A single camera setup is the name given to the filming procedure used to film motion pictures. This style is used for location-shot footage in television drama series, and it is also used to shoot some studio-produced television programs. For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of...

On a single camera shoot there is usually just one (film or HDTV) camera, and the camera and lighting is specifically reset for each new shot and camera angle. Frequently the camera will be on a dolly or Steadicam-like device allowing for precise and planned tracking and panning movements. The crew work on set, with the director, director of photography (DP), camera operator, focus puller all working in unison creating each shot in turn. It has been suggested that High Definition Video be merged into this article or section. ... A Camera Dolly is a specialized piece of film equipment that looks like a little car. ... To film this recreated Victorian London street scene, the cameraman next to the lamp post is using a steadicam and wearing the harness required to support it. ...

Single-camera television shooting is effectively equivalent to motion picture production, except on a smaller scale. Most television dramas are shot this way, but it's less commonly used for soap operas, talk shows and sitcoms which more frequently use the multi-camera setup. This uses three or four video cameras running simultaneously, each with individual operators, a floor director, and a control room crew (including the director, video vision switcher, tape operator). The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of Our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Pioneered by Desi Arnaz with three cameras, commonly now four, the multicamera setup is used to shoot most studio-produced television programs such as situation comedies, soap operas, news programs, game shows, and talk shows. ...

While most multi-camera shows are shot "in sequence" -- the shooting progresses chronologically through the script -- single-camera shoots tend to cluster together the shooting of all the scenes that utilize a certain set and cast.

Single camera television comedies

The single camera setup is generally utilized on comedy series that either require or strive for specific shots and camera angles and visual set-pieces. When the potential of the single camera filming style is fully maximized the camera movement, the way shots are composed and edited, and other directorial flourishes, will be as much a source of comedy as the behavior of the characters. On such single-camera shows as Scrubs, Malcolm in the Middle, and Arrested Development the creative teams are more likely to include fantasies, daydreams, segues, and surreal, cartoonish gags, occasionally using CGI. Scrubs is an American sitcom currently in its fifth season on NBC. It is created by Bill Lawrence, who also co-created Spin City The show, which premiered in 2001, focuses on the professional and personal lives of several characters working at Sacred Heart, a fictional hospital in an unspecified... Malcolm in the Middle is an American situation comedy on the Fox Network. ... Arrested Development is a character-driven comedy television series about a formerly wealthy, habitually dysfunctional family. ... The pseudopod in The Abyss marked CGIs acceptance in the visual effects industry. ...

In contrast the multicamera setup, which dates back to the 1950's and I Love Lucy, is used more for traditional style sitcoms that utilize few sets and feature an ensemble of characters performing before a live audience and where specific shots and camera angles are not crucial to the success of the product. Larry David originally lobbied for Seinfeld to be a single-camera show, but NBC felt the traditional multi-camera setup was a safer bet. Pioneered by Desi Arnaz with three cameras, commonly now four, the multicamera setup is used to shoot most studio-produced television programs such as situation comedies, soap operas, news programs, game shows, and talk shows. ... I Love Lucy is a television sitcom that aired in the 1950s. ... Larry Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American actor, writer, producer, and film director born and raised in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, New York. ... Seinfeld is an U.S. television sitcom set in New York City that ran from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998. ... NBC, formerly called the National Broadcasting Company, is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ...

Shows that use the setup

Half hour shows

• Andy Richter Controls the Universe
• Arrested Development
• The Bernie Mac Show
• The Comeback
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
• Dream On
• Entourage
• Everybody Hates Chris
• Extras
• Kitchen Confidential
• M*A*S*H
• Made in Canada
• Malcolm in the Middle
• My Name Is Earl
• The Office (UK)
• The Office (US)
• Oliver Beene
• Red Dwarf (Series 7 only)
• Scrubs
• Sex and the City
• Sports Night
• Stella
• Strangers with Candy
• Undeclared
• Weeds
• The Wonder Years
• Corner Gas

Andy Richter Controls the Universe was a short-lived sitcom (2002-2003) on FOX starring Andy Richter as a man named Andy just trying to make it in the real world. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Bernie Mac Show is a half-hour sitcom featuring the comedic antics of comedian Bernie Mac. ... The Comeback is the term used to describe the AFC Wild Card game of January 3, 1993, between the Buffalo Bills, and the Houston Oilers. ... Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American television sitcom starring Seinfeld writer & co-creator Larry David. ... The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd was an NBC/Lifetime dramedy that debuted in 1987. ... Dream On is a cult American adult situation comedy about Martin Tupper, a dreamer whose life is full of colourful characters. ... Entourage is an original and popular comedy series on HBO. The series first aired on July 18, 2004 and is currently on hiatus. ... Everybody Hates Chris is a sitcom based on the early life of comedian Chris Rock. ... Extras is a sitcom about extras working on movie sets and theatre. ... Kitchen Confidential is a book written by American chef Anthony Bourdain in 2000. ... Inspired by the 1970 20th Century-Fox film of the same name, M*A*S*H (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) was an American television series about a team of medical professionals and support staff stationed at the 4077th MASH in Korea during the Korean War. ... Made in Canada is a Canadian television sitcom / single camera comedy, which aired on the CBC from 1998 to 2003. ... Malcolm in the Middle is an American situation comedy on the Fox Network. ... My Name Is Earl is an American sitcom created by Greg Garcia and produced by 20th Century Fox. ... The Office is a British television comedy series, created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, and first aired in the UK on BBC Two on July 9, 2001. ... The Office is a television show, broadcast by NBC and co-produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and Reveille Productions, in association with NBC Universal Television Studio. ... Oliver Beene is the central character in the short-lived sitcom of the same name. ... This article describes the British science fiction comedy television series. ... Scrubs is an American sitcom currently in its fifth season on NBC. It is created by Bill Lawrence, who also co-created Spin City The show, which premiered in 2001, focuses on the professional and personal lives of several characters working at Sacred Heart, a fictional hospital in an unspecified... Sex and the City was an American cable television program based on the book of the same name. ... This article is about the fictional American television series. ... Stella is a television series that debuted on June 28, 2005 on the American television channel Comedy Central, starring the three members of the sketch comedy troupe of the same name. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Strangers with Candy Strangers with Candy was an American sitcom that aired thirty episodes (in three seasons of ten episodes each) on Comedy Central in 1999 and 2000. ... The cast of Undeclared Undeclared was a U.S. television series that aired on FOX during the 2001–2002 TV season. ... Weeds is a Showtime dark comedy television series about a fictional California suburb and its residents, a handful of whom are involved in the distribution and consumption of cannabis (hence the title). ... The cast of The Wonder Years in an early promo shot. ... Canadian DVD release of Corner Gas first season. ...

