Reshoots

I'm in the process of editing together my newest short film SUNRISE.  As I pick through all the footage and piece it together one little snippet at a time I am noticing more and more holes.  I've got all the major parts but there are the little things that get forgotten when working on the whole.

As the edit comes together I'll start thinking about how to plug the holes.  Little pick up shots I can get here and there without having to call together the cast and crew again.  The good thing about this particular shoot is that we did get all the major moments.  Sadly this is not the case for some shoots.  Even worse is that a lot of filmmakers see this as a hurdle too big to jump.  A lot of projects get left behind unfinished.

Don't let pride kill your storytelling.  If you have to go back to your actors and crew and ask for their help again then that's what you need to do.  You might have some issues to work through but it will be worth it to make sure the film gets finished.  Don't betray the trust of those who helped you out by hoping they never ask about the film that you don't intend to finish.

A couple years ago I shot a short that had issues and needed reshoots.  The ending that I had planned had to be scrapped and a new one shot.  I hunkered down and made the calls.  The crew were all on board to meet up to film for another day.  The cast was ready to finish up the film.  But there was one issue.  One of the main actresses had dyed her hair since the last time we filmed.  She went from blonde to brunette.  This was a little bit of a problem as she featured in the new ending.

We didn't let that stop us though.  We did a little addition that explained why the hair was different and we shot the new ending.  Luckily we were shooting a comedy so it was easier to get away with.  But the point is that we finished the movie.  We didn't let reshoots hinder our storytelling.

Don't let this happen to you.