How would you adapt your shooting plan when faced with unexpected gear failures?

No matter how much prep you do, how many tests you do, equipment will fail on occasion... It sucks when it does... It can be frustrating and it can be awkward if you are relying on that equipment for a critical shot, sequence or scene... What you need to do is avoid panicking... Avoid blaming your team, crew or the equipment/rental house... And as quickly as possible map out your options and find the solution that will get you back on track as fast as possible with the minimum amount of compromise. I find that my usual first go to solution is to look at the schedule with my producer or 1st AD and see if we can move things around to buy time for a replacement piece of kit to arrive before I consider other options that may compromise quality.

Things to do 1. Remain calm 2. Try to figure out the issue 3. Convey the message to the team. Start listing the alternatives and welcome the views of the whole team. 4. Start working on the alternatives. 5. Review the issue once the shoot is done and study the case. 6. If it is because of a mistake from the team member, ensure we tell them not to be bothered about it now, and let us find a solution for this first and review the issue once we finish the shoot. Things not to do 1. Never blame the team members 2. Never continue with a defective device that suddenly starts working again. 3. Never hide the mistake that happened which is the cause of the issue.

"Risk Mitigation" is the secret. Apply it for ALL your video production shoots. Spend time to create a library of possible situations that could go bad during a shoot, such as gear failure and draft a basic contingency plan. Example: - Have Backup Equipment - Test Gear Beforehand - Rent or Borrow - Be ready to Adapt the Shot List - Delegate Tasks - Most importantly, Communicate with Clients or stakeholders and keep them informed about the situation and your plan to address it, maintaining transparency and trust. Have a contingency list and develop a contingency plan for different types of equipment failures, including alternative shooting methods. Just as you always carry a shot list, carry a contingency plan.

Communication becomes crucial at this point. Quickly inform your team about the issue and reassure them that you're actively working on a solution. By maintaining open communication and showing proactive problem-solving, you can help keep morale high and maintain focus on continuing the shoot smoothly. For example, during a live event shoot, if the main microphone malfunctions, promptly switching to a backup mic or adjusting the placement can save the moment and ensure seamless recording. This approach not only minimizes downtime but also demonstrates your ability to handle unexpected challenges professionally, ensuring that the project stays on track despite setbacks.

Inicialmente realizarei uma análise tempo para tomar uma decisão. Um exemplo básico: A reposição vai demorar 50 minutos e “concilia” com o jantar ou almoço ou lanche podemos fazer um “break” com a equipe, mas passando os informes verdadeiros da mudança de plano.

Na minha opinião a melhor maneira de evitar problemas no set de filmagem é avaliar bem todos os equipamentos, equipe e mínimos detalhes pra evitar trabalhos posteriores na pós-produção. A economia de tempo e produção inicia na pré-produção e depois na execução pra evitar uma pós-produção onerosa e longa. A continuidade de luz deacordo com a sequência da gravação é muito relativa porém podemos pensar em algum exemplo: Um problema na iluminação da sequência filmada será uma falta muito grave e a possibilidade da improvisação ou gambiarra é válida porém precisa ser muito bem acertiva naquele curto espaço de tempo no momento de tomar uma decisão.

Na minha opinião a melhor maneira de evitar problemas no set de filmagem é avaliar bem todos os equipamentos, equipe e mínimos detalhes pra evitar trabalhos posteriores na pós-produção. A economia de tempo e produção inicia na pré-produção e depois na execução pra evitar uma pós-produção onerosa e longa. A continuidade de luz deacordo com a sequência da gravação é muito relativa porém podemos pensar em algum exemplo: Um problema na iluminação da sequência filmada será uma falta muito grave e a possibilidade da improvisação ou gambiarra é válida porém precisa ser muito bem acertiva naquele curto espaço de tempo no momento de tomar uma decisão.

Identify the Issue, Quickly determine which gear has failed and the extent of the problem. Evaluate Impact: Assess how the failure affects the current and upcoming shots in the shooting schedule. Activate Contingency and Backup Equipment: Use backup gear if available. Always have secondary cameras, microphones, and lighting equipment on hand. Reroute Resources: If backups are limited, prioritize critical scenes that must be shot with high-quality equipment. Adapt Shooting Techniques: Alt Eqpt If specific gear is unavailable, use other available equipment creatively. Like if a DSLR camera can substitute for a higher-end cinema camera in certain shots. Simplify Shots: Adjust the shot list to simpler setups that don’t require the failed gear.

Assessing your options when it comes to filming is always rhetorical first step in fixing the issue the way that I have adapted to equipment failure is by having backups of backups of backups equipment can and will fail it’s just a matter of when. But assessing your options is the first thing you should do.

Na verdade qualquer planejamento é uma expectativa porém o filme de verdade acontece no SET. A magia do SET de filmagem é uma caixa de Pandora porém necessitamos de coerência eloquentes e exatidão nas tomadas decisões no curto prazo de tempo na verdade onde mora a genialidade do Diretor na solução repentina, mas pra isso será necessário muita pesquisa do roteiro, conhecimento técnico e alinhamento com a equipe. Cinema é como construir uma Cidade cheias de personagens com as suas histórias interessantes principalmente. A “Engenharia Poética” do Tempo Imaginário seja qual for veborragia…

Na verdade qualquer planejamento é uma expectativa porém o filme de verdade acontece no SET. A magia do SET de filmagem é uma caixa de Pandora porém necessitamos de coerência eloquentes e exatidão nas tomadas decisões no curto prazo de tempo na verdade onde mora a genialidade do Diretor na solução repentina, mas pra isso será necessário muita pesquisa do roteiro, conhecimento técnico e alinhamento com a equipe. Cinema é como construir uma Cidade cheias de personagens com as suas histórias interessantes principalmente. A “Engenharia Poética” do Tempo Imaginário seja qual for a sua veborragia…

I’ll normally have double of everything or at least know how to achieve the same by other means. I even once, due to a series of unfortunate events, went to a shoot with no charged batteries! Luckily I could plug into the mains and have since put a charger that lives permanently in my kit bag! Always learning from my mistakes since 2008!

I always say that when I’m on shoots having backups of your backups is the only thing that can save a project also a backup plan for if things go wrong never hurts

Communicate with the Team: Inform the Crew: Brief the team on the situation and the adjusted plan to ensure everyone is aligned. Collaborate on Solutions: Encourage the team to brainstorm and suggest alternative methods or tools to continue shooting effectively. Adjust the Schedule: Reschedule Shots: If certain shots are impossible without the failed gear, rearrange the shooting schedule to prioritize what can be accomplished. Plan Repairs/Replacements: Arrange for immediate repair or replacement of the failed equipment, adjusting the schedule to accommodate this as soon as possible.

Post production is a life saver especially when it comes to things like stabilisation and colour correction if there’s one thing I would recommend learning first it’s post production.

Post-Production Considerations: Enhance in Post: Plan to fix minor issues in post-production, such as stabilizing shaky footage or adjusting poor lighting. Foley and ADR: If sound equipment fails, plan for foley work or automated dialogue replacement (ADR) in post-production. Review and Learn: Post-Shoot Evaluation: After the shoot, evaluate the incident to understand what went wrong and how it was handled. Update Contingency Plans: Improve future contingency plans based on the lessons learned from the experience.