Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Multi-camera productions use more than one camera to capture each shot and scene from different angles. This means that the directors and producers have more freedom and choice in the shots used, which comes in very manageable for creating a linear story line. Conversation scenes are filmed in one take and this makes the actors reactions more realistic. Multi camera productions are mostly used within live sports, talk shows or a stand-up comedy for example, Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, Live football games and TV series. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their wealthy Bel Air mansion, where his lifestyle often clashes with that of his relatives. The 148 episodes were broadcast over six seasons.

Coverage of action

In a studio based TV programme there are around 4-5 cameras placed around the studio /stage. All of the cameras are facing and recording the action that is happening at all times so that they have many different footage to mess around with. This also makes the programme look better with many different editing cuts. As I stated above all of the cameras are recording at the same time. Cameras are placed in one location at all times but is able to pan along with the characters or objects. Cameras are placed around the stage in 4 different places and one may be on a crane. Cameras are placed on each side of the stage and two in the middle. In some occasions a camera may be held by a camera man, the camera man is able to move around where ever the director would like him to move to. The shots types for a show like involve many different shots, most of which are listed below:

·       Close up

·       Medium shot

·       2-3 shot

·       Long shots

·       Wide shot

·       Over the shoulder

·       Reaction shot/noddy shot

·       Point of view

·       High/low angel

·       Forward/backward tracking shot

The producers have decided to use these type of shots as it make the show look better in a way, also it makes it look professional. Starting off with the close up, this type of shot typically contains just the face and shoulders of a character or an object. This type of shot helps convey real sense of emotion and helps the audience to connect with the subject or character. A medium shot typically frames a character from the waist and up, this type of shot helps to show people in the context of the background. 2-3 shots often use medium or wide shots, this type of filming technique has around 2-3 people all in one shot, these types of shots normally show a debate, argument or an interview. Another type of shot is a long shot or establishing shot, this normally shows up at the start of the programme where we see the city they are living in. They are also used whenever the scene changes.

Wide shots normally provide an overall view of the scene the audience is watching, if the shot contains a character or object, the whole body or object is shown. This is normally used when a character is about to enter a location, for example during one episode, Phil had entered the mall, and the audience at home had seen it as a wide shot of him entering.  An over the shoulder shot in the other hand is completely different. This shot is framed from behind a person who is looking at the subject. The person facing the subject should usually occupy about 1/3 of the frame. Lastly a point of view shot is one of the most common types of shots that are used in programmes such as Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. A point of view shot shows a view from the subject's perspective, for example his/her smartphone

Communicating meaning to the viewer

Communicating meaning to the viewer means making the audience feel as if they are apart of the program which then makes them feel as if they know everything that goes on in the show, this can be shown within shows such as Fresh Prince. What this basically means is that the understanding of the viewer shows the communication between the viewer and the show. Fresh Prince has had many different countries broadcasting the programme to its people. In the UK the show was exclusively aired in 1991 on BBC Two up until the summer of the year 2004. Many Times the BBC had edited some of the episodes so that the titles would come before the beginning of the episode. Since Summer 2011, it now airs on Viva, MTV UK and Nickelodeon UK, where airings on the latter are heavily edited both for time constraints and suggestive references unsuitable for Nickelodeon's young demographic. Before the beginning of each episode the broadcasting channel would some times have an ident regarding the show with some sort of narration regarding the program, for example Nickelodeon would announce that Fresh prince is coming up next straight after the pervious program is done.

During many episodes of Fresh Prince, once someone creates a joke about another person, or utters something funny we would hear the audience laugh, this can sometimes make the viewer laugh with them, even if they may not find it as funny. The opposite could also be done, for example when something tragic happens and everyone is upset, with some upsetting music going along with the scene or total silence apart form the characters communicating, this would make the audience at home feel upset and hope that the characters are fine. This also helps to keep the viewers interest and is basically communicating with the viewer. Many times in shows like Fresh Prince the music plays a big role in the connection between the music and the camera work, which creates a meaning to the viewer, whether it’s a good one or a bad one. Examples of an episode where there are upsetting moments are below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49ZHROO6yIU 

Visual Style

The visual style of a multi camera show or production is to help the audience have the same feeling as if they were actually there watching the programme live in the studio, for example when the audience as the studio is watching the filming of Fresh Price they would be able to see everything what is going on. So what the program makers do is have the show be broadcasted on live television and have the behind the scenes uploaded to social networking sites such as YouTube and Viemo. Before each episode we would see an introduction to the programme where we would see all the actors names with some special effects. The effects used for this intro is custom made.

