UNIT 23: Multi camera techniques

TV Soap:  Doctors

Broadcasted at 1:45pm, BBC One Doctors is a British TV soap set in a fictional Midlands town of Letherbridge, it follows the stories of the staff, and their families, of a doctors surgery. It was created by Chris Murray in 2000 and has over 2500 episodes since.

Doctors seems to have viewers from “all walks of life” because of the diversity and differences in the characters where the characters go through many challenges of life that often can be related to it is common for the viewers to associate their problems with the characters and thus creating a relatable show.

However TV soaps are more commonly watched by the female gender aged 35-54 due to the heavy romance in the plots. Compared to the shows Lost or 24, Doctors has a larger demographic in women.

Doctors has a very realistic feel to it as it is mostly filmed without any editing or effects added. It is often set inside using artificial lighting and focuses on the characters on the screen and the development of the relationships between the characters instead of the scenery and location.  Despite the themes and problems that the characters have to deal with it Doctors is rather light in terms of stressfulness and is probably watched by families together.

Doctors is shown on a main channel on British Television which means it draws in a large crowd of viewers as the BBC is one of most popular and widely recognised channels in the UK in which people watch daily.  Doctors is played right after BBC London News at 1:30pm in the afternoon. 

Doctors, as shown, is always on everyday at 1:45 in the afternoon after BBC London News. This schedule rarely changes.

Doctors scene, Episode 96 ‘Collateral Damage’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNdBjavoDG4

12:42- 14:50

 

Like a majority of TV Soap operas and dramas Doctors uses very simple and low profile shots, rarely using anything but Mid shots, Mediums and close ups. Often on eye level with the characters themselves. It is often to bring attention to the characters reactions and bring the audience into the scene and therefore there is not a lot of variety in these shots, If theses shots and camera views drastically changed and became something we could not see ourselves (For instants: a birds eye view from above) the audience would become disconnected from the story as it would not be ‘realistic’ to the audiences as they would not be able to become part of the show.

The low profile and eye level shots are often to keep the viewers attention on the characters themselves, as they are the main subjects in the shot and should not have anything distracting the viewer from them.

TV soaps such as Doctors are as a majority filmed multi camera as the demand for new episodes almost daily requires more footage with less need to edit and therefore it becomes an almost assembly line for making new shows; scripts written, filming commences, editing takes place, show is aired.

Quiz/Game  show: Never Mind the Buzzcocks   

Broadcasted at 10:00pm on Mondays on BBC Two Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a British comedy panel game show that asks questions with a music theme. The show has a celebrity guest presenter every episode with two guest team members for each side every week. The only recurring players on Buzzcocks are Noel Fielding and Phill Jupitus as team captains.  Often the team members are musicians themselves while the guest presenter is a comedian or actor.

Buzzcocks has been running since 1996 but has only become better known since 2005. It has over 250 episodes.

The show is well known for its dry and sarcastic humour and provocative and controversial themes and questions. Celebrities that have appeared on Buzzcocks include Martin Freeman, Jonathon Ross, Catherine Tate, Jack Whitehall, Paloma Faith, Rizzle Kicks, Eliza Doolittle, Kathy Burk, ect.

Buzzcocks is a prime time hit on BBC 2 and often has a large amount of viewers. The main audience of Buzzcocks is young adults aged 16-34 as the show is aired late and is appealing towards said demographic.  Although the demographics for females and males are close, more females watch Buzzcocks than males.

Originally when the show first aired the majority group of the demographics was older but because of the change in theme of the show becoming more modern and trendy the majority audience have become younger who have an interest in music.

The dry wit of the show is often is selling point as many young adults that watch the show have the same humour type and sarcastic tendencies.

 

  

Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Season 25 episode 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmTdQLCAE6g

17:26 – 17:56

Buzzcocks shots are normally to focus on the participants and the presenter (And occasionally a shot of the audience) so they focus on mid shots, wide shots, medium close ups and close ups considering the show has a comedy genre it often uses mid shots and close ups on the presenter and participants faces as they speak to properly illustrate the joke to the audience.

Buzzcocks also often keeps the camera to eye level on using jib shots and over the head for shots of the audience. Using eye level also means that presenters can talk directly into the camera occasionally addressing the viewers directly- thus ‘breaking the fourth wall’ and bring the viewers into the show on another level. Buzzcocks will rarely have camera movement and keep the shots on the subjects instead of the scenery as it essential that the viewers can see the subjects when they speak but Buzzcocks will have sweeps of the setting to show where they are to the viewer.

TV Sitcom: Black Books 

Black Books is a British sitcom that was created in 2000 by Dylan Moran, Who also stared, and Grahan Linehan. It was shown on Chanel 4 at 10:00pm in the evening and ran until 2004.

Black Books is about the life of surly and hostile bookshop owner Bernard Black who hates everything but smoking, drinking and reading. The show revolves around him, his oldest friend Fran, and Manny and their attempts to bring Bernard into a more socially accepting lifestyle with chaotic and miserable results. Black Books is known for having a dry and sarcastic sense of humour and, ironically, being a ‘black’ comedy.

Since sitcoms are often loosely inspired by real life situation a majority of the audience can relate to on some level (In comparison the sitcom ‘Friends’ depicts the lives of 6 young adults and their failures in their jobs/love life/family life and other parts that the audience could relate to on a personal level) Black Books often has storylines or plots that can borderline unbelievable but the characters are what the audience can relate to: Bernard and his complete disdain for life around him and his failures trying to “fit in”,  Mannys hatred of his previous stressed filled job and failure after trying hard, and Frans complete disaster of a love life.

Young adults aged around 18-35 have been shown to be the major percentage demographic of people watching Black Books