One of the most important things you can do in film making is fixing things as they come up. This article will discuss what some of the common areas that need fixed and how to write within the means of your budget.

Okay, so just what do I mean by fixing things and what common things need to be fixed? By fixing things, I mean when something during the shoot just isn’t right. It could be something obvious like the dialogue is wrong or something not so obvious at first, like the camera angle is wrong or the lighting isn’t quite right.

Question is…when do you fix things?

The answer isn’t so obvious.

In the case of somebody flubbing their lines, the answer IS obvious. You have to re-shoot the scene. But what if it’s something subtle that can be fixed in post production.

Here is a tip that will save you a lot of grief in the long run. Unless you are an absolute expert in post production editing or know somebody who is, fixing things in post production is MUCH harder than just re-shooting the scene. In some cases, you will find that either the problem can’t be fixed in post production OR after fixing it, you find that the quality isn’t as good as you wanted it.

In short, post production fixes, unless you are a pro, are a nightmare…even with today’s technology.

So my advice to you is simple. Take it for what it’s worth to you. If you see a problem, fix it IMMEDIATELY.

You’ll be glad you did.

Also, you’ll need to write within your means. Many people don’t really understand what this means. I’m not talking about not writing over your head, such as using fancy dialogue that only a Harvard graduate can understand. I’m talking about writing within your means such as what you can realistically do within the budget you have available.

For example, this following line in a script is very simple. “The Firemen arrived on the scene.”

Right, nothing complicated about it. But hold the phone. What exactly does this mean?

It means a fire truck for starters. Do you have the budget to get one? If not, what are the firemen going to be arriving in…a Good Humor truck? Oh wait, that costs money too.

And what about the firemen? If this is a big fire (I won’t even touch on the expense of creating a fire) you’re going to need a lot of firemen. Can you afford them all? Can you afford all the uniforms and equipment that you’re going to need?

Imagine if the line read this instead.

“The army arrived on the scene.” Can you picture it? Tanks, jeeps, halftracks, armored cars, soldiers, weapons, uniforms and on and on.

Okay, write within the means of your budget. Don’t have things popping up in your movie that are going to take you into Avatar land. And yes, that means anything to do with spectacular special effects as well. Otherwise, you are going to have a movie that you can’t possibly make.

To YOUR Film Making Success.

Author Bio: For more great movie making tips please visit Movie Making Tips

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