First Day In The Studio

On Thursday 12th December before the Christmas break, me and my class had started an Multi-camera assignment. There were around 20 students in total which we then had split the class into two groups with 10 members in each. during the first lesson of this assignment the first half of the class had gone into the TV studio whilst the rest stayed in class. When my group had gone into the studio we had experimented with the cameras, vision mixer, teleprompter and some had really wanted to experiment the role as being the talent. Before my visit to the TV studio with the class, I had gone in before and had many experience with the equipment and this was because I had joined a TV club that goes on during Monday Lunch times. During the visit to the studio with our technician as a group, he had taught us the basics of how the cameras work to  zoom in and out of the talent and also to use full focus and to understand the right framing to use with the camera, so it looks professional. He had also taught us how to work and use the equipment inside the studio whether it was to change which camera (Vision Mixer) was being shown. In a live show or a football match more than one camera can be recording at one time so that the vision mixer, producer is able to have different varieties of shot to chose from. Multi-camera is a good way to record chat shows, live games or soap operas because one of the cameras can get in frame ready for the vision mixer to change to their camera whilst another camera is already recording. Finally we had been taught the role of the director and how they would communicate to the floor manger through the microphone.  I enjoyed it because I like one certain thing in the studio which was the vision mixing and also being a camera man. 

Multi-Camera Job Roles

Director
A director is an individual who is in charge of the production, he communicates with the members who are part of the productions and tells them what to do as he has the script of the whole production. As he sits next to the vision mixer he is able to tell him/her when to cut, change camera and to add images or videos. The director also has the privilege to commutate with the floor manager who is out in the studio with the talent.

Vision Mixer
The main purpose of a vision mixer is to create a master output for a real-time broadcast. The vision mixer takes their instruction from the director. Basically, the director decides what is going to happen and tells the mixer to do it. A typical set of instructions might go like this:

·         Switch between cameras

·         Cuts or transitions

·         Preview 1 camera out of 3 cameras.

Teleprompter
Also referred to as an Auto Cue. This device helps either a performer or a presenter speak to an audience or straight towards a camera. The teleprompter is basically an off-camera device that displays a magnified script.

Camera Operator
The camera operate is the person how uses the camera to film the show, they have to make sure they have the right framing and the person is in focus. They also have to make sure they listen to the director telling them to change to another shot or angle.

Floor Manager
Television floor managers ensure that sets, props and technical equipment are safe, ready to use and in the right position prior to filming. The floor manager ensures that events go according to a set plan and that people taking part know their particular roles and how it fits in with whatever else is happening.

Talent
Talent are the people who perform in front of the camera, they are the ones being recorded. Normally it is the presenters of a chat show or a soap, but these are the people introducing the show and acting.

Sound Mixer
These people control the sounds level if it’s too high they turn it down, if it’s too low to hear they turn it up. The sound mixers job is to also turn down one of the talents microphone if they haven't got a part to say because the microphone may pick up the breathing from them and would not sound good. They are also in charge of the computers sound which comes from the sound effects used by the sound effects operator. 

Sound Effects Operator
A sound effects operator is the person who adds effects on to the production, these are normally applause, people cheering, in most comedy shows where there is not audience you may hear people laughing at random times and at certain jokes, this is the sound operator adding theses effects in, or in chat shows at the very beginning of the show you hear the applause.

 

Case Study- EL Clasico

                                                           EL Clasico

El Clasico is the name given in football to any match between Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (Real Madrid) and Fútbol Club Barcelona (Barcelona). Originally it referred only to those competitions held in the Spanish championship, but nowadays – in order to satisfy marketing needs – the term has been generalized, and tends to include every single match between the two clubs. In this case I will be talking about a game that was played on the 26/02/13 where Real Madrid won by 3 goals to 1. Football match productions use more than one camera to shoot live footage, in fact they use around 24 cameras to capture the right things at the right moment, for example when a goal is being scored, the viewers would like to see the goal in many different angels. This also helps programmes such as Match of the day talk about the game.

