- Steadicam - 'a lightweight mounting for a film camera which keeps it steady for filming when handheld or moving.'
- Close-up shot - 'is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object'
Advantages of single camera
More creative freedom: because a single camera production only requires one camera it allows the director to have more creative freedom in his/her production. An example of this is that tracking shots require you to follow a specific path, whereas the single camera negates that and allows the director to implement other factors into the shot, The Shining scene where Danny Torrance is riding through the hotel is a good example of this, as they could film around the corners whereas if they had done a tracking shot then it wouldn't have turned out as effective as it is because the tracking shocking wouldn't allow such freedom from the cameraman Garrett Brown (who invented the steadicam) and therefore it made the shot itself look better
Because there's only one camera in use, the total cost of the production will be cheaper than if it was a multi camera production, for example: on the site 'Hireacamera' it costs around £165 per day to rent a Sony PXW-FS7 II camera, whereas if you were on a multi camera production and needed 4 cameras for example it'd cost £660 per day to rent all 4 whereas the single camera production saves a lot more money which can be used to either invest in other aspects of production or just save money in general because some filmmakers have a limited budget (Quentin Tarantino had a small budget in Hollywood standards with Reservoir Dogs 1.2 million dollars and because of this it was filmed using a single camera) and in some cases it's cheaper to rent equipment than buy because you would only rent when you needed the equipment which gives the production crew convenience.
Another advantage to single camera production is that scenes do not have to be shot in order, which will allow the filmmaker to have 'creative control' over their script, for example they may be shooting one scene and the fact that it's a single camera production means that you can make small creative changes if they see fit and this is beneficial to the director as shooting a single shot may be time consuming but it allows the director to have the scene contain everything they would want in it. Stanley Kubrick, one of the greatest directors of all time was a known 'perfectionist' and often had his actors perform multiple takes of the same scene. For example, during the filming of Eyes Wide Shut Kubrick had Tom Cruise (who portrayed William Harford) walk through a door 97 times before he was satisfied with the shot, this shows how single camera allows freedom as if it was multiple camera then it would restrict any production as to how many takes they were allowed.
Another advantage of single camera production links in with the previous point of cost but because there's fewer cameras then it would require less crew members to operate the equipment, which in turn would allow more space (because there's less people on set) and it would lower costs, on average a camera operator costs around (these costs are from wiredvideo.net): £375 for 10 hours and a multiple camera production would run into the thousands of pounds, £1500 a day for 4 cameras to be exact, this advantage not only saves money, but also can unintentionally make a scene better. And it is helpful if you are already in 'limited' space to begin with as you'll want to save as much space as possible.
The final advantage of single-camera production is that it is a lot less time consuming than a multi-camera production, as with a multiple-camera production the time it would take to set up all the equipment and make sure the cameras are pointed in the correct position and in focus would take longer and therefore it means less time for actual shots. Whereas the stress just isn't there for a single camera production, which is beneficial to the production, as this spare time could be used for other factors of the film's production, or it could be used to perfect/make alterations to scenes.
Disadvantages of single camera
A disadvantage of the single camera is regarding shooting, said in advantages single camera allows you to take multiple takes of the same scene, however this can be seen as a disadvantage because repeating the same shot over and over again will cause repetition and the actors in said scene may get agitated as repeating the same thing over and over again is irritating and most actors would much rather get the scene done as quick as possible. And that isn't counting how you'll need the same shot from multiple angles which will add even more stress to the actors, and shoots can go on for hours.
Another disadvantage links with the previous point, multi-camera production does take more time to set up it does fix the problem a single camera production does. With single camera, you need to shoot multiple shots at different angles and that takes time, whereas in multi camera production allows you to shoot the different angles all at once, which will make it easier when you're in post-production. This shows how only shooting with a single camera can be limited as with multi camera you can edit scenes based on the camera that was used to take the shot.
Furthermore, another disadvantage of single-camera production is that if the camera is damaged/broken, then you could potentially lose all your work and may have to do an entire reshoot which will not only take more time but it could potentially delay the production and therefore the risk of falling behind on schedule is possible. And, you could lose footage of a brilliant shot, and then during the reshoot you could fail to reproduce it which will cause a big headache and could potentially lower the quality of the final product.
