68 Video Production Handbook 4.2 MULTICAMERA ISO when the action cannot be repeated or events are unpredictable, some direc- tors make use of an ISO (isolated) camera. this simply means that, while all the cameras are connected to the switcher as before, one of them is also con- tinuously recorded on a separate recorder. this iso camera takes wide shots of the action (cover shots) or concentrates on watching out for the arrival of the guest, for instance, or a specific player at a sports event, so that if the director misses the needed shot "live," it is still recorded. shots on iso can be played back during a live show or edited in where necessary later. 4.3 MULTICAMERA PRODUCTION WITHOUT A SWITCHER Another multicamera approach is to use camcorders. instead of cutting between cameras with a switcher, shots from their separate recordings are edited together later during a postproduction session. it is fairly simple to sync multiple cameras together on even some of the lowest-cost nonlinear editing systems. Voiceover narration, sound effects, video effects, graphics, or music are then added in postproduction. the advantage of this type of multicamera tech- nique is that it significantly reduces the cost of having to pay for a large crew and a control room or remote production truck/oB van. the disadvantage is that the production is not over when the event is over; it still needs to be final- ized in postproduction, which can be time consuming. TELEVISION AND ILLUSION Roone Arledge, former president of ABC Sports, was an early innovator in television sports production. Arledge pushed his directors to "use the camera--and the microphone--to broadcast an image that approximates what the brain perceives, not merely what the eye sees. Only then can you create the illusion of reality." His example was an auto race where, even though cars may be traveling more than 200 miles per hour, the perception of speed disappears when a camera with a long shot is used. However, when a POV camera is placed much closer to the track than spectators would normally be allowed, the close camera and microphone give the television viewer the sensation of speed and the roar that a live viewer would perceive by sitting in the stands. "That way, we are not creating something phony. It is an illusion, but an illusion of reality." 4.4 THE ILLUSION OF REALITY some directors (and camera operators) imagine that they are using their cameras to show their audience "things as they are." However, they are not. television is inherently selective. even if the camera is simply pointed at the