Coverage Of Action

In a Football match like this there is around 24 cameras placed around the pitch and the stadium. Most of the cameras are facing and shooting the action that is on the pitch, this is so the viewers at home are able to see what is happen from many different angles. Like I said before, most of the cameras are shooting live footage of the pitch, there are around 3 cameras behind each goal net, 1 around each corner, 4 on each side, 2 on the crowd that are attending the match, 4 on zip lines that move along with a remote, 3 cameras which are held by a camera man that is allowed to move around and the rest outside the stadium. Behind the goal net there are 3 cameras, 2 of which help give a better viewpoint of the goal that has been scored or some sort of action, and the remaining 1 helps match officials determine whether the ball had passed the line to count a goal or not. The shot types are simple, one camera shows a close up of the ball while the other is panning along with a medium shot of the player and the ball.

In a football pitch there are 4 corners, because this is a lively game viewers would like to see everything that is happen, so in this case there is a camera in every corner. This show the viewers at home or where ever they are a better view of how the corner kick will be taken and by who it shall be taken by. The camera shot types for this particular angle is a close up on the ball and the player. For the two widths of the pitch there are around 4 cameras on each side, 6 of which particularly concentrate on certain players in this case there was Ronaldo and Messi. These cameras focus on their movement, ball skills and many other attributes they may do during their time on the pitch. These cameras normally consist of medium shots and sometimes close ups. The other two are consist of a wide and an establishing shot of the stadium. One of the cameras must stay if focus with the ball at all times and must have perfect timing depending on the speed and direction that ball is moving, basically one camera has to be following the ball at all times.

In a match that if fully pack with people there would have to be some cameras around the crowd and in this case there were 2 cameras facing the crowd filming them. This just give a better feel to the match for the viewers that are at home. Having cameras on the crowd changes the atmosphere around the stadium it also helps capture the crowd’s reaction to when a goal is being scored or when a player has done something astonishing that really entertains the audience. The type of shot being used are mostly wide shots and sometimes close up to really capture someone’s emotions. Also, there around 4 cameras on zip lines that move around using a remote, the cameras give the viewers a bird’s eye view of the pitch, and a close up of some players. Also these cameras help match officials determine whether there were any incidents or offside that officials did not spot. Another point about these cameras is that people are able to change to any view they would like with a Sky sports subscription package. 

The rest of the cameras inside the pitch are hand held by professional camera men, these camera men have to be steady at all times as they are moving along the side lines to capture the best possible shot for when a certain player does a entertain skill, and in this case it was Di Maria from Real Madrid. The three camera men use special rigs to help keep the camera steady at all times, otherwise the shot may be ruined. The final cameras are around the stadium to capture the crowd entering the stadium, or may be some interviews with some fans of different teams.  Cameras outside the stadium usually capture an establishing shot of the stadium and its surroundings. In special cases like this, because it is a hyped game that the whole world is watching, there would be some cameras placed on either Blimps or helicopters, to capture a Bird’s eye view of the stadium and its surroundings.  

Communicating meaning to the viewer

In games like this, there are two programme makers sharing the game. One being Sky Sports and the other being Al Jazeera Sports. For both programmes, before the game starts around 30 Minutes before they both have around 3-4 people in a studio stage where they discuss the two teams performances in recent games, in this case, Al Jazeera sports were discussing Real Madrid’s last game performance against an opposing team  where they performed really well. They also discuss the performance of individuals such as Messi and Ronaldo. They chat about many of the things and attributes both players have used in recent games and also who they shall nominate for Player of the year awards as they are both outstanding players who play intensely against each other, which makes games like this very interesting and intense itself.

Before the game starts the host and the guest at the studio tell the audience and the viewers at home the team line ups and the formation that will be used during the match. Once that is done a short advert comes up for the viewers at home which is around 30-60 seconds long. Once the advert is done an establishing shot of the stadium and its surroundings in show for around 5-10 seconds, it then switches to a bird’s eye view of the stadium showing the players come out of the dressing room and lining up to show both teams give each other respect by shaking hands. This normally takes around 2-3 minutes, during this time the screen cuts to a camera man where he is moving around steadily following the players shaking each other’s hand. Once that is done every single camera man should be outside the pitch in their correct positions so that the game could get started, only match officials and the starting 11 form both teams should be on the pitch.

