on-camera

American

[on-kam-er-uh, -kam-ruh, awn-] / ˈɒnˈkæm ər ə, -ˈkæm rə, ˈɔn- /

adjective

within the range of a motion-picture or television camera; while being filmed or televised.

on-camera blunders; The assassination happened on-camera.

on camera Idioms

Being filmed, as in When the talk-show host began, I wasn't sure if we were on camera. This usage dates from the first half of the 1900s, soon after the birth of motion-picture and television filming. The same is true of the antonym off camera, meaning “outside the view of a movie or TV camera,” as in Go ahead and scratch—we're off camera now.

Etymology

Origin of on-camera

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Bad move on my part. By contract, Richard has final say on all on-camera promotions. I’m pretty certain I’ll be looking for another job as soon as Emily blows herself out.”

From Literature

Supporters of Kelly argued she was just speaking from personal experience in television news, where producers and anchors often discuss on-camera presence.

From Salon

Before hitting the stage, the comedians of the TV series “Jokes with JoySauce” have an on-camera ritual of exchanging immigrant stories about growing up with their families.

From Los Angeles Times

Unlike a typically formatted travel piece, with a chatty on-camera host explaining, opinining and maybe eating their way through a destination, this one was shot largely in a first-person, vérité style, making it feel as if I was walking through the market myself.

From The Wall Street Journal

But that fear paled next to the deal the reporters had offered: a view of Mount St. Helens from the sky, in exchange for an on-camera interview.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023