Multi-camera Event Taping (page 3)

Titles

If you choose to add titles on the fly you'll need to cable in a titler. You can cable your titler to input four on your video mixer, but the best configuration may be to pass the mixed output of your mixer through the titler. This will allow you to key titles over shots from any of your cameras, and even switch shots underneath your graphics. The output of the titler runs to the record deck.

Talk Before You Tape

Before you roll tape, you need to let your crew know what you expect. Make sure that you are all on the same page before the event starts. The time for questions from your crew is ahead of the event and not during. Every multi-cam event is different. Taping football for your local cable station is different than shooting a dance recital, and markedly different from shooting a jazz concert. If you and your crew are new to multi-cam shooting, you can do a great deal of training by getting there ahead of time and doing a dry run before your event starts. Talking with your crew ahead of time will make both you and them feel more confident and will help insure a successful shoot.

Sidebar: Tape Your Cables

Don't forget to tape your cables down. Duct tape is okay in some places, but it can leave a gooey residue. Use gaffer's tape if you can get it. Make sure you run all your cable and cords first before you tape down. Remember, safety before the shot. Never leave cable runs exposed. Someone might trip on your cable and disable one (or more) of your cameras. Another tip is to use commercial rugs to cover cables runs in high traffic area.