How to set up an 8-camera shoot, three ways
A small club, a jazz trio in a studio, and a full band on a stage: where each camera goes, what it's for, and how Korte uses it.
The Korte team
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8 CAMS · 3 SETUPS
[cover image]
Eight cameras sounds like a lot, but each one has a job. The trick is giving every angle a clear reason to exist, so the director always has a good answer to “where do we go next?”
Before you start
Every camera shows up in OBS as its own source.
One camera is always a safety wide: it sees the whole stage and never moves.
Lock exposure and white balance so the cameras match when Korte cuts between them.
Run Korte’s camera check: it suggests what each camera shows, and you confirm.
1. The small club
A singer-led band on a small stage, with the audience close. Cameras go where the crowd isn’t.
Seen from above, with the audience at the bottom. Cam 1 (red) is the safety wide, and each dashed line shows where a camera points. Stage left and right are from the performers’ side, as on any stage.
Cam | Where | How Korte uses it |
1 | Back of the room, centered, above head height | Safety wide: between songs, for applause, and whenever another angle looks wrong |
2 | Stage left, low | Side angle on the band, good for movement |
3 | Stage right, low | The opposite side, so cuts feel balanced |
4 | Front of the stage, long lens | Singer close-up: the main shot while they sing |
5 | Above the keys | Hands, for solos and fills |
6 | Behind the drums | Drummer, and a view out over the crowd |
7 | Side wall, among the audience | Crowd and room, used sparingly as a cutaway |
8 | Phone, roaming or side-stage | Extra close angle; rest it if it gets shaky |
2. The jazz trio in a studio
Piano, bass and drums facing each other, with no audience. You can shoot from every side, so cover each player twice: hands and face.
Cam | Where | How Korte uses it |
1 | High in a corner, all three in frame | Safety wide, and the shot for the head and the ending |
2 | Above the piano keys | Piano hands during solos |
3 | Facing the pianist | The pianist’s face, for the emotional moments |
4 | Close on the bass neck | Bass hands during bass solos |
5 | Facing the bassist | The bassist, and their looks to the band |
6 | Low, beside the kit | Drums during trading fours |
7 | Facing the drummer | The drummer’s face and the cymbals |
8 | Low wide from the opposite side | A second wide so the room feels alive |
3. The full band on a stage
Five players on a bigger stage. Long lenses from the back do the heavy lifting, and side-stage angles add energy.
Cam | Where | How Korte uses it |
1 | Back of the room, center, wide | Safety wide |
2 | Back of the room, long lens | The singer, tight |
3 | Stage left, mid-shot | Guitar and bass side |
4 | Stage right, mid-shot | Keys and horns side |
5 | Close on the guitarist | Guitar solos |
6 | Above the keys | Keys hands |
7 | Behind the drummer | Drums, plus the band and crowd from behind |
8 | Phone, side-stage | A backstage-style angle for energy |
Tips that apply to all three
Never move the safety wide during a show.
A camera you don’t trust? Rest it instead of unplugging it.
After the show, read the talkback log to see which angles worked.
Only have two or three cameras? Start with the safety wide and one close-up of whoever leads, then add angles as you go.