The single camera production. In this setup, each of the various shots and camera angles is taken using the same camera, which is moved and reset to get each shot or new angle. If a scene cuts back and forth between actor A and actor B, the director will first point the camera towards A and run part or all of the scene from this angle, then move the camera to point at B, relight, and then run the scene through from this angle. Choices can then be made during the post production editing process for when in the scene to use each shot, and when to cut back and forth between the two (or usually more than two) angles.

Our level 3 BTEC students study single camera productions, mostly from the television sector. For our unit on single camera techniques I used the following power point as an introduction, downloadable below:

understand-the-features-of-single-camera-production

Single camera productions can usually be placed into 1 of 3 format categories:

A Single drama is a one-off programme, and can be feature length, with a  large budget

A Serial is a long story with continuing plot lines, events and characters that can last several or many seasons. Each episode usually links clearly to the next.

A Series is a formulaic sequence of stories that can be self-contained, whilst still sharing continuing characters. This is a good format for 30 minute long tv shows.