Firstly, starting off with how cameras are used - in single camera productions, only one camera is used - the reason a single-camera may be used is because not only is it often cheaper, it also immerses the audience much more into the film/video, whereas with a multi-camera production the film/video feels much more distant to the audience - this is because their perspective is often changed and results in not feeling as if you are really there in the films world.
Often, single-camera productions do use multi-cameras - but only in key scenes with lots of dialogue and action, an example is with Citizen Kane when Kane destroys his room, they use two cameras - because if they didn't; there was a good chance perhaps one camera's shot wouldn't look too nice, and they wouldn't be able to re-set up the room as it would likely break a lot of continuity.
A lot of Directors often prefer single-camera productions - this is because they are given much more control over the camera, as well as being able to set up every shot themselves individually, angles can such as long-shots become a whole lot easier, this is due to the fact that the set/ area they film in, wont have all the other cameras set up around them, as well as the fact that multi-camera production usually have bigger sets which is a result of the fact that each of their cameras needs to capture a perfect shot that doesn't break immersion. Single-cameras also allow you to use your camera anywhere you like, as it doesn't take up too much space and can easily move around, an example is with The Office, as they are able to place the camera anywhere in the office, and the office is real and appears real to people - whereas with a multi-camera production, it takes a lot of space up and is very difficult to move around, and sets often feel like they are sets to the audience, instead of being a real area in the real world.
A negative thing about single-camera productions, is that they require actors to act over and over again - this is due to the director wanting to shoot the scene from various different angles and differing shot lengths; so this not only costs time, it also costs a lot of money if the director decides to use film stock - as film stock is expensive.
Secondly, there is the lighting - in single camera productions, lighting is a lot easier to use - this is because you can light each shot individually, whereas when using multiple cameras - you can't light every shot individually, so when shooting, lighting must be adequate for every shot, which results in most shots being uninspired and unvaried. So, overall - a single camera production allows you to use lighting far more, with different tones and styles - hence always giving the audience interesting shots which are far more aesthetically beautiful - a good example for this is in Citizen Kane; the image below is so aesthetically pleasing, as it shows Kane in full power - and that even though light is in the area, Kane still appears pitch black, hence making the audience feel as though Kane may perhaps be a bit of a bad man. You also need to set up the lighting every time you move the camera, this is due to the fact that moving the camera even the slightest bit can change how a shot looks completely - this can be time consuming but means that each shot will look amazing in the end. In the Citizen Kane shot below, if they used three cameras, then the lighting would appear totally different in each shot, with it looking strange on some cameras, as well as the fact that they wouldn't be able to light the shot as stylistically.
Thirdly, there is sound - and for sound you will require professional sound capturing devices such as an audio recorder, boom mic & pole, or a shotgun mic.
With a single camera, you must always start recording the sound before you start filming - as well as remaining to record the sound after you stop filming - this is to avoid jumpy or awkward transitions with the sound.
All productions also use sound effects, which make the world within the film feel more alive and realistic, things such as Foley sounds and ambient noises are likely to be added into a film in post. Boom mics are a standard to use in single camera productions, there will be a person who holds the pole over the camera to capture the sounds, this can be a difficult and straining job, but it is done because you can always hide the mic from the audience, as well as capturing the sounds very well.
Whereas, in a multi-camera production, it can often be easier when it comes to sound - this is because mic's are allowed to be visible within the shot, things such as TV shows like Britain's Got Talent or X-Factor, the mic is often visible and attached to the person in the shot - likely on their cheek or on their hand, or the microphone may be hidden within the set but still slightly visible.
Single camera productions also tend to hide the mic in the shot, like where in Citizen Kane where they hid the mic in the ceiling, which worked wonderfully. They did this in order to capture the best sound possible while also not breaking immersion, as the ceiling is actually far lower down than it appears, as they simply use angles to make it appear higher - I also believe the ceiling was made out of Styrofoam which allowed the sound to enter the microphone easier.
Another strange fact about dialogue is that not all the dialogue in a scene is from the same take, as it is a usual occurrence that in shots where someones mouth isn't at all or particularly visible and or the main focus of the shot - they will often use dialogue tracks from different takes, this is often done to make a more fluent image, rather than cutting between shots.
Fourthly, there is editing - which takes a lot of time to do, as there is a lot of footage to put in order and choose from in order to create a well structured piece that doesn't feel messy.
In a single-camera production, there wont be too much unused footage, at least when compared to a multi-camera production, as a result of the use of many cameras - most footage wont be used and only the best will. An example with a multi-camera production where it can be edited live is with things like Live Sport, as with Football there will always be around 4-20 cameras which they switch to a from all the time in order to get the best shots - this is not achievable with single-camera productions as there is of course only one camera so there's no other camera to cut to, as single-camera productions require you to edit after filming, not during. Editing takes a long time, often taking longer than the actual filming depending on the amount of say CGI or shots. Actors that are famous and or busy people, are often called in for a whole specific amount of time, and they film each of their scenes as soon as possible, even if they start filming the end of the film first - whereas, with less busy actors, they can film more sequentially but not always.
There is always often an extremely high amount of footage captured in a single-camera production, I realized this myself when I done my first Single-camera production - I had around an hours worth of footage for a two minute video.
A shot log is a way to categorize which shots were good, and which were problematic - with a short description of how well the shot turned out.
Fifthly, there is Single camera genres and formats:
There are Period dramas - which is a drama set in the past which are usually romances, an example is Downtown Abbey.
There are also Crime dramas, which is about criminals and authority figures - which often use low key lighting which is achieved a lot easier using a single camera, an example is Sherlock.
Single camera horrors are often very realistic and makes the video much more personal, as we can only see what the camera wants us to see, hence leading to a kind of tunnel vision where we can't look where we want to - most directors will always use single camera in horrors as a result of this, Blair Witch Project is a great example.
Single camera comedies like the peep-show use single cameras, this results in a more personal feeling with the camera, which makes you feel more attached to the cameras personally - peep show mainly uses POV shots.
The only time single cameras are used to film a Soap opera, is when they film in a real house which is a result of the single camera having far more maneuverability compared to multi cameras.
There are also different types of formats for single camera productions -
There are series, which is an episodic program which always has the same main characters, but it will have a different story-line each episode that usually lasts the whole season. An example is with CSI, which has a different story line and crime case every episode - which often follows a bigger and wider story-line in the background.
There is also a Serial -which is essentially a never ending TV show, it has the same characters every season - but each episode often focuses on one characters story (multi-strand narrative), a director may want to use a single camera as they can then film inside houses, but its likely that they will use multi-cameras as it is far quicker to do when shows like Eastenders are producing multiple episodes ever week.
Then there are single dramas, which is one self-contained story, which is a one off thing. A Short Stay in Switzerland won the single drama BAFTA in 2010 as an example.
In conclusion, I would use single-camera - this is due to the fact that if you want you shots to be as aesthetically beautiful as possible, then you need to do single-camera, as well as the fact that its cheaper and easier to work with.
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