Name the CAM in live shooting...

M

mactreouser

Member
Hi,

Wondering that how you guys name all the camcorder? any standard name for that?For Example in live shooting, i got 4 cams, 1xMain Camera 2xMoving Cam to capture around the live and 1xCam is on the stage for Musician and Audience from the Stage...

How to name it? A Cam, B Cam? Free Cam? Move Cam? Main Cam?

Thanks a lot!!!
 
If you are talking about how to call the cameras during the shoot, I would put little strips of tape with the camera operators name under the control room monitor that shows that camera.
Call the cameras by name: " dave your hot, coming to bob... and bob you're hot"

You can call them camera one, camera two, etc but your cameraman is more likely to pay attention when you say their name than when you say "camera two"
 
One, Two, Three, Four

A, B, C, D

I would avoid names, unless everyone conveniently has a one syllable name. I would stick to letters or numbers. Tried and true method there. If your camera operator doesn't respond to the number of his/her camera, then you need to get a new op. And what if you have two "Daves" on set?
 
On the OB shows I've been a Utility on, Camera 1 is usually the master, something that, if all else fails, we can always cut back to. Then, more specialized cameras (handhelds, jibs, remotes, etc...) are higher numbers. For instance, here was the setup on a show I worked:

1 - Master Wide
2 - Long lens CU
3 - HH #1
4 - HH #2
5 - Announce Booth
6 - Jib
7 - Remote

Cameras were always called by number, not name, as during the all-day broadcast, the camera operators did switch off.
 
I direct live broadcasts frequently, and I put in another vote for calling by numbers. Although I also normally put the tape with names under the monitors so I can keep track of who's where (where I work, some ops are more skilled than others, so it helps knowing what each cam is capable of)

I think how you do the numbering probably comes down to preference. Around here we tend to put the wide safety last on the list. Not sure why, that's just the way it's always been done.

Also, I work with another person doing the switching, so if you say "Take Bob" instead of "Take 2", your switcher has to process who Bob is and what camera he's on, instead of just hitting "Cam 2" on the mixer.
 
Yep the number system is tried and true. I have been using the number system since high school directing 3 cam shoots of the school plays. As long as your operator knows his number it is very easy and somewhat stress free.
 
In the broadcast world on OB trucks, it's usually numbers. The camera operators don't forget their numbers, and usually they have a tally light that comes on to know they are hot anyways. Camera Ops who forget their camera numbers don't get called back, so it's to their benefit to remember one number.
 
Kit Hannah said:
Camera Ops who forget their camera numbers don't get called back, so it's to their benefit to remember one number.
Click to expand...

I've been on shoots where the director calls the wrong number and then gets pissed when the camera he wants to move doesn't move. Annoying when you're on the receiving end of that tirade.
 
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