Benefits and Limitations:

When filming with only one camera, it comes with many different benefits and drawbacks that can have a huge impact on what you are filming as you may be in a situation where you need one or the other. One of the main benefits of single camera production is cost. As it is only one camera, it has a much smaller overall cost because it is only one device that you need to pay for. This also means that you would be able to allocate more of your budget to a higher end camera as you will be able to afford it, due to not paying for more than one camera. Another benefit of single camera production is that the scenes do not have to be shot in sequence. This is because the final piece will be put together in the editing process. As there is only one device, it means the images are on one storage device, making it easier for the editor to understand when each scene was shot and then making it easier for them to move the sequence around. However, if there was more than one camera then there is more than one storage device. This means as the images are sent to the editor, it will be much harder for them to rearrange the sequence. Finally, portability is one of the biggest benefits with single camera production because it means less equipment has to be moved to each location. In a multi-camera setup, there is an excessive amount of equipment that needs to be transported when moving location but this is not an issue with single camera production.

One of the most obvious limitations to this technique is the fact that there is only one camera. This means that it limits the amount of variety in your shots, as you cannot film with +3 cameras at once. If you want to capture different angles of the same shot, then it requires highly skilled actors because they will have to act the scene out multiple times and make sure it is identical to the first take. If the second take is different to the first then it ruins the continuity of the scene, as it appears to be different. Another limitation of single camera production is how time consuming the process is. As there is only one camera filming, it means it will take much longer to capture any other angles on set, as you need to wait until you are 100% happy with the shot until you can move onto the next one. Finally, a lack of realism occurs when you are filming with only one camera and this is because shots often have to be filmed more than three times. Usually, the first shot would be the actor’s best effort however, when they have acted the same scene three times, they lose energy and the shot may not be as realistic as it could be.