Hour-length shows

• Ally McBeal
• Battlestar Galactica
• Big Love
• Carnivàle
• Commander in Chief
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• CSI: Miami
• CSI: NY
• Deadwood
• Desperate Housewives
• Freaks and Geeks
• Gilmore Girls
• Grey's Anatomy
• House
• Lost
• The O.C.
• Prison Break
• Rome
• Six Feet Under
• Smallville
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• Star Trek: Enterprise
• Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek: Voyager
• Twin Peaks
• The Sopranos
• Veronica Mars
• The West Wing
• Wonderfalls

Compare: multicamera setup Time magazine, June 29, 1998. ... This article is specifically about the 2004 Battlestar Galactica television series; for more information about the 2003 reimagining of Battlestar Galactica, see Battlestar Galactica (2003); for the miniseries that led to this television series, see Battlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries); for other versions, see the main Battlestar Galactica page or Battlestar... This article is about the HBO drama series. ... Carnivàle is an American dramatic television series produced by HBO. Created by Daniel Knauf, it stars Nick Stahl and Clancy Brown. ... Commander in Chief is a television drama focusing on the presidential administration and family of Mackenzie Allen (portrayed by Geena Davis), the first female President of the United States(Higly unlikely), who ascends to the role after the previous chief executive, Teddy Bridges (played by Will Lyman), dies in office... CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a popular Alliance Atlantis/CBS police procedural television series, running since October 2000, about a team of forensic scientists. ... CSI: Miami is a spinoff of the popular CBS network series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. ... CSI: NY (working title CSI: New York) is an American police procedural television series which premiered on September 22, 2004. ... Deadwood is a weekly HBO television drama that premiered in March 2004. ... Desperate Housewives is an American television series, created by Marc Cherry, that began airing on ABC in 2004, in HDTV. Set on Wisteria Lane in the fictional Fairview, Eagle State the series tracks the lives of four housewives, following their domestic struggles while several mysteries involving their husbands, friends and... Freaks and Geeks was an American television series, created by Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 TV season. ... Gilmore Girls is an hour-long American television drama/comedy that has aired since 2000 (see 2000 in television). ... Greys Anatomy is an award-winning and popular American primetime television medical drama. ... House (formerly titled House, M.D.) is an American television series; an hour-long medical drama that debuted in the fall of 2004 and stars Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning British actor Hugh Laurie. ... Lost is an American drama-adventure television series concerning the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious, tropical desert island. ... The O.C. is an American television drama program broadcast on the Fox Network in the USA and on various networks around the world. ... Prison Break is a television series on Fox that premiered on August 29, 2005. ... Rome is a critically acclaimed historical drama, produced for television by HBO and the BBC. The shows first season originally ran on HBO between August 28th and November 20th, 2005, and subsequently broadcast on BBC Two in the UK between November 2nd, 2005 and January 4th, 2006. ... Six Feet Under was a critically acclaimed and popular television drama produced by HBO. It first aired on June 3, 2001 and concluded its fifth and final season run in the USA on August 21, 2005. ... Smallville is an American television series that debuted in 2001 on The WB Television Network. ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... The starship Enterprise (NX-01) Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... The starship Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid-class starship. ... Twin Peaks was an American dramatic television series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. ... The Sopranos is a television drama on HBO about a Mafia family in Northern New Jersey. ... Veronica Mars is an American teen drama/neo-noir series currently broadcast on UPN. The show stars Kristen Bell as the titular high school student, who moonlights as a private investigator under the wing (and to the chagrin) of her detective father. ... The West Wing is a popular and widely acclaimed American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin and produced and co-written by John Wells. ... Wonderfalls was a television series on Fox, created by Bryan Fuller (Dead Like Me) and Todd Holland (Malcolm in the Middle) with executive producer Tim Minear (writer and director for Firefly and Angel). ... Pioneered by Desi Arnaz with three cameras, commonly now four, the multicamera setup is used to shoot most studio-produced television programs such as situation comedies, soap operas, news programs, game shows, and talk shows. ...