Which lens and camera position suits a small news desk?

Almost every first call about a studio begins the same way: where should we put the cameras, and what lenses do we need? It sounds like an equipment question, but it is really a question about how much room you have, how far the presenter sits from the wall behind them and what the picture has to do for the viewer. I am an acoustics consultant, so I tend to arrive in a studio listening before I look. Even so, I sit in on James Whitaker's camera sessions often enough to know the answers he gives, and they rarely change from one studio to the next. This article gathers them in one place for producers who want a straight reply before they spend anything.

The short version is that position comes first and lens choice follows from it. A lens cannot rescue a camera that is badly placed, whereas a well placed camera forgives a lens that is not quite ideal. Work out the shots you actually need, mark where the presenters sit, and only then talk about glass. The rest of this piece takes the most common set-ups in turn: the single news desk, the two-person interview and the small multi-camera talk show.

For a one-presenter desk, most studios are best served by one main camera straight on and a second at a gentle angle, around fifteen to thirty degrees off the first. The main camera gives the formal, trustworthy shot; the second gives a variation for cutaways and for stories that need a change of look. Placing both too far apart makes the presenter appear to look away from the viewer.

Keep the lens at roughly eye level, or a touch below the presenter's eyeline. Shooting from above flattens authority and exaggerates the forehead; shooting from far below shows the underside of the chin and the ceiling behind. The autocue should sit directly in front of the lens so the eyeline stays natural, and the presenter should never have to search for it.

• Main camera straight on, lens at eye level
• Second camera fifteen to thirty degrees off axis
• Autocue mounted directly in front of the lens
• Mark the presenter's seat so framing repeats each day

Studio zoom lenses are specified by their range, and for a small news studio a moderate range is nearly always enough. What matters more is the wide end. If the camera sits close to the desk because the room is shallow, a lens that is not wide enough forces you to move the camera back, which the room may not allow. Check the widest shot you need from the actual camera position before you buy anything.

At the long end, a presenter framed head and shoulders from a few metres away needs less reach than most people expect. Paying for a long zoom that is used only at its middle setting is a common waste. Where budgets are tight, we suggest matching lenses across cameras so the pictures cut together cleanly, even if that means a slightly shorter range on each.

Interviews add a problem the single desk does not have: two people who must each look natural on screen while facing one another. The usual answer is a camera behind each person's shoulder looking across at the other, plus a wider camera that holds both. That gives you clean singles and a two-shot without anyone looking off camera. Watch the line between the two speakers.

Cameras should stay on one side of an imaginary line drawn between them, otherwise the cut makes them appear to swap places. In a studio with a fixed sofa or desk layout, mark this line on the floor in tape so operators and directors share the same picture of the room. From my side, I would add that the camera positions also decide where microphones can hang without appearing in shot, so settle the cameras before the audio plan.

• Camera behind each shoulder for matching singles
• One wide camera holding both speakers
• All cameras on the same side of the line between guests
• Floor marks so operators repeat the same positions

A steady, predictable operator is worth more than an expensive camera. The habits we coach are simple: frame with a little headroom and no more, hold a shot still unless there is a reason to move, and make every move slow enough that the viewer does not notice it. Operators should also learn to anticipate who will speak next, so the camera is already settled when the director cuts to it. In live work, tidy cable handling and clear communication with the gallery prevent more errors than any piece of equipment. A short rehearsal where each operator practises their three or four key shots, with the director calling them by number, catches most problems before the programme goes to air.

If you want a useful answer from us, or from anyone, bring a floor plan with measurements, the number of presenters and where they sit, the cameras you already own and their lenses, and the shots you want on the programme. A few photographs of the room from the presenter's seat help more than a long description.

Tell us also who operates the cameras. A studio with trained operators can use more ambitious positions than one where a producer presses record and walks away. Our written recommendations are pitched at the crew you actually have, not the crew you wish you had.