When to ask for another take, how to, and when not to.
When everyone is happy with a take but you are not, how do you communicate this?
I explain my issues to the director of photography and the director. If at all possible I physically go to video village and or the DIT/DP cart. Usually more effective than talking over a radio. If pressed for time and/or the village is far away, I’ll explain to the 1st AD why I think we should go again, and how to fix the problem. This communication needs to happen quickly and efficiently.
The answer is, it depends. I do mostly B camera, and my shot usually won’t be used for the duration of a scene – if the technical (camera shake, focus issue, bad reflection, seeing off the set, extra blocking the actor, bad shadow, etc.) occurred during a portion of the shot I know won’t be used, I will usually let it go, assuming we have another take where the shot worked. If the problem happened during a key moment for my camera when there is a good chance my shot will be used, I will immediately talk to the DP, alerting them of the technical issue. If the issue was actor related, I’ll head to the director as soon as we cut and let them make the determination. For me, this comes down to experience and having an understanding of what will likely be used and what won’t. The key is to alert the DP or director to the issue immediately – while giving the AD a heads up that we might need another take before they call moving on over the walkie.
Regardless of the outcome, I always ask the script supervisor to make a note of what the problem was, and let them know it was fine on other takes – this helps later on if someone tries to call you out for the mistake.
There is always a battle between our desire to achieve technical perfection in a shot and knowing when you've accomplished what's needed to tell the story. Telling the story will almost always win, and it's important to come to terms with that. The chances of your most perfect take being the one that makes it in the final cut is fairly slim. I have asked for another take because an actor bumped into my Steadicam right at the end of a lengthy shot, been begrudgingly granted the additional take by the director, done a perfect new take, only to find the take with the bump made the cut anyway. It's almost always about performance, and for pretty much everyone but those of us who work in camera, no one cares if the shot could have been operated a little bit better.
So you need to learn when to ask for another take. There are directors like Fincher who insist on technical perfection, so you'll get plenty of takes. The disadvantage is you need to be on all the time. What if the take you screw up was the best performance-wise? In Fincher's case he'll probably correct your mistakes in post. That is a viable alternative these days. The large format digital cameras and post production tools available today give editorial flexibility to use shots that would have been unacceptable in the past. Reframing and stabilization can save the day, but none of us like to rely on that.
For the most part, the only time I ask for another take is if I feel I've missed a moment that could help tell the stiory better. Maybe a happy accident almost happened on the last take and it gave you an idea of a better way to tie another important character in the mid-ground into the foreground action. I would go to the director and DP at the monitors, and while they were watching playback, (after they've seen the take once all the way through: I try to keep my mouth shut for the first look at a take) I would point out the possibility. If the director deems it worthy, we'll go again, if not, I let it go and move on.
Experience will give you the understanding you need to look at what you've shot with editing in mind. I've had takes where there was a mid-shot disaster, but I kept going because I knew there was going to be additional coverage to fill that moment. In that case I wouldn't bother asking for another take, though I would check with the director to ensure my thoughts about the cut were correct.
If I really have a problem with the way I did something in a take, and everyone else is ready to move on, I will ask the director to look at the shot one more time, and I'll point out the issue. These days the answer will often be, "We can fix that in post," in which case I let it go. Or they might just tell you it doesn't bother them. In this case, it's also time for you to let it go. It might not make the final cut anyway, and if it does, your career will survive. I have a huge horizon roll in a shot I put in my reel because it was a bigish shot for a very bigtime director. Having that movie with those big-name actors on my reel was worth more than the risk of anyone thinking I'd blown the shot. And in all the years the reel has been floating around, no one has ever mentioned the roll. And yes, I had done several takes where I didn't screw up the horizon, but those weren't the performances the director liked. Lesson learned.
QUICKLY!!! Let the AD (loud enough for the set to hear) know in a clear confident voice (not panic), that you need to check something with the director. Every second counts here, especially if someone says, ”moving on.” Go have your private conversation with the director and DP about what the issue was. And, then when they tell you that they’re moving on anyway, kick yourself in the mind for the mess-up and move on. If it’s a major issue, the creatives may go again.
This is a quick decision to be made weighing the likelihood that another take will happen. If not, then admitting a faux pas just makes you look bad. Also, what an operator thinks is a mistake may not be to the director. So take the pros and cons into consideration before jumping up, but if you are going to jump up, don’t wait one second.
For me this answer is simple. First and foremost, as a camera operator, it's my responsibility to identify any technical flaws in a take, whether they're apparent to others or not. If I don't point these out, I'm not doing my job thoroughly. However, the decision to go again ultimately rests with the director and DP, who might be perfectly ok with the flaw even after you've brought it to their attention.
If everyone is cheering and happy with a take, but I noticed a flaw that's bugging me --
Step one is to bring the flaw to their attention, as you always should anyway. This can be awkward because if both the DP and Director are thrilled with the take, yet you come along and point out something they had missed, they might in some little way be insulted. Like you're undermining their intelligence or cinematic expertise. But what's the alternative? To keep your mouth shut? Do that and it could come back to bite you in the butt after they take a closer look at dailies. So, in my book, you HAVE to point out the flaw, always, no matter what. But sometimes it's best to do it discreetly.
Next thing that happens is this: The Director and DP will deliberate wether they need to go again. There are factors to consider beyond the operating quality of the shot. They may not be planning to use that particular part of the shot