ONE VS. MULTIPLE CAMERAS

I get asked questions all the time on calls with potential clients. Some I can answer and some I can’t. So, my goal here is to try and answer as many as possible over the course of this blog series. This is number one of a lofty goal of 522 answers. Enjoy!

Here’s a question I get all the time – “Do I really need two cameras or could we do this with one?”

Well, it’s really up to you as the buyer of the video. Videos can look great using one camera and they can also look great using two. It’s what you want to get accomplished and specifically, how?

Let’s go to a professional. Here are a couple quotes from 522 Creative Director, Colin Faust:

“A one camera setup is going to be faster, more agile, it’s going to have a smaller footprint. If you’re in a space where you need to talk to more people or you need to get around to different locations, it becomes more organic because we just have one camera and it’s easier to walk around with it.”

So what about the two camera setup? Why would someone want to pay the extra money for more equipment?

“This would be if you’re talking to someone for a more extended period of time, because the two camera setup gives you the ability to cut away without having b-roll. If you like what someone says at the beginning and the end, the easiest way to cut that together is to go from the wide shot to the close-up or vice versa.”

Anything else?

“Multiple cameras make it more dynamic. I lean towards two cameras if we’re going heavily interview based with two or three people. However, if we’re talking to 15 people, then I’m going to go one camera to be more agile to get to each person.”

In summation and according to Colin, one camera is more nimble and two cameras are more dynamic, but remember, every project is different and we can evaluate together what is best for you.