What To Do When Your Film Shoot Fails?

It’s two weeks after we wrap from the shoot and I’m finally able to ship the footage to the editor. She sends me a text a few days later letting me know that she has received the package and she’ll need a few days to send the first rough cut.

As the days go by, the editor explains that she’ll need extra time because she must wait for the director to send over the list of the best shots, sync the audio properly with the footage, place the music where it needs to be etc. Then finally, after a week or so, I get a text letting me know that the first rough cut is ready to view. My stomach immediately drops. I wait a few minutes to slow my breathing and heart rate down and then, I finally hit play.

I watch the 2-minute clip all the way to the end, and it was very disappointing. I couldn’t understand anything. The shots, the acting, the placement of the temporary music was not good at all. I refused to show it to anyone outside of the director and editor for additional opinions because I knew there was no way I was going to approve these shots and show it to the public. I had to fully accept that the shots we took hours and months to plan was a complete loss no matter how much others tried to convince me otherwise.

I also had to accept that it was no one else’s fault but my own. I took full accountability because I realized that the shots that were chose were not for the “end consumer” but instead were for us on the inside who already knew the story. We knew what the powerful scenes, lines, and actions were. But what about the end consumer who doesn’t know anything about the story? How would they understand?

With these shots, they wouldn’t. The end consumer is not dumb!

After a few days of feeling down about the whole situation, I had to come to a decision of whether to accept this failure and move on to something else or to pick up the pieces/harsh lessons and start again. Luckily, I had been stashing some money away and had a small budget to work with for a very small shoot. We were going to get this right.

A few days later, I schedule to meet up with the videographer who has also worked on other film projects, at a Starbucks in DC. And after she put together an amazing behind-the-scenes video I knew I could trust her judgement. We then went to a nearby café because no seating was allowed in the Starbucks, and I muster the courage to show her the rough cut. She confirms my thoughts about the lack of understanding of what was being shown. She also gave a bit of harsh feedback which I also respected and needed to hear.

Then I ask her if she could help me re-shoot the trailer. She didn’t give me an answer right away because she’s a busy woman. She asks if I could give her some time to think about it and respectfully, I agree. A few days later she gets back to me agreeing to take on the project.

Next, came the task of asking people who’ve never read the script, what shots would they need to see on the screen to fully understand the story based on the logline and the little bit of background information I gave them. The answers start pouring in. I even book a one-hour session with acting coach, John Judy from the Theatre Lab in which we spend 2.5 hours breaking down what would need to be shown as well.

Finally, came the challenge of figuring out how to embody the character that I would play. I was led by my brother to watch the film, “The Unforgiveable” starring Sandra Bullock which I’ve never watched. After watching it, all I could think of was, “Wow. I’m going to have to make myself look rough”. And that I did.

How did the second shoot go? Well, you’ll have to stick around for the next blog post to find out.

Until next time.

What failed experiences have you bounced back from? Let me know in the comments!

Another post you may be interested in:

• How To Get Through Your First Table Read?
• How Second Chances Can Lead To Film Success?

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Disclaimer: 

The author is not liable for any losses or damages related to actions of failure to act related to the content in this article. If you need specific legal advice, consult with an attorney who specializes in your subject matter and jurisdiction.