Just a Small Bump in the Road

Of course, nearing the end of my time with this project not all things can go exactly as planned. While I was editing my short film I realized that some of my footage was extremely dark, dark to the point that no editing could make it any better. And I guess I would be at fault for that. TIP: Always check your footage BEFORE you finishing filming and begin editing.

The particular scene that was too dark was my opening shot, which is pretty important, because you always want to make a good first impression. The only solution was to completely reshoot it. This meant having to break the news to my actors that we would have to redo a couple shots. This also meant having to redo my set dressing, which was quite elaborate despite the simplicity of the shot. The shot takes place in a dimly lit room. The first challenge was getting the room to be dark enough in the middle of the day, in Florida, the Sunshine State. Simply closing the blinds was not enough, my actors and I ended up taping yoga mats to the window in order to block out the sunlight. It wasn't the most eye-pleasing solution, but it got the job done. Then with the help of a small desk lamp, I was able to have enough light to keep the room dim, but still be able to see my actress.
Here is a still from the final shot:

This small error in production also gave me the opportunity to go back and get any extra footage that I may need, so in a way it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It always better to have too much footage than not enough. This was a learning experience for me when it came to filming and not only checking footage, but making sure I got enough of it. And thankfully my actors were wonderful and you can't even distinguish the scenes filmed at different times. This problem threw quite a curveball at me, especially so close to the end, but everything worked out and all issues were resolved, so it is all back on track and nearly ready to be revealed to the world.