Glossary
What is multicam?
By the KeyMo team · Updated
Multicam, short for multi-camera, means recording one event with two or more cameras at the same time and cutting between the angles. A podcast with one camera on each guest and a wide shot is a multicam shoot. The result is either one switched video or a separate file per camera that an editor syncs and cuts.
Multicam meaning in film and television
Multicam is a way of shooting. Instead of staging a scene once per angle, every camera rolls at the same time, so the performance is identical in every angle and the editor can choose between them. Live events, talk shows and many television comedies are shot this way, and the term "multicam" is used for them. The word also names a camouflage pattern, which is a different subject.
In editing software the idea shows up as a multicam clip or multicam sequence: angles that are synced together so you can cut between them while the footage plays. Most editors have a mode like this, under different names.
What a multicam podcast gives you
| What you end up with | What it is | What it means for clipping |
|---|---|---|
| Switched programme | One video with the angle cuts already made | Upload it as it is. Each angle has a different face position. |
| Separate files per camera | One file per camera, often called isolated | Cut a programme from them first. Uploading one angle gives you a clip with a fixed view. |
| One locked-off wide shot | A single camera on everyone | The simplest case, but the 9:16 window sees only part of the table. |
Why a multicam podcast needs speaker-aware reframing
Landscape is the wrong shape for a phone. A 9:16 window cut from a 1920 by 1080 frame keeps about a third of its width, and in a multicam programme the speaker is in a different place after almost every cut. A centred crop that works on the host camera misses on the wide shot.
That is the case for tracking the face instead of fixing the crop. KeyMo reframes to 9:16 with automatic face tracking, on one video at a time, so give it the switched programme. See face tracking and auto reframe. This page does not claim that KeyMo can tell who is the active speaker.
A worked example
A three-camera interview: a close shot of the host, a close shot of the guest, and a wide of both. You cut a 60-minute programme and upload it. The host's question is on the wide shot, the guest's answer on a close, and a laugh on the wide again. Each cut changes where the face sits, so whatever crops the vertical clip has to find the face again after every change.
Common mistakes
- Letting the audio drift. If the angles are synced by sound, check a clap at the start and at the end.
- Cutting at every sentence. A cut every second or two makes any crop work harder and tires the viewer.
- Cutting to a wide shot at the funniest line, so the face is smallest when the reaction matters.
- Uploading each camera separately and expecting one set of clips.
- Using a multicam shoot for a short or casual show where one camera and a good two-shot would be enough.
Sources: Video resolution & aspect ratios (YouTube Help) (checked 11 October 2026).