My roles; Camera Operator

I have been assigned two roles for our show, I am part of the crew as I will be on camera three, I am also part of the cast as I will be the third panelist on the Gossip Girl talk. In order to carry out my roles successfully i did some research into them:
Camera Operator:

In film making a camera operator is a professional operator of a film or video camera, the leading camera operator is usually referred to as a cinematographer, while in a video production the camera operator is known as a television camera operator/video camera operator, or videographer, depending on the technology involved. 
A camera operator is responsible for physically operating the camera whilst receiving instructions from the director over a headset, the camera operator will maintain composition and camera angles through out the production.
My responsibilities:
- Ensure that cameras and associated equipment are rigged for the required setup

- Making sure the camera is always in focused

- Making sure the action is filmed correctly in the frame

- React instinctively when given instructions to carry out

- Help establish the theme and appearance of the show

Essential skills of Camera Operator:

- Excellent technical skills

- Be creative

- Be able to Multi task

- Good listening skills

- Ability to carry out instructions with great accuracy and attention to detail

- Excellent communication skills

- Knowledge of Health and Safety legislation and procedures

Camera angles and movements combine to create a sequence of images, each different shot has a different purpose and effect.

I found some useful shots and angles on www.mediaknowall.com that I learnt a lot from, i have included the relevant information below: 

Camera shots:

1 . Extreme long shot

                    This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, eg the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action eg in a war film or disaster movie. There will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information

2. Long shot

This is the most difficult to categorise precisely, but is generally one which shows the image as approximately "life" size ie corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). This category includes the FULL SHOT showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. 

3. Medium Shot

Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Background detail is minimal, probably because location has been established earlier in the scene - the audience already know where they are and now want to focus on dialogue and character interation.

4. Close-Up

This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object 

and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. In reality, we only let people that we really trust get THAT close to our face - mothers, children and lovers, usually - so a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A film-maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character, and usually uses a zoom lens in order to get the required framing.

5. Extreme Close-Up

As its name suggests, an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever. This is a very artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect. The tight focus required means that extra care must be taken when setting up and lighting the shot - the slightest camera shake or error in focal length is very noticeable.

During our production i would only use the long shot, medium shot and the close-up shot, reason being that it could cause my camera to lose focus and could become complexed trying to achieve the rest of the shots accurately, whilst following instructions quickly.

Camera angles:

1. The Bird's-Eye view

This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things. Hitchcock (and his admirers, like Brian de Palma) is fond of this style of shot.

2. High Angle

Not so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture.

3. Eye Level

A fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that eg actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground.

4. Low Angle

These increase height (useful for short actors like Tom Cruise or James McAvoy) and give a sense of speeded motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the disorientation of the viewer. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen.

5. Oblique/Canted Angle

Sometimes the camera is tilted (ie is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, transition and instability (very popular in horror movies). This technique is used to suggest POINT-OF-View shots (ie when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular character,seeing what they see — a hand held camera is often used for this.

Eye Level and Low Angle are the only angles necessary for this production. Not so much because of the affect the angles have the audience/viewers but simply because we only need neutral shots to capture all the action, as it is a magazine show we do not need to increase the heights/sizes of the cast as it needs to be as realistic as possible.

Talk shows and Comedy chat shows

Multiple-camera shooting is the only way that an ensemble of actors/performers presenting a single performance before a live audience may be recorded from multiple perspectives.

Talk shows 

Talk shows use multi-camera techniques just like high-output soaps because it is a good way to shows the action/ reaction to the action effectively. 

The Jeremy Kyle Show is a British daytime television show presented by Jeremy Kyle.

The show has been broadcasted on ITV since July 2005. Recorded and produced each weekday by Granada Studios in Manchester city, the show has won many awards.

 The Jeremy Kyle show uses the Multi-camera technique to show: the problems of those on the show, reactions from the audience, Jeremy Kyle's opinion and behind the scenes. The Multi camera setup makes it easy to edit the footage ready for broadcasting the following week.

Comedies

Again many comedy shows use the multi camera setup to show the comedian(s) on stage and the reaction to the jokes from the audience, which creates a humorous atmosphere for viewers watching at home.

The Graham Norton show is a famous British comedy chat show broadcasted on BBC ONE in the united Kingdom. 

Graham Norton is an Irish comedian that presents a show on people, trends and stories that interest him the most.

Because the Graham Norton shows holds a large audience in the studio the multi camera technique is essential to capture all the main action on stage as well as the reactions from the audience.

Game shows

Game shows are always filmed in a multi-camera studio. The main advantage for this program format is that three-four half hour shows can be produced in one day. As the production team need to produce a lot of programs in a short period of time this technique is almost essential, also many things that happen in game shows only happen once so it is important to capture many shots from different angles so the editing process is easier.

"Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is 

produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent."            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countdown_(game_show)

Below is behind the scenes footage of Countdown:

Reality TV Shows

Reality shows also use this technique, however in some reality shows there are no camera operators as it would destroy the realism of the programme and would make contestants feel uncomfortable to express themselves. The whole idea of a reality show is that the contestants start to feel at home and forget the cameras are there which is why the cameras are hidden or placed discreetly around the accommodation. Surrounding the scene, the cameras capture the main action which is then briefly edited and broadcasted to the public. 

Big brother is a very popular reality show that uses the Multi-camera technique because again it is one of the quickest and most efficient ways to record and broadcast the action in a short period of time.


"Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash prize by avoiding periodic evictions from the house." For more info click here (Source)

Below is an example of one of the live evictions:

This is a good example of the show my production team will be making as it includes a host,VTs and recorded footage.

Soap operas

Regular daily soap operas use the Multi Camera technique because many scenes can be captured from a range of angles. When editing the footage the production team are able to choose the best angles, enhance the lighting and choose the right contrast which will make the soap look more realistic, (according to the scene) and create an atmosphere. This technique is very convenient as the action is to be shown shortly after being shot to maintain the consistency of the soap.

Eastenders is one the most popular soaps with the British public. The 2010 special; 'Who killed Archie' scenario was one of Eastenders' memorable episodes; the multi camera technique was used, and it was live!! I thought the production team and actors did amazingly well. They did show a behind the scenes episode where they explained the minor mistakes made, but you would never know!

Take a look at the clips below:

This clip shows how the multi-camera technique can show reactions effectively. 

This is clearly a well rehearsed scene, the rapid change to stunt double 

and the suicide are very hard things to pull off live. A well done is well deserved :)

I found this production to be unique as several actors 

thought they killed Archie. Whilst the main action was being filmed, possible endings were also being filmed, it wasn't until the actors watched it back that they knew who actually killed Archie! 

Take a look at this: