Jump to content

Didn't quite roll for some of a take.. What happens next?!


Todd Weaver

Recommended Posts

Thanks for sharing this Todd. I had a similar thing happen during a intense Xbox filming with star quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seahawks. I discovered I hadn't rolled on a decently long and necessary pick up shot after the wardrobe had changed on him and background. What saved my ass is I noticed in enough time to notify production to get him and background back in the old wardrobe and get the shot. Fortunately they were understanding and at the end of the day what mattered is I caught it looking at my sound notes and we got the shot in time before he was on a plane that afternoon and gone. For me, shit happens, I take responsibility, come up with a action plan and then learn from the mistake.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 76
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I've dome it slightly different. I've rolled a take but after cut was called didn't quite hit the stop button and have rolled quite a big file with nothing of use. 

 

Yep, that's happened to me, too. "Whoops! I'm still rolling!" It drives the post department a little nuts, so I try not to do it more than once or twice a day.

 

What makes me crazy is when camera keeps rolling after somebody yells "cut," and they're halfway into a second take before I realize it. Way too much disorganization and chaos on some shoots.

 

 

The next day I went to the Video Assist person, Lindsay Hill, and asked him to play back those takes to my cart and I recorded everything to a new roll of tape. The quality was surprisingly good even coming off the Super VHS cassette he was using. This sound, incidentally, did wind up in the movie, no ADR was necessary.

 

I think the statute of limitations is now up on this one. On the 1993 Rip Torn movie Where the Rivers Flow North, I was told by the producer that about 2 days of Nagra production tracks were lost by FedEx when shipping from the location to their office. Luckily, everything had been dubbed the day after production to 3/4" dailies tapes prior to shipping. All they had was the 3/4" audio. Incredibly, that was used for the final re-recording mix and they were able to clean it up. To me, it sounded absolutely fine and I don't think anybody would know in the context of maybe 10 minutes in the final film. But it's still scary. 

 

This was back in the day when there were zero backups. Backups are good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its end slates that get me. I am a man of habit, and my muscle memory works in that I call speed when they call turn over, but I hit the record button immediately after the clapper board goes 'clap', giving  a perfect 10 second (well 9 to be pedantic) run up before the board (am I aging myself here?). Now remove the board going clap at the start of the take and my system is blown, no 'clap' makes me forget to hit record, and I have done that before. I have to really concentrate nowdays, especially on end boards.

 

Kindest,

 

sb

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's OK and you are human.

When I first got my PIX 260 our A camera 1st AC forgot to roll. I would, on a weekly basis, bring up to him that I could roll video as well if he was planning to for get to roll. He just had to let me know.

It happens and it's not such a big thing. 

 

I've come to listen to my headphone outputs rather than a digital or line level out as it gives me beeps on rolls and cuts on my machines. Another way to give yourself a heads up, AND... I roll on BoomRecorder as well which has saved my behind more than a few times.

 

I figure on my last show I rolled about 80-100 takes a day for 210 days of shooting. So somewhere in the 20K+ range of files in a season. There WILL be times things don't happen as they should. Nothing is all that dear that it can't be dealt with in a non-hostile way when a mistake is made. How many thousand of takes have I sat through that were;

 

A-Buzzed multiple times

B-Camera Non-roll

C-Actor mistake

D-Light goes out or is not turned on

E-etc

F-Uncontrollable sound issue

G-YOUR NAME HERE TODD (Sorry but I forgot to roll/had tech issues so the files no good).

 

You will be OK and probably more respected in the long run if you cannot know a readily accessible solution that you KNOW you can lay off a backup from.

 

 

Scott Harber

Link to comment
Share on other sites

+1

If you admit a mistake, they can consider you human and offer forgiveness. Just don't do it too often.

If you claim perfection but blame the equipment, they'll wonder what kind of crappy gear you're supplying.

Exactly my thinking. I don't like working with dishonest people and I have to work with myself everyday. Besides, they pay more for my equipment than they do for me. I don't want to throw the kit under the bus.

But seriously, your reputation is what you rely on for future work. There really is no point in investing in a ton of equipment and of your time learning a craft if you can't form lasting relationships with the ones who place their trust in you enough to hire you. Respect is not earned by making excuses and blame shifting. If you do a fantastic job consistently and play nice with others, you may find it unnecessary to try to cover up your rare mistake with cheap and transparent excuses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have worked on plenty of jobs, scripted and unscripted, where there was a case of the camera operator either double tapping or somehow camera not going into record. It happens.

There is one DP I worked with that adamantly denied it the next day and insisted we never shot that coverage of the scene and blamed scripty for "skipping a letter on the slate". He started being kind of abusive and aggressive with people about how long he has been in the industry and how he knows exactly what happened on his set. He might've gotten away with it until the editor said "but we have the sound files for that setup". Case closed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had an equipment issue the other day during production and the others on set didn't think anything of it. After all, we were shooting on a Red.

There is no one -- repeat, no one -- who has been in this industry for any worthwhile length of time who hasn't witnessed a malfunction of some sort. It's how you handle it that matters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly my thinking. I don't like working with dishonest people and I have to work with myself everyday. Besides, they pay more for my equipment than they do for me. I don't want to throw the kit under the bus.

But seriously, your reputation is what you rely on for future work. There really is no point in investing in a ton of equipment and of your time learning a craft if you can't form lasting relationships with the ones who place their trust in you enough to hire you. Respect is not earned by making excuses and blame shifting. If you do a fantastic job consistently and play nice with others, you may find it unnecessary to try to cover up your rare mistake with cheap and transparent excuses.

+1

Mistakes happen. Own up to it and work on a solution.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

I've come to listen to my headphone outputs rather than a digital or line level out as it gives me beeps on rolls and cuts on my machines. Another way to give yourself a heads up

 

 

Scott Harber

 

 

I listen for the beeps through the headphone output of the Deva knowing that I am rolling or cut.

 

Always a nervous feeling when a 2nd AC accidentally advances a take.. thinking I missed one... a quick run to script to confirm that I am correct... Always a bad feeling till I confirm I am correct.

 

 

Whit

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. everyone has or will not roll the recorder for some unforeseeable reason.

2. every set and shoot is different, so you can tell the truth or tell a story, your call. For years now Video Asst. has yelled "kick out" if they forgot to roll.

3. in my world, I consider Video Asst. to be a backup sound recorder.

4. you are on a F up'd set if sound & video both don't roll.

my 2 cents.

CrewC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Just reading this older post. I had a job about a month ago, I guess the director would whisper roll to the cam dept. , the first thing I would hear is "background action", and I would hurry up and hit record. After several scene/takes, the director looked at me and said "sounds rolling"? As if he had just had a revelation that there was a sound person recording on the set. I think that was the only time that day I got to acknowledge that sound was speeding. Several times, I would ask if we were cut, and someone would go figure out if camera was cut. I guess it was a secret. That job was the most screwed up scene and take names I ever did. Sometime I would still be rolling and they would start another take. They would fix something, wardrobe, whatever in the middle of a take and would have no idea if they were cut. What a mess. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...