Conor Fitzpatrick

Single Camera Production task:

For this task, I have been asked to demonstrate my understanding of Single Camera
Production as well as the formats, narrative structure and technical elements involved in it. I
will comprehensively explain the features of single camera production with reference to
examples and using correct subject terminology.
Single Camera is used mostly in music videos due to it being low production cost as it uses
only one camera. And they often get the actor or artist to repeat a scene from different
angles.

There are predominantly three different types of Single Camera dramas which are series,
serial and single drama. A series is where each episode has its own story where you can skip
an episode and still understand the premise of a later one as the episode plots are not
related. An example of this would be Charlie Brookers Black Mirror.

There are many genres when it comes to film and shows. For example an Action film will
have someone being chased by another which is also used in Horror and Thriller. These
particular films dont often used single cam as they need multiple to capture different
angles of expensive shots such as explosions or chase scenes.
Conor Fitzpatrick

Linear and Non Linear:

Linear shooting is where you film each shot in order of the story. The positives of this is that
editing because easier as the shots are in order and can be done with one camera.

Non-Linear is where you shoot each scene in no particular order, an advantage of this would
be it saves money due to not having to return to the same location more than once but the
problems may be getting the actor to look the exact same as a shot filmed on a previous
day. An example of a production that uses a non-linear storyline would be Pulp Fiction.

When using Non-Linear a popular technique to use would be flashbacks. A flashback is

where the footage shows you a characters past or goes back along their timeline. An
example of this would-be Christopher Nolans Memento where the main character is
struggling to remember things having lost his memory and therefore there are many
flashbacks. An editing style they use in this film which is often the case with flash back
scenes is that present day is in colour but the flashbacks are in black and white in order to
help the audience differentiate between the two time lines.
Conor Fitzpatrick

Realist: This used when a show is real to life and the characters involved are put into every
day circumstances and the storylines revolve around problems people face in everyday life.
Popular examples of this would be soap operas.

Anti-realist: Anti Realist is when the show isnt real and has a fictional world where the plots are
fabricated and could never happen in real life. Examples of this would be shows such as Doctor Who
or Supernatural. One being based around an alien from outer space travelling through time and the
other being two brothers who hunt demons for a living.
Conor Fitzpatrick

Open and closed endings: This is where a film or TV show leave you on a cliffhanger or the
plot is leading up to future films, an example of this would be MARVEL films as they spend
many films World building and always have a post credit scene which leads to the
possibility of a follow on film.

Closed endings: This is where the end of a show or film is fixed and must be at an end and
not follow on to a series or saga. An example of this would be Hacksaw Ridge As it is a true
story and therefore the ending is exactly that, an ending.
Conor Fitzpatrick

The series Black Mirror features stand-alone dramas that are suspenseful dark tales that
explore paranoia of technology and point out fearful scenarios about the modern world and
the way that when we become dependent on it, technology can reshape and distort our real
lives. Each episode is its own story with its own cast of unique characters. Just like any other
production, the production team will build a scene using several elements such as sound,
lighting, editing, scripting, acting, and camera work which used together correctly create a
great viewing experience.

During season 2, there is an episode named White Bear where a woman is hunted for
reasons she doesnt understand. This episode has many frightening moments and images,
and the uncertainty throughout adds its own fear but the reason the fear is so induced from
this episode is the way the production elements are used. There are many scenes where the
lighting is vital as well as the eerie music.

Image source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/5c0ce0ab-c88f-45be-b44d-

59841e5f9e64
Conor Fitzpatrick

In the scene shown above the main character Victoria Is being chased by a large group of
people all pointing their cameras at her, the camera shot used allows the viewers to
understand that she is trying to flee from the people and this feeling is intensified by the
music used. The music is fast paced and dramatic as she attempts her escape. In this scene,
the acting is very important from the movements of her assailants to the look of terror on
her face.

Image source: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/black-mirror/episode-guide/series-2

In the next scene Victoria is grabbed by a girl who pulls her into hiding telling her to keep
quiet to avoid detection of the mob. This scene uses all the important elements from
lighting to acting. The music drops from fast paced to a slow eerie tune, inducing the
anxiety, and fear the character is feeling as they try to remain undiscovered. This is also
helped by the acting of Lenora Crichlow and Tuppence Middleton.
Black mirror uses many different camera techniques but one often used in this show is
closeups. There seems to be a close-up during every dramatic scene in order to show the
characters reaction and or what they are feeling. For example John Hamm in the episode
White Christmas and Toby Kebbell in the episode The entire history of you.

Image source: https://giphy.com/search/black-mirror Image source: http://www.digitalspy.com/black-mirror/

Conor Fitzpatrick

In Black Mirror a lot of editing techniques are used in order to emphasize a certain object or
help explain the story for example in the episode Nosedive The main aspect of the show is
social media and the ratings people get for every interaction they make whether just
passing in the street or how polite you are when say handing over food as a waiter. The
higher the social media rating the more popular the person is.
The editing technique predominantly used in this episode is when sending a text or rating
someone rather than show it on the phone, it shows the character on the phone as well as
an edited version of the screen for the viewers to see.

Image source: http://mobilemarketingmagazine.com/netflix-brings-black-mirror-app-reality

Conor Fitzpatrick

The majority of the lighting used in Black Mirror is natural as a lot of it is set outside using
the sun but in some episodes the lighting is entirely artificial such as the episode Fifteen
million merits. The idea of this episode is a futuristic world where people live to earn
credits, they do this by performing their talents for example, a singer earns credits for
practicing singing or an athlete earns credits by exercising and then get a chance to enter
competitions such as a futuristic X-Factor. The lighting in this episode is very important as it
helps build a futuristic looking experience as well as helping with the idea of being on stage.

