About Multi Camera

About Multi Camera

The multiple camera setup, multiple camera mode of production, or multi cam is a method of film making and video production. Several cameras , either film or professional video cameras are employed on the set and simultaneously record or broadcast a scene. It is often contrasted with single camera setup which uses one camera.

Generally, the two outer cameras shoot close up shots or crosses of the two most active characters on the set at any given time, while the central camera or cameras shoot a wider master shot to capture the overall action and establish the geography of the room. This way, multiple shots are obtained in a single take without having to start and stop the action.

The use of multiple video cameras to cover a scene goes back to the earliest days of television, three cameras were used to broadcast The Queens Messenger in 1928. The BBC routinely used multiple camera on their live television shows from 1936 onward. Although it is often claimed that the film version of the multiple camera setup was pioneered for television by Desi Arnaz and cinematographer Karl Freund in 1951, however television shows had already used it including comedy on CBS. The technique was developed for television by hollywood. In the late 70s Garry Marshall was credited with adding the fourth camera known as the X camera and it's occasionally known as the D camera today. 

The multiple camera method gives the director less control over each shot, but its faster and less expensive than a single camera setup. In television, multiple camera is commonly used for sports programs, news programs, soap operas, talk shows, game shows and some sitcoms. Multiple cameras can take different shots of a live situation as the action unfolds and this is suitable for shows that require a live audience. For this reason multiple camera productions can be filmed much faster than a single camera.