Once the ball starts to move at kick off the programme makers put on an overlay of both team names up with a scoreboard and a timer to let the audience know how much time has been played and the score from each team. Normally at a football game the mostly used camera is the one up in stands by the side line of the pitch, this is so that it captures the entire pitch and lets the audience at home know where the ball is. Like I said before 6 of the cameras around the pith are filming certain players at all times just in case anything happens such as in injury or they perform a certain skill that the audience would like to see from different angels. When a goals is about to be scored on one team is causing danger to the other, most of the time they cut to a different camera which has a better view of what is going on. Once a goal is about to be scored all three cameras behind the net are active, in this case Real Madrid scores first, a camera is on the ball to watch its movement and speed, another is on the players positioning and movement and the last is on the goal line to determine whether the ball fully went in or not.

Visual Style

Before any game starts the team line ups pop up on the screen for the people at home or where ever they are. Once the team line ups pop up, under each profile image of each player is their name, the font used is a custom Futuristic font used by Sky Sports. In the other hand Al Jazeera uses a simple but elegant font as it looks professional. Once the games kicks off, a timer and a scoreboard overlay are available for the viewers at home. The font on both overlays are similar to the font used for the team line ups. Other texts being used may be when a goals is being scored. Once a goal is scored a short clip of a 3D next pops up which says ‘GOAL’. The text had been created in two editing applications, one being Adobe After Effect and the other being Adobe Premier, the same happens when a substitution is in progress, an overlay pops up stating the players be substituted in and out. Other text may be when the presenters are in the studio. The presenters may be discussing a top, and some information would be typed up so that the viewers at home could see the information.

Before each game we start of in a studio where presenters would introduce the game and talk about many other things. What we see in the studio varies from many different things such as couple of screens, posters of legends of football, tables, chairs, drinks, and in some occasions we would see some supporters in the studio, and we may also see a large window where the stadium is outside of it, where as you would see supporters entering the stadium. For the presenters in the studio they must all be looking professional, so what they are wearing are suites. Once the game starts we see many things around the stadium such as, flags of the teams, flags of the courtiers the supporters are from, footballs, ball boys, fans, match officials, players, managers, cameras, the press and police who are there to protect fans from clashing with each other. For everyone attending the stadium, they are all dressed casually as you want to be as comfortable as possible. The players in the other hand are all dressed according to their team colours. And match officials in black, so that they stand out from the rest. Before the game starts an advert starts, most of the time the advert is related to the match, and in this case, it was an advert for Audi, but Audi had related it back to the match as it attracts a lot of audience, especially the game had been watch worldwide. Link for the advert is below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVJvcTf5sWs

Maintaining viewer interest

Most of the time the audience for the El Classic is engaged from both the female and male audience from a young age to any age possible, as long as they enjoy the sport. During football matches like this there are around 2-3 commentators explaining everything happening on the pitch with a hyped tone to keep the audience focused on what is happening. Like I stated before, there are many cameras around the pitch, this helps keep the audience focused on the ball at all times which keeps the audience engaged and maintains their interest.

When in the studio, the way the presenters keep the audience engaged is simple, they use clips of past El Clasico where something special had kicked off to form a special moment in the history book, for example when Zidane, one of the world’s best footballers had demolished Barcelona. Link to the video is below. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOBnGPh9WL8

Constraints of studio or location environment

Like I said before, cameras are placed all over the stadium and are able to capture everything that is happening around. For filming in a stadium where the El Clasico is going to be played the budget would be very expensive because they are filming for 90 minutes straight, the audience would also impact the budget, as Sky Sports or Al Jazeera may know that this game is watched all over the world. Some cameras are not able to move around as much as they are being told by the director so concentrate on a certain place or player.

Multi- Camera simultaneous recording

The good thing about having many cameras is that what if one camera went down, the directors would not what to miss anything happening on the pitch, also during a huge game like this more than one thing good be happening around the pitch, so this is why it is important to have more than at least 10 camera around a pitch for a game like this. Like a stated above, there are at least 2 cameras on the crowd, this is so that they capture their reactions and/or emotions.