The need to reshoot shots can cause issues, the reason being is that because of the vast amount of reshoots then you may not get 'genuine reactions' from your actors, as they may be agitated that they have to do multiple shots as they would want to get the shots done as quick as possible so they can wrap filming up quickly and be on their way, and also the movie studio/people who fund the film will have to put up more money as reshoots will require to use the equipment, crew, actors for longer which ups the cost drastically and is a headache to any filmmaker as most directors don't want to spend more than they need too.
Finally, with single camera production you are solely relying on one camera, which is risky as if that camera breaks then you risk the entire shooting day being cancelled and then it will most likely delay production which will cause big issues to the cast and crew, not to mention stress also. However, most likely there'll always be a spare camera on set to combat this exact issue, but if not then the results could be disastrous.
The shot in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas uses a steadicam as the camera slowly follows Henry Hill (portrayed by Ray Liotta) and Karen Friedman (Later known as Karen Hill, portrayed by Lorraine Bracco) walking through a restaurant and getting ahead of all the other patrons who have to wait to get seated and said patrons are agitated that Henry and Karen get in before them. This camera technique shows us the audience just how much influence/power Henry has as he is walking through a busy restaurant and people don't have an issue with it, even better for Henry some workers actually stop and say hello to Henry. This tracking shot is perfect because it shows the influence the mafia has without showing a cliche scene with violence, it also describes Hill perfectly as he has all the power, money, respect, women but he has to go through the back door to get it and it shows how Hill isn't your normal 9-5 working man. It's a literal and metaphorical observation of Hill. The steadicam allows for the shot to be filmed 'hand held' and the cameraman isn't restricted into where they can go, the steadicam also allows us the audience to see the worlds of all the characters, ranging from the up and coming mobster, to the worker who struggles to make ends meet, and the public who lose out because of Hill's status. Source clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sr-vxVaY_M
The British sitcom Peep Show, starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb as two dysfunctional friends utilizes the point-of-view shot (pov) which is achieved by having the actors stand directly behind the camera operator. The scene in question, is set in a Mexican restaurant where Mark starts his first shift, this scene uses point-of-view to make us (the audience) feel like we're Mark in this scenario, and his first shift quickly turns into a nightmare as his prospective business partner Johnson turns up for a 'meeting' at the restaurant, completely unaware that Mark is now working there, he even comments on this. One of the tropes of sitcoms is realism, that is the appeal to sitcoms, they're going to relate to the audience somehow. Regarding the scene, this scene heightens the tension that Mark will be feeling as he's trying to have this meeting while also serving a family at the same time, as this is from his point of view we too feel the same way Mark is, Mark is nervous, anxious and trying to juggle two things which of course crashes down on Mark. This scene is particularly hard to watch (as many people cringe at it) which also 'includes' another trope of sitcoms which is sets, this is set in a restaurant and many people watching Peep Show will relate to Marks experiences, (not the lying to your business partner part) as working in the food industry is quite stressful and this scene portrays this perfectly. Source clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZBHtCh69TY
SaveTheChildren's 'One Child' advert is an emotional plea by STC for the public to donate to the organization to save malnourished children. This advert uses single camera to create tension but it also creates empathy as the advert focuses on these clearly sick and unwell children, the tension this advert creates pulls on the audience's heartstrings, as audience members we wonder how this can happen to another human being, and this motivates the audience to want to do something about it. The camera focusing on the children is the most powerful aspect of the advert as it makes the audience wonder how they'd react if that was their child and the usage of close up shots help this also, this is used to convey emotion and to have the audience connect with the subject. A medium shot is also used in the advert with the doctor holding onto the young childs finger, this is powerful as it shows the audience what can be achieved if they help STC out and immediately following this scene there's another medium shot of a child who looks to be healthy, happy and in good condition. This furthers pushes emotion onto the audience which in turn would encourage them to donate so that every suffering child can be healthy, again. Source clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99pQ0KJfdoE
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