Setting Up a Three-Camera Interview Set, Step by Step
A practical walk-through of positioning, framing and movement for a two-guest interview with three cameras, from marking the floor to the final check before going live.
Start with the floor plan, not the cameras
Before any camera leaves its case, draw the set on paper. Mark the presenter's chair, the guest chairs, the table or desk, and the position of any backdrop. Then note where the studio doors, cable routes and lighting stands sit, because these decide where a camera can physically go. In the galleries I worked in earlier in my career, most framing problems traced back to a plan that had never been drawn.
For a typical interview with a host and two guests, I plan three positions: a wide camera that holds all three people, and two cameras that cover single shots from opposite angles. Keep the three cameras roughly within a 90 degree arc facing the set. Crossing that arc causes eyelines to jump, and viewers notice even if they cannot say why.
Measure the distance from each camera to its subject and write it on the plan. Those numbers help you choose lenses and give the next crew something to work from.
- Draw the set to scale and mark every chair and table
- Keep all cameras inside one arc facing the set
- Write distances on the plan for lens choice
Positioning the wide and the two singles
Place the wide camera centrally, slightly off the host's line of sight so the host never looks straight into it by accident. Set its height at about chest level of a seated person, then check that the table edge does not slice through the frame at an awkward point. This camera is your safety shot, so it should always be usable.
The two single cameras sit left and right of the wide, each angled to catch a guest and the host in turn. Aim for a slight three-quarter view of each face rather than a flat front-on shot. Leave the cameras far enough from the set that you can use a longer lens, which flatters faces and compresses the background.
Mark each pedestal position on the floor with tape, using a different colour per camera, so the crew can return to exact spots after any move.
Framing: headroom, looking room and consistency
Set a standard for each shot size and keep to it. A medium close-up should place the eyes about one third down from the top of the frame, with a small amount of headroom and no cutting through the chin. When a guest looks toward the host, leave extra space in the direction they face. This looking room stops the shot feeling cramped.
Consistency matters more than perfection. If camera two frames the guest at chest height and camera three frames the second guest at shoulder height, the cut between them will feel uneven. Agree the shot sizes in advance and have each operator check against a printed grid or a monitor overlay.
Ask each operator to frame a stand-in in the chair first. Real guests move, but a stand-in lets you fix the baseline before anyone arrives.
- Eyes about one third from the top of the frame
- Extra looking room in the direction of the gaze
- Same shot size for each person in the conversation
Planning movement so it helps rather than distracts
In a live interview, less camera movement is usually better. A slow push in on a guest during an important answer can add weight, but only if the operator knows when it will happen and the director has called it. Unplanned drifting makes a conversation look unsteady.
Rehearse every move with the director. Agree which camera is allowed to adjust framing during a conversation and which must stay locked. Give the wide camera the least movement, because it is the shot you cut to when anything goes wrong.
Check cable length and routing for every planned move. A pedestal that stops halfway because the cable snagged is a common live-show hiccup. Dress the cable behind the operator and leave a loop of slack at the base.
The run-through before going live
With guests or stand-ins seated, run a short conversation and watch all three cameras on the monitor wall. Cut between them as the director would. Look for jumps in eyeline, shots where the table cuts across a face, and any camera that sees another camera or a light stand in the background.
Check that each operator can read their own tally light and hear the director on intercom. Confirm focus on the nearest guest at the longest zoom, since focus errors show up most when the lens is fully extended. Ask each operator to note any spot on the set where they lose a shot.
Fix what you find, then run through once more. A second pass takes only a few minutes and often catches the problem the first fix introduced.
- Cut between cameras as in the live show
- Check tally lights and intercom for each operator
- Test focus at the longest zoom on each guest
Leave notes for the next time
When the broadcast is over, photograph the floor marks and write down the lens settings, camera heights and distances you used. Store them with the floor plan. The next team to set up this interview, even if that is you in a month, will save a good part of an hour.
Note anything that did not work as well. If one guest chair forced an awkward angle, record that and suggest a different position. Over a season these notes turn a fresh setup into a repeatable routine.
If your studio runs several formats, keep a separate sheet for each one. A news desk and an interview set share equipment but need different positions, and mixing the notes causes mistakes.
A reliable multi-camera interview comes from a plan made on paper, tape on the floor, agreed shot sizes and a proper run-through. None of it is complicated, but each step needs doing before the guests walk in. Write down what you settle on, keep the movement modest, and the next broadcast starts from a tested position rather than from guesswork.
Helen Marsh
Founder and Production ConsultantHelen spent years in regional television galleries before founding glamforyu. She leads workflow reviews and client planning.
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