Film Language Tag: multi-camera (multi-cam)
1. Relating to a work that is mostly shot with more than one camera at a time, such as threecamera television productions or feature film productions that routinely use multiple cameras per shot. The cameras are typically designated “A,” “B,” “C,” etc. for easy reference.
USAGE: Programs (particularly sitcoms) shot on a stage using multiple, simultaneous cameras are routinely referred to as multi-cam, but other types of programs (including episodic television programs) that are not shot on a stage before an audience are commonly referred to as single-cam even if they regularly employ multiple cameras.
2. A setting or mode in a digital non-linear editing system that allows one to perform a series of edits by drawing from multiple input streams that remain synchronized throughout the operation.
The input streams in multi-camera mode may be any combination of live camera feeds or previously recorded material. The streams are typically synchronized by using their common time code (when they were recorded at the same time using multiple cameras) or by establishing an in point for each stream and moving through them all in lock step.
