As you get better at conducting multi-camera shoots, you might incorporate some advanced features, such as fade to/from black and transition effects.

• Fade in/fade out. Most switchers have a way to set up black or another color on one of the channels. As you start your shoot, begin with black as your main output instead of one of the cameras, then use a dissolve effect to fade in to your first shot. At the end of the performance, do the same thing, only in reverse, fading out the last shot to a black screen.
• Transition effects. Many switchers have dozens of built-in transitions, such as wipes, slides, page turns, and other effects. Often, these are controlled by typing a number into the switcher before switching to another camera. If the director knows the number of an effect, he can tell the TD to "prepare 112," for example, at which point the technical director types the number into the switcher. Then, when the order to "Take Camera A," transition effect number 112 takes place.

The average home user may never need to conduct a multi-camera shoot. But any professional videographer worth his salt--or anyone planning to become one--should be familiar with these skills, especially if one desires to work in TV. Even if you don't have such plans, live video production can help save time editing. And more time, whether you're a professional or beginning videographer, is something we can all use.

Joe McCleskey is a multimedia producer and freelance writer.

Many video switchers have built-in audio mixers. Which is a good thing, because when you're recording the signal from two or more cameras into a separate VCR, you'll need some way to organize your sound.

The best way to do this is to use entirely separate mikes that are independent of the camcorders themselves. Just plug the microphones into the mixer, and send the output directly to the VCR you're using to record the live video. In a live performance like the one described here, you might try using a stereo pair of mikes to record the whole thing. If the performance audio is going through a PA, consider taking the audio feed directly off the PA's mixer, if possible.

In any case, a separate crew person who's in charge of audio can be a very valuable asset to any live multicamera shoot.