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:
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.
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