Don’t panic! Advice from multi-camera directors – part 1: James Russell

Trickbox - James Russell - Live Music Multi-camera Director

Directing for multi-camera is a different discipline to directing traditional single camera productions. Television multi-camera directors not only have to handle directing multiple camera operators, floor managers, presenters, sound operators, VT and graphics operators, but they also have to direct a vision mixer, and in some cases, they might even have to vision mix themselves! It’s one of the toughest roles in the industry and we take our hat off to any multi-camera directors out there!

We caught up with some of the industries hottest multi-camera directors to get their take (excuse the pun) on being a multi-camera director. In this post, we talk to multi-camera music director, James Russell.

                                                                                                                                                                    

James Russell Multi-camera DirectorJAMES RUSSELL

https://www.jamesrusselldirector.com/

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What are some of your biggest multi-camera directing achievements?

I have been really lucky in my career to work on both big scale events and smaller more intimate gigs;  I’ve been equally proud of the large outdoor spectaculars as I am of the smaller, carefully crafted shoots that I also cover.  In that respect it is  really difficult to pick which I feel are my  best or biggest achievements, but I have to say Kasabian Summer Solstice from last summer is definitely a highlight… An incredible band and 70,000 fans totally getting lost in the moment was amazing to capture. The fact it was a BluRay release but also a cinema event with a Leicester Square premiere was a buzz for us all too! In the same light however, the Dubai World Cup Opening Ceremony a few years ago was an honour to direct also… I need to mention Morrissey shot in Hollywood High School, just because I’m a fan and the opportunity to film such an icon doesn’t come along often!

What makes a good multi-camera Director?

I think there are many factors that makes a good multi camera director… Tenacity, a sense of calm under pressure and the ability to think on your feet, especially in a live environment, are paramount. You need to be able to lead and take charge of the task at hand but team work is so so important.   Having people around you who you trust is essential and we all work together to achieve the end result. Understanding who will be watching and knowing who the consumer will be is a good skill to have. You always want to put your own stamp of creativity on any project  but filming a rock n roll band for a DVD as opposed to an intimate classical studio performance for TV will have different audiences and therefore the style of directing will reflect this, and you need to be aware that you are not just making this for yourself but for the audience and fans.

What’s the worst thing that’s happened while you’ve been directing a live multi-camera production?

In a live environment or even in a pre record many things can go wrong, many of which are out of your control. I’ve been very lucky as of yet (fingers crossed!!) but one instance that springs to mind was during this big outdoor event when one of my lead camera close-ups went down. When something like that happens – first and foremost, don’t panic. The operators and team I work with are fantastic and we covered the shot with another camera whilst not killing the ‘moment of live’. The camera was back up and running within minutes and I don’t think anyone noticed, so we got away with it fortunately! But that is a brilliant example of teamwork and trust amongst the team…. 

Have you got any advice for anyone looking to become a multi-camera Director?

I think my advice to anyone wanting to multi camera direct is to learn your trade and every aspect of it. Understanding as best you can what each member of the team does really helps… It’s easy, for example, to ask for different camera shots but in reality it takes time to repo positions and equipment so be realistic in your requests. All the crew will bend over backwards to try and deliver what is required but you have to be realistic with what you ask for in a live environment, especially if you haven’t had decent rehearsal time. Therefore have trust in your crew, they will carry you and implement your vision as best as possible. Be prepared for any eventuality because live is live – anything can and often does happen, so adapt to the moment and don’t get stuck in one train of thought.

                                                                                                                                                                      

In the next post in this series, we talk to multi-camera director, Peter Demetris.

One thought on “Don’t panic! Advice from multi-camera directors – part 1: James Russell

  1. Pingback: Don’t panic! Advice from multi-camera directors – part 2: Peter Demetris | Trickbox TV

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