Visual Impact Academy will run a multi-cam course for skills development from August in
Cape Town and a pilot television show will be produced as part of the training course.
The TV pilot – in conjunction with Renegade Pictures, Shoot the Breeze and the Visual
Impact Academy – is an inter-generational talk show that examines issues affecting
South African youth and the elderly. Its premise is that wisdom, life experience and
growing up can be shared between two generations. Sharon Farr and Lee Otten (Shoot
the Breeze) will produce. The ultimate goal is to produce a 13-part series for broadcast.
Paul Lensen, director of Visual Impact Academy and a key trainer, explains that the
multi-cam course will accommodate 12 learners at a time.
“This ensures individual attention, access to equipment and an opportunity to
participate in all the roles on a multi-cam shoot. Each learner will get the opportunity to
vision mix, shoot, floor manage even though he or she may be a cameraperson first.
We believe by doing this the learning experience is enriched and each person will
understand how interdependent the roles and tasks are on a multi-cam shoot.’
The five-day course is aimed at learners who have some elementary camera work and
lighting knowledge. Learners will receive a theory lecture in the morning followed by a
hands-on practical session in the afternoon. The course is based upon best practice
BBC multi-cam training.
Lensen explains that each leaner is afforded the opportunity to “role play’ each of the
functions of a multi-cam shoot. Lensen explains: “This is part of the learner’s formative
assessment. Regular feedback from our lecturers is key to ensuring that they are
informed of learners’ progress so they can deal with problem areas. The course
concludes with a summative assessment in the form of a theory test and practical
observation to ensure that graduating learners are competent in the field of multi-cam
operation. The successful candidates receive a certificate of completion that reflects the
unit standard they have passed.’
The equipment used on the course will be portable Sony units. “This system is also
known as PPU (portable production unit) and has been used very successfully in shows
like Fear Factor and Idols. The trend is increasingly to use fly away studios consisting of
five boxes. These boxes contain carefully packaged cameras, vision mixers, vision
controllers, communications units and monitors. The idea is that you can land anywhere
and do a five- to 10-camera shoot, as long as there is enough power,’ notes Lensen.
Asked about the standard of multi-cam skills in the South African industry, Lensen
responds: “With our local productions, soaps, talk shows and sports it is excellent.
However, the recording of certain live events could use more creative planning where
shots are planned and sequences are created rather than simply “responding’ or
“reacting’ to what is taking place.
“Multi-cam shoots are also a cost effective option to producing content, especially where
time and budget constraints are an issue.’
