The week-long Multi -Cam Workshop currently underway for students at WWI could not have had a better start than the presentation made by Ashim Sen, one of India’s best multi-camera directors and partner at MILK, India’s premier production house, responsible for the coverage of prestigious live events including Femina Miss India, Filmfare Awards, the IIFA Awards, and global events like World Cricket.
“Don’t stop dreaming… “, was Ashim’s opening message. Along with cinematographer Anurag Dhingra, he laid stress on team-work in multi-cam. In single-cam, a director can direct, act, shoot and even edit his own film if he wants to; a multi-cam director is as good as his team. The key to smooth multi-cam operation is effective communication. The selection of inputs such as story content, the anchors, camera angles, magnifications, camera movements and cutting between them, gives the audience sitting at home in front of their TVs, an experience similar to the live audience. As director, one needs to be abreast with the latest buzz, to bring to the audience, the drama in the story being told. A multi-cam operation is not rocket science as it is made out to be. All inputs, the camera placements, shots etc. are precisely worked out on paper and then executed. Yet, one has to always expect the unexpected and be prepared for it.
Ashim welcomed student comments on his presentation on a major event covered earlier this year. The session gave students a very good entry point into the world of award nights and event management, unknown to them till now.
