A camera plan for a video podcast

One tight camera per person, plus a wide

• A tight shot per person: the one that goes on air while they talk. It’s the shot your audience watches most.
• A wide shot that shows everyone: for when several talk at once, and if you want, for the silences.
• Two people on an ATEM Mini Pro use three of its four inputs; the fourth is free for a computer or a logo. Three people use all four. The Mini Extreme has eight.

Shared shots

A camera can show two people — a two-shot across the table. In OnAirCut you tick both on that camera: it’s used when either of them talks, and it’s the tightest choice when those two talk together. The wide shot is the camera with everyone ticked.

Framing

• Face centred, with air above: eyes about a third from the top. Leave room for the mic arm.
• The same height for everyone: cutting between two people at different sizes feels like a jump.
• Don’t put the wide behind anyone’s head: a wide from the side, or from above the table, never covers a face.

Keep it varied

In a long answer, one tight shot gets heavy. On the Cameras page, give single cameras a maximum (60 s works well): after that, OnAirCut puts up a variety shot for about four seconds — the shared one or the wide — and comes back.

Record every camera, too

The ATEM’s program is the live cut. If you also want to edit afterwards — and change any angle — record each camera on its own (its card, an external recorder or an ATEM ISO) and press ● REC in OnAirCut. See switch live or edit later.