chris kempinski Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 This may have been done before and if so...... sorry. My question is for everyone out there from the pro to the mo. What mistake was the one you remember the most. Or the one that changed your style, or way of doing things. I know learning from my own mistakes is part of the process, but would appreciate a "heads up" about errors I have yet to make. Cheers Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Mulder Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 Didn't exactly change my style - but pulling apart your camera will lead to tears before bedtime - still though, I learned heaps putting it back together again ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 The day I discovered this forum. Second to that, the day mother brought home that dang Super 8 camera. If she had not done that I could of been a doctor or lawyer. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob.m.Neilson Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 I learned not to waste doing too many takes on a film. Especially on jib shots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sweetman Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 Once, I didn't check the loop after loading. Well, I guess the perf wasn't engaged so it kicked out the pressure plate, and the entire roll (which was our entire project) came up with just a blurred stripe down the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Weis Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 I learned that if youre on a budget, its quite idiotic to shoot 5 shots of the same scene with 5 different angles. Another mistake I did was not creating a shooting schedual (I shot on weekends) causing the whole crew and the actors to lose motivation. I never did finish that short film. /Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Buick Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 My first roll of Super 8mm. I was continuously rocking the rangefinder because it made me feel more professional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Mulder Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 Once, I didn't check the loop after loading. Well, I guess the perf wasn't engaged so it kicked out the pressure plate, and the entire roll (which was our entire project) came up with just a blurred stripe down the middle. You've just reminded me of my worst mistake thus far... I was using magnets and hall-effect sensors for one of my odd camera creations on a music video - I was also loader among other things that day... I put the camera door down to load up another daylight reel, but was still in a pretty dark area - did all my fancy pants double checks (I was still pretty green with that camera at the time) then put the door back on - it was a little tight, but still went on ok and the camera was running fine ... Near the end of the roll (100ft) the operator told me it was making funny sounds and could I please open it and check it whilst he shot on another stand-by camera - poof! near on the whole load popped out on the floor... One of my magnets had attached itself to the film door and had made its way inside the empty spool. dread... so I told him - and the whole crew re-shot about 1/2 an hours work... It was ok as the stuff we were doing at that time was pretty experimental and free-flowing - still it took an extra 1/2 hour out of a looong day... So I learned two things - don't put magnets in your cameras and if you stuff up tell someone right away, I mean it was going to be pretty obvious in my case if I didn't say anything but I guess the reaction wasn't one of "oh, you bloody idiot" ... It was more along the line of "ah, poop" "ah well, poop happens" "lets get this show on the road again!" - good people = good crew in this case I was loading for the same guy about 2 months ago and boy did I take my time checking everything again. He noticed the delay, so I just decided to forget the whole magnet incident and load like I do for myself... No mistakes this time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Butler Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 I was filming one of my first 100% sync set ups with a 16mm reflex camera. This particular shot was of a meditation 'master' giving a long form lecture. He was sitting cross-legged(as you do) in a field of beautiful flowers all cross lit with an amazing late afternoon sun. About eight minutes into the roll I get this agonising cramp in my neck due to a not so smart shooting stance. I have to take my eye away from the reflex viewfinder and I am a bit slow in covering the 'finder with my other hand. As I'm way back from the rest of production on a long lens and we're shooting sound, it is difficult to let anyone know of the situation. At the end of the long take, I explain the problem to the director who takes it all very calmly...after all he is a senior practitioner of this meditation organisation. The next day we are watching the synchronised rushes (dailies) and sure enough this blinding orange flare flashes across the screen at the place where I removed my eye from the viewfinder. I sink very low into the screening room chair. I am then slapped heartily on the back by the director because by a coincidence my error happened at the exact moment when the meditation 'master' mentions the name of some significant deity and the screening room group think this is a very 'cosmic' sign. Lesson learnt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Tyler Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 Prepping a heavy BL4 at a rental house a decade ago. Setup the big sticks and big head. Attached the base plate, rods. Slid the camera onto the base plate, released the tilt lock, and WHAM. The fluid head's tilt friction was on zero so the front-heavy beast dropped forward fast and bent the steel rods. The camera was fine but my ego and any confidence the rental house had in me was shot. I gave up AC'ing soon after and bought a 16mm package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Salzmann Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 On my first 16mm project with a Canon Scoopic in 1990, I didn't know that the gate should be checked every time you load a roll of film and there was an emulsion chip that showed its ugly self on the bottom of the frame on about 25% of the footage. Luckily it was possible to do a slight zoom in the TC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delorme Jean-Marie Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 when i saw 1000ft of fresh kodack stock from the take up side of a mag we took hours to shoot on a major feature with the lead actors. i couldn't sleep intil the lab report 2 days after. fortunatly th mag was still in the changing tent and it took me a fraction of a second to understand it wasn't normal to see the take up with film inside!!!! the dop was verry concerned about this roll as i understood later he revoved his eye during a take. nothin happened finnaly :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesus Sifuentes Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 not securely making the knuckles on a mambo tight enough. got my thumb and index finger squished. its a gorgeous battle scar. Now its one of my hugest pet peeve, grips who don't tighten knuckles on c-stands, mambos etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Downes Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 Ticking off some pros on myspace by my having a different POV on how camera technology works. ie them calling HDV a video codec, while I called it a tape system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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