MULTI CAMERA DIRECTOR

WHAT THEY DO

During pre-production the multi camera director

will plan camera positions and shots. During the

shoot the director leads the team and is in charge of

the personnel on the studio floor and in the gallery.

This includes the floor managers, camera and sound

teams, production assistant and vision mixer.

WHEN THEY ARE USED

Multi-camera shoots are commonly used for sports

and news programmes, soap operas, talk shows,

game shows, some sitcoms and live events where

action cannot be repeated or replicated. These may

be studio or location based.

SKILLS YOU MAY NEED

The main requirements for a multi-camera director are patience,

enthusiasm and good spatial awareness. The director is often

sitting in a gallery a long way from the cameras, so must be able

to envisage how each camera is positioned in relation to others,

and what shots each is able to get. Good communication skills are

also crucial. The team in the studio can only hear the director’s

voice over talkback. So the director must be able to communicate

quickly and clearly what is needed, while also encouraging all of

them to work together as a team.

HOW TO BE A MULTI CAMERA DIRECTOR

Camera directors are usually trained at film schools

and universities in media studies with specialization in

camera operations or film directing. This usually is

followed by work experience in the television industry.

Depending on skill, experience and talent, they have to

work from a few months to several years within the

television industry to reach the position of camera

director.

A B O U T 7 5 % O F T H E W O R K I S D O N E B E F O R E Y O U S I T I N F R O N T O F T H E M O N I T O R S