change the mood and feel of the scene in matter of seconds, there are many types of lighting such as:

High Key Lighting: high key lighting is a style of lighting that is used in television show, films or photography. It aims to reduce the lighting ratio present in the scene. It’s used in production to create a lift or “up beat” feeling to the scene and gives it life.

Low Key Lighting: Low key lighting is a style of lighting also used in television, film and photography. It’s an essential for creating a chiaroscuro effect; it uses three point lighting using a key light, a fill light and a back light for illumination.

Natural Lighting: This is where the light is coming directly from the sun or moon. It uses no artificial lighting from studio lighting; it’s mainly used to create a natural feel mainly in photography.

Ambient Lighting: It’s a combination of reflections from numerous surfaces to create an illumination. It’s usually present in the scene from natural light appearing in from a window or outdoors.

Sound: Sound is important in any narrative; here are different formats of sound:

Diegetic Sound: can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame. It’s basically actual sound/ real sound.

Non- Diegetic Sound: Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action: e.g narrator’s commentary, sound effects added in editing for a dramatic effect and mood music.

Sound Effects: a sound other than speech or music made artificially for use in a play, film, or other broadcast production.

Ambient Sound: Ambient sound also known as background noise means the background sounds which are present in a scene or location. Common ambient sounds include wind, water, birds, crowds, office noises, traffic.

Voice Over: This is done off camera, it will usually be someone talking over a scene. They are usually common in documentaries.

Synchronous Sound: this is when sound that matches the action and it can be synchronized together perfect.

Asynchronous Sound: This is when that does not match the action and is completely out of time to the action that is taking place.

On Screen Sound: This is sound that can create the scene, it’s used to capture the audience’s attention and draw them in to a certain scene.

Off Screen Sound: Sound that is created off screen, that may be used to scare the audience e.g in horror films screaming sounds.

Editing: This is in post production stage, any production company most go through this stage as it’s an essential incase of any faults in production. It’s a curtail part of any production to make sure everything goes to plan. It gathers all material that was shot on the same day or different times and combines them together, any faults can be erased by using editing software e.g adding in transitions to make scenes look more smoother and don’t jump too quickly, sound effects etc.

Building a Scene: When building a scene, it’s important that the scene fits the scenario that you want to create and show the viewer, especially the location, also costumes and props must fit into the scene. An example: When shooting a horror film, an old ruined house with old painting, ripped wallpaper, old furniture are an essential to creating a creepy atmosphere to the scene. Dark gloom lighting is also used to create a dark feel.

Building a Story: When building a story for a television programme or film, it’s curtail to know what setting you want, an example: In the television series Dexter, if he only killed people who were not guilty of their crime then it wouldn’t be an originally television series as he only kills people who are guilty of their crime.

Audience

Audience Profiles: Audience profiling finding out the profile of your audience before hand so that you can put across your message to the right people in the most effective way to produce the best result. It might include details such as age, sex, educational qualification, work experience, financial background, field of work, interests, mood, orientation, bias, food habits, religious background, physique, health condition.

Audience Categorisation - This is when a production company will categorise the public using the following:

• Social Status: When a production company will categorize people on their social status, the most common ones are:

Middle Class: the social group between the upper and working classes, including professional and business people and their families, They can also have 3rd level education.

Working Class: the social group consisting of people who are employed for wages, especially in manual or industrial work.

Lifestyle: When production companies will target their product to people with certain lifestyles. E.g If a media company was to target people into fitness who may watch programmes/channels on fitness. That is categorizing viewers of their lifestyle or any type of lifestyle.

Geographic: This is when a production company or media institution will categorize their audience according to their geographical locations.

Mode of Address: Mode of Address can have numerous different meanings such as:

• How actors/news readers are dressed in a television programme e.g. causal or formally dressed.

• The language that is used through a programme e.g using slang words to target younger viewers, using more formal language to target older audience.

• Where the production is taking place e.g in a t.v studio or on location.

Mode of address can depend on the type of audience that is being targeted for either a television programme or a film.

E.g. the use of slang words is used for a younger audience compared to using more formal language; formal language would be targeted more towards an older audience rather than a younger audience.

Conclusion: Whilst looking through different types of formats in single camera techniques, I believe that they are very important to carry out productions. If they are not done correctly then the production will have issues and won’t run smoothly or according to plan.

References for single camera techniques essay:

















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Unit 21: Single Camera Techniques: Formats

Tutor: Conor Glynn

Student: Aisling Sweeney

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