Hey guys!
Ken here, writer and director of our most recent short film “Diggers!” Thanks to everybody who has watched the video (and if you haven’t yet, what are you waiting for?!) and for supporting us during our launch. I’m thinking of doing a commentary video soon to tell some stories and secrets about the filming of “Diggers!”, but here’s one memorable story.
For the negotiation scene, we got a little ambitious and decided to do a couple long takes of the entire thing. Worst case I can edit the segments together and make it work anyway, but it sounded like a fun thing to try. So we do the first take and it goes pretty well! A few line readings are off but overall I was pretty happy. So we do another take. This one goes better, and a few segments end up in the finished product. And I’m impressed that so far, only two or three lines have been flubbed. These guys really did learn their lines!
So we get 3 or 4 long takes from each angle and wrap that scene. So a few weeks later I start editing together that segment and in the first take I see Kevin has his script on the table! Like blatantly on the table in full view of the camera right in front of my face. And he’s glancing at it too, so it’s obvious what’s happening. “I can’t use that footage, so I better try the next take,” I think to myself. Second take, the script is still there. Third take, the script is still there! Every single take the script is right on the table!
Fortunately I had enough footage to cut around that mess, but it shows how even a room full of continuity sticklers can occasionally miss something extremely obvious. The lesson learned is to never settle for one take, especially at our experience level.
Thanks for your support, and Yola!
-Ken
Ken here, writer and director of our most recent short film “Diggers!” Thanks to everybody who has watched the video (and if you haven’t yet, what are you waiting for?!) and for supporting us during our launch. I’m thinking of doing a commentary video soon to tell some stories and secrets about the filming of “Diggers!”, but here’s one memorable story.
For the negotiation scene, we got a little ambitious and decided to do a couple long takes of the entire thing. Worst case I can edit the segments together and make it work anyway, but it sounded like a fun thing to try. So we do the first take and it goes pretty well! A few line readings are off but overall I was pretty happy. So we do another take. This one goes better, and a few segments end up in the finished product. And I’m impressed that so far, only two or three lines have been flubbed. These guys really did learn their lines!
So we get 3 or 4 long takes from each angle and wrap that scene. So a few weeks later I start editing together that segment and in the first take I see Kevin has his script on the table! Like blatantly on the table in full view of the camera right in front of my face. And he’s glancing at it too, so it’s obvious what’s happening. “I can’t use that footage, so I better try the next take,” I think to myself. Second take, the script is still there. Third take, the script is still there! Every single take the script is right on the table!
Fortunately I had enough footage to cut around that mess, but it shows how even a room full of continuity sticklers can occasionally miss something extremely obvious. The lesson learned is to never settle for one take, especially at our experience level.
Thanks for your support, and Yola!
-Ken
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