Planning camera positions for interviews and panel shows

Every camera plan we write begins with a walk around the set before anyone mentions equipment. The position of the desk, the distance to the back wall, the height of the ceiling grid and the route a presenter takes to the guest chair all decide where a camera can stand and how far it can move. A lens that looks ideal on a specification sheet is of little use if the pedestal has nowhere to travel. We measure the floor, mark the sightlines on a simple plan and note where cables, monitors and lighting stands will sit. This takes an hour or two and saves much longer on the day, because most problems with framing turn out to be problems with the room.

We also ask who will actually operate the cameras. A studio with experienced operators can run a looser plan with more movement. A studio with one person covering two cameras needs fixed, repeatable shots that can be recalled without thought. The plan is written for the crew you have, not for an ideal crew.

• Measure floor space and mark travel routes for pedestals
• Note ceiling height and where lighting stands will sit
• Match the plan to the experience of the operators

A standard interview works well with three cameras: one wide shot that holds both people, and two closer shots, one on each chair. Placing the close cameras slightly off the line between the chairs gives each speaker a small angle towards the lens, so the viewer feels included without anyone looking straight into the camera. The usual mistake is putting the side cameras too far round. The speaker then turns away from the lens and the profile shot looks like a surveillance picture. We keep the angle modest, usually well inside forty-five degrees from the line of conversation, and check it with a guest of similar height sitting in the real chair.

Eye level matters more than most producers expect. If the camera sits above the guest, they appear to shrink in the seat; if it sits below, the presenter looms. We set lens height at roughly the eyeline of a seated person and adjust for the shortest and tallest regular guests rather than for the average one.

• Wide shot holds both chairs for safety
• Close cameras sit off the conversation line, not on it
• Lens height set at seated eye level

Panels are harder than interviews because the next speaker is never certain. With four or five people at a curved table, a single camera cannot follow the conversation, and an operator who chases every interjection produces a nervous picture. We plan a wide group shot as the anchor and give each camera a defined pair or trio of guests to cover. This means an operator always knows which faces belong to them, and the director can cut between zones rather than hunting for a speaker. The seating order is fixed in advance and written on the plan, so a producer rearranging chairs at the last minute understands what it does to the shots.

The chair is also a producer's tool. Seats with arms that swivel invite guests to turn away from the person speaking, which looks restless on screen. Where we can, we suggest fixed chairs with a slight tilt towards the host, and we ask presenters to look at whoever is speaking, which the operators then follow naturally.

• Wide group shot as the anchor
• Each camera covers a defined zone of guests
• Seating order written on the plan

In a small studio the temptation is to use wide lenses because the cameras are close to the guests. Wide lenses at short distances exaggerate noses and foreheads and make faces look unfamiliar. We would rather move the camera back and use a longer focal length, which compresses the face into a more natural shape and softens the background. This needs space, and not every studio has it. Where the room forces a wide lens, we keep the guest further from the camera than the chair would naturally place them and avoid tight close-ups on the edges of the frame, where distortion is strongest.

Depth of field is the other choice. A shallow focus looks attractive but is hard to hold when a guest leans forward mid-sentence. For live work we usually stop down a little, accept a slightly busier background and rely on the lighting and set design to keep the eye on the speaker.

• Move back and zoom in rather than shooting wide up close
• Avoid framing faces at the extreme edge of a wide lens
• Stop down for live work so focus survives movement

Camera movement on a live show should be a decision, not a habit. A slow push-in on a guest answering a difficult question can add weight, but the same move repeated every thirty seconds becomes a tic. We agree with the director which moments earn a move and mark them on the rundown so the operator knows when to expect one. For news bulletins the demands change. Presenters move between a desk, a standing position and sometimes a screen wall, and the camera has to follow without losing the headline graphic. We rehearse these transitions with the actual presenter, because the way a person walks and stops decides how smooth the move can be.

Cable runs and floor surfaces limit all of this. A pedestal that catches a cable mid-move will ruin a live shot, so we tape and route cables before rehearsal and check the floor for dips or seams that can jolt the picture.

• Agree which moments justify a move and mark them on the rundown
• Rehearse presenter walks with the real presenter
• Route and tape cables before the first rehearsal

Our camera setup and operation service covers the plan, the positioning, the lens recommendations and, where a studio wants it, an operator on the day. We write the shot list, brief the crew and stay to check the first live run. Equipment is specified to suit what you already own where possible. What we do not do is supply a template. Two studios of the same size may need very different plans because their guests, presenters and formats differ. Before quoting, we ask for a floor plan or photographs, a description of the programme formats and the size of the crew, and we say plainly what we can cover and what falls outside it.

If you are weighing up a new format for the winter schedule, mid autumn is a sensible moment to arrange a visit. Rehearsals are easier before the busiest broadcasting weeks, and a plan agreed now can be tested several times before it matters.

• Shot plan, positioning and lens recommendations
• Operator on the day if the studio wants one
• Crew briefing and a check of the first live run