The script for Black Mirror is the same as most scripts for a TV show but is very important as
it shows each actor what to do and say at what time. The writer emphasising important
sounds such as (Alarm) so the actor can act as if they would in a situation where an alarm
is going off. As well as this the writer leaves a gap between each line so there is no
confusion as to who should be speaking and when. The shooting script also contains
important information for the director and actors.
Image source: https://www.wgfoundation.org/dont-get-comfortable-pages-from-black-mirror/
Conor Fitzpatrick

A serial drama is where a television show involves the same story and or story arc where
each side story and character all converge in the same main storyline. Which means you
must watch it in episodic order. Examples of shows like this are Game Of Thrones, The
Walking Dead and Peaky Blinders.

The drama I have chosen to focus on is Game of Thrones, the storyline to Game of Thrones
seems mostly linear but involves aspects such as flash backs making it a non-linear storyline.
An example of a flash back in the show would be the transition of Jon Snow as a baby to him
as an adult in the present day.
Image source: http://wehaveahulk.co.uk/game-of-thrones-hbo-confirms-jon-snows-
parents/
Conor Fitzpatrick

The show uses a range of editing techniques as well as camera techniques in order to show
a characters emotional state. An example of this would be a shot in the episode The red
wedding Where the character Robb Stark is shown dying and looking over at his dead
pregnant wife, the shot shows the expression on Robbs face and what he is looking at
which helps the audience understand what he is feeling.
Image source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/no-guts-no-gory-
brutal-thrones-shakes-cast-article-1.1360169

Like with Black Mirror Game of Thrones likes to use close-ups for example in the episode
Battle of the Bastards Jon Snow is facing off against Ramsey Bolton but before they come
up against each other theres a shot of Jon Snows face looking out over the battlefield at
him and then it switches to almost the exact same shot of Ramsey looking back at Jon. This
is effective as it shows the hatred the two have for each other. This makes it more
interesting for the viewers and help them feel more involved in what the two characters are
feeling.
Conor Fitzpatrick

Due to Game of Thrones being set in the fictional world of Westeros without electricity,
lighting interiors can be challenging and in the first season, the cinematographers primarily
used candlelight but due to them over spending on candles the producers told them to cut
back and from then on they began to rely mostly on natural window light for the day scenes.
The famous Throne Room is reused for many interior locations, depending on how the light
is set, it can be a stand-in set for any interior in the show.

In Game of Thrones a lot of special effects are used for example scenes including the
dragons or the White Walkers. The editing, camera work and lighting all come together to
make the White Walkers as intimidating as possible. The special effects used for them help
to give them a cold look. The lighting used in season 6 for the dragons is fire, and flame as
well as an artificial dim orange due to fire being a convention of dragons. The way the white
walkers are edited in the first season are so their facial features are not shown and they are
more of a white blur to help create mystery before showing a closeup of one of them in
season 2 as a big reveal.
Conor Fitzpatrick

Technical:

A camera has a lot of a features that are vital, for example:

Zoom- Zooming is used to magnify and get a closer image of something that is far away.

Pan- A panorama is when the camera moves horizontally to reveal more of the shot.

Tilt- A tilt is the same as pan but as the pan goes horizontally this goes vertically

Dolly shots- A dolly shot is when a camera is placed on a trolley to follow characters or an object.

Hand Held Shots - A hand held shot is more like a homemade movie feel and is mostly used in low
budget films to make the audience feel immersed but can also be used purposely to look like a
homemade shot for example The Blaire Witch Project.

Crane Shots - A Crane shot is used in mid-air to get what is known as a birds eye view.

Aerial Shot -An Aerial shot is when you use a plane or helicopter to get a fast birds eye view of a
scene.

Lighting:

High Key Lighting-High Key Lighting is used in film to reduce the light ratio in the scene.

Low Key Lighting- Low Key Lighting is when you use one light to focus on one object in the shot and
makes it harder to see surrounding objects.

Natural Lighting-This is used to create a natural feeling on the shot by using the sun or moon and
using no special lighting.

Ambient Lighting-This is when you use a combination of light reflections from different surfaces to
produce illumination.

Sound:

Diegetic Sound-A sound in the scene that can be heard by characters.

Non-Diegetic-The sound cannot be heard by the characters in the scene but creates tension.

Sound Effects-Artificial sounds that makes a natural sound less or more noticeable.

Ambient Sound-Background sound to set a tone or feeling to a scene.

Dialogue-The sounds that comes from the actors in the scene.

Voice Over-Someone talking over a scene often used in documentary or a directors commentary.

Synchronous Sound-The term used for when sound matches with whats going on in the scene.

Asynchronous Sound-Term used for when the sound doesnt match the scene and creates a
distorted effect.

On Screen Sound-Where the sound is created in the scene to draw a specific point in the scene.

Off Screen Sound-Where the sound is caused off screen and startles the audience.
Conor Fitzpatrick

Editing:

Continuity Editing-Where a scene is edited in that transitions are proper and smooth.

Match On Action- They tend to use this when opening a door so you go to open it and then they cut
it to when the door is opening but from another camera angle.

Shot Reverse Shot-Usually filmed over a shoulder and show the audience who the characters
speaking to.

180 Degree Rule-Where the audience can only the one side of the room.

POV Shot- This is used to let the audience see things as the character would.

Cross-Cutting- When scene cuts to another but keeps relevance to the story.

Montage- A collection of clips to pass time quickly or show highlights

Split Screen-Two clips side by side but both the clips link together.

Scripting:

Building A Scene-You have to find the appropriate setting for example if you are filming a sc-fi film
you expect it to be in space or a surreal world. You would need props appropriate to the theme of
the film.

Building a Story-When building a story you need to think about the time setting and the world you
set it in . Then you need to look at the target audience for people who enjoy your theme. Then you
can write a story for your target audience.