2. Camera Placement Click to go to each camera...
I created this diagram in Adobe Illustrator to demonstrate where I would position my live cameras if I were to film a concert:
Click to go to each camera...
1 - Control Room’s Main Camera. To be able to closely monitor what the audience sees.
2 - Main Stage Camera. To focus on the front of the Stage. This camera can dolly left and right to give better views.
3 - On-Stage Camera. To closely focus on an individual in a group. In this case, the lead act (e.g. Singer).
4 - Corner Stage Camera. To give a view of the stage where most are visible. Can also view audience.
5 - Corner Stage Camera. To give a view of the stage where most are visible. Can also view audience.
6 - Rear Stage Camera. To show views of the audience through the performers on stage.
7 - On-Stage Camera. To closely focus on individuals in a group. In this case, supporting acts (e.g. Drummer).
8 - On-Stage Camera. To closely focus on individuals in a group. In this case, supporting acts (e.g. Guitarist/s)
9 - Balcony 2 Side Camera. Can provide panning views of the Balcony audience and angled views of the Stage.
10 - Balcony 2 Side Camera. Can provide panning views of the Balcony audience and angled views of the Stage.
11 - Far Corner Camera. Shows the Stage from far away to show how vast the audience is.
12 - Far Corner Camera. Shows the Stage from far away to show how vast the audience is.
13 - Balcony 1 Camera. Provides a view of the Stage from just over the Floor audience’s heads.
14 - Balcony 1 Camera. Provides a view of the Stage from just over the Floor audience’s heads.

3. CONTROL ROOM’S MAIN CAMERA
This camera shows a face-on shot of the entire stage. It will be taken from the control room at the back of the stadium or concert area so as to allow those in the control room to experience the audience’s perspective of the show.
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4. Camera 2 MAIN STAGE CAMERA
This camera will focus on the front of the stage. The camera can dolly left and right to give better, more interesting angles if need be.
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5. Camera 3 ON-STAGE MAIN CAMERA
This camera is on-stage and focuses closely on the lead singer, or main focus of the act. It can ‘crab’ around the circumference of the person to get side views as well as front or rear views.
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6. LEFT CORNER-STAGE CAMERA
This camera is positioned at the corner of the stage and is mounted on a boom. This means it can swing and pan easily, gaining a extraordinarily large variety of angles. This camera can get high angles of the stage as well as turning to the crowd to get sweeping panning-shots of the audience.
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7. RIGHT CORNER-STAGE CAMERA
This camera is positioned at the corner of the stage and is mounted on a boom. This means it can swing and pan easily, gaining a extraordinarily large variety of angles. This camera can get high angles of the stage as well as turning to the crowd to get sweeping panning-shots of the audience.
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8. Camera 6 REAR-STAGE CAMERA
This camera is on-stage and is positioned so that the audience can be seen through the people performing from the very back of the stage. It allows the audience to see what the band can see.
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9. ON-STAGE SUPPORT CAMERA
This camera is on-stage and focuses closely on one of the supporting members of the act, to allow the audience to see in much more detail what they cannot see well from where they stand.
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10. ON-STAGE SUPPORT CAMERA
This camera is on-stage and focuses closely on one of the supporting members of the act, to allow the audience to see in much more detail what they cannot see well from where they stand.
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11. LEFT BALCONY 2 SIDE CAMERA
This camera is positioned on the underside of Balcony 2 (the roof of Balcony 1) and can view both the audience and the stage. It is a fixed camera and does not move – intended to show those in the crowd who are standing some different angles of the stage.
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12. RIGHT BALCONY 2 SIDE CAMERA
This camera is positioned on the underside of Balcony 2 (the roof of Balcony 1) and can view both the audience and the stage. It is a fixed camera and does not move – intended to show those in the crowd who are standing some different angles of the stage.
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13. LEFT FAR-CORNER CAMERA
Similar to cameras 9, 10 and 12, This camera is fixed in the very corner of the arena and is intended to show angles of the stage from different places in the audience. It is also intended to impress the audience by showing them their own vastness.
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14. RIGHT FAR-CORNER CAMERA
Similar to cameras 9, 10 and 12, This camera is fixed in the very corner of the arena and is intended to show angles of the stage from different places in the audience. It is also intended to impress the audience by showing them their own vastness.
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15. Camera 13 LEFT BALCONY 1 CAMERA
This camera is positioned on the underside of Balcony 1 and can view both the audience and the stage. It is a fixed camera and does not move – intended to show those in the crowd who are standing some different angles of the stage.
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16. Camera 14 RIGHT BALCONY 1 CAMERA
This camera is positioned on the underside of Balcony 1 and can view both the audience and the stage. It is a fixed camera and does not move – intended to show those in the crowd who are standing some different angles of the stage.
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Keep going!

17. Coverage of action
Cameras must be strategically placed at an event in order to cover all of the action. It wouldn’t do to have someone score a spectacular goal in a football match, but the only camera that captured it was on the other side of the field. For this reason many cameras are often used during live events so that no opportunities are missed during the filming of the event.

18. Maintaining viewer interest
In order to maintain viewer interest, there always needs to be something happening on the screen. This is why several cameras are often included; so that the editor can easily switch between many different angles and views. An unchanging shot of someone talking can get boring, but if the camera angle changes, it shows a different view and keeps it more interesting than if the angle had stayed the same.

19. Communicating meaning to the viewer
Communicating meaning to the viewer is necessary so that they can see what is happening using actions and reactions. It’s almost like a story: the cameras might focus on an action, e.g. someone on a chat show saying something funny, and then the angle changes to show the audience’s reaction to what has just been said.

20. Visual style
The visual style of an event is very important, because it sets the atmosphere of the production. Examples are the best way to describe this. The news programs we see on TV are often lit with an even tone and decorated with passive colours, like pastel blues or greys. This is because the news is an unbiased, information-providing service and they want to appear as balanced as possible. Another example is a chat show – there are more personalised, more powerful colours involved in the decoration and the lighting varies across the set. One part of the stage (e.g. The host and guest’s sofa’s) would be more brightly lit than another for example. This is to draw our attention to those on the show, to keep us looking at them.

21. constraints Studio : Lots of tripping hazards (e.g. cables)
Low ceilings – and lights hanging from them
Limited space
Production crew need to be quiet due to proximity
On Location:
Unwanted sound – for example aeroplanes, cars, people, wind, building etc
Chance of people and animals wandering into background shots
Weather – can change at a moment’s notice
Lighting can change at any point which would mean that technical things like the white balance would have to be altered on the camera

22. Multi-Camera Simultaneous Recording
Multi-camera simultaneous recording is also known as live filming, because one person controls all of the camera feeds and cuts them into one piece of footage which is real-time and often aired as it is made. This person who controls all the cutting, in other words the live editor, sits at a machine called a Vision Mixer. Here they can see all camera feeds on one big screen, as well as being able to see the current live shot being played and the back-up shot. This person presses numbered buttons on the Vision Mixer which relate to individual cameras, and controls the compilation of the live footage. The live editor can communicate with the technical team via radio, telling the cameramen where they want the next shot or how they want the shot to be taken, and can cut to each of the cameras’ feeds as they choose the best shots to show.

23. Thanks for watching!