How to Set Up Multicam Short Film Shoot

As a newly aspiring cinematographer, you’re probably ready to advance from single camera shoots to a multicam setup. Preparing for a multi camera shoot is fun, but it certainly requires some added planning to ensure proper production. If you’re wondering how to set up a multicam short film shoot, you’ve come to the right place. At Beverly Boy Productions, everyday is a multicam shoot kind of day and short films are our expertise! Follow along as we walk you through the process of setting up your multi-camera setup for a short film production.

Since you’ll be shooting with multiple cameras, you’re going to need more crew members and a bit more experience in order to pull this off. While filming a multicam shoot certainly has its benefits, pre-production planning is important to ensure everything is just right.

Before you begin shooting, make sure that you have considered the placement of each camera, lighting, and composition. Your best bet is to prepare a detailed storyboard and shot list ahead of the production. This way you’ll be fully ready for what’s to come.

Preparing the Cameras

Once you’ve established the setup for your cameras in your pre-production planning, and you’re ready to get started with filming, you’ll need to take a few extra steps to ensure your camera setup is correct.

You don’t necessarily need the most expensive cameras in order to pull off a multicam shoot, but you should have multiple of the SAME camera.

Using the same style of camera will ensure flawless post-production without the added need for additional color correction or other adjustments to be made.

Double Check

Double check your camera settings on each of the cameras that you’ll use in your shoot. You’ll want to avoid any autofocus so set your camera to manual. And then make sure that the settings are the same on each camera.

This includes checking the frame rate and white balance settings for each camera to ensure they match.

Consider Camera Coverage

Although this should have been covered in your pre-production planning and the creation of your shot list. It won’t hurt to consider it again in production. You want to carefully plan out your coverage so that you’re not overlapping or doubling up.

Each camera should be capturing shots of the scene from a unique angle or perspective. Coordinate your cameras so that you can achieve the desired coverage. Without interrupting coverage from any of the other cameras involved in your shoot.

Lighting the Scene

Setting up the lighting will be a bit different for this kind of shoot versus the lighting setup that would be required for a single camera shoot.

As you’re learning how to set up a multicam short film shoot from a lighting perspective, your focus should be on creating a homogeneous scene in which the lighting is ideal from each of your individual camera angles. This is definitely going to require a bit of practice on your part.

Placement

To achieve the desired lighting of your scene, consider placing your lights overhead rather than from a single side of the scene.

While it might take a bit of special consideration to rig lights from the ceiling or a grid in order to achieve the desired effect without the light fixtures interfering with your frame, the end result will certainly be worth the effort. 

In Summation

As you can see, learning how to set up a multicam short film shoot is really a matter of patience, planning, and practice. While there will certainly be differences in the steps that you take to setup your shoot for a multicam setup versus a single camera setup.

The coverage and overall value that comes from a multicam shoot can be incredibly powerful and efficient providing you with plenty of shot options and unique footage to use in post. Just take your time with it, follow through, and have fun!