Single Cam all the way!

Before being able to write this post, I had to do a little research to find out exactly what is a single camera setup vs. a multi-camera one. I discovered that it is a difference in production that we are all already very acquainted with as television viewers. The stereotypical sitcom or talk show is a multi-camera setup; dramas and newer sitcoms are typically single-camera.

Single-camera is in every way a superior method of production. It is quite a bit more expensive than multi-camera (ironically) for a good reason. Single-camera shooting requires much more thought and artful intent on the part of the filmmakers. Imagine you are watching Everybody Loves Raymond. The production team writes the show, hires the actors, makes a set, gets some cameras and cameraguys together, and then BAM! the show starts and the job of the cameraguys is to keep up with actors. Just keep up with actors. Frame the actor well. Don't lose the actor...blah

And that's what we see. We see the camera following the actors. That is almost always the total amount of thought put into the shot. The actors are always what is in focus. Little thought is put into the background. All shots are still shots. "Good shots" (that is, with more artistic depth than a well-framed human) are thrown in only occasionally and usually feel jarring because of the abundance of "lazy" (it's not the cameraguys that are lazy) shooting.

Single-camera, on the other hand, is real film! Every shot is designed. Potentially everything can have significance. The actors are required to work with the camera to create well-composed, dynamic shots. Set design and prop placement can be heavily-laden with symbolism. Just think about The Sopranos. Everything you see matters. Could you possibly imagine The Sopranos being shot in a multi-camera format? Such a bastardization would in no way mimic the mastery of the real show.

Single-Camera. All the way.

Multi-camera is for narratives that don't deserve serious attention.


Edit: Live television gets an artistic pass for using multi-cam because the format necessitates it. Also, the one exception (that proves the rule) to the multi-camera sucks argument is The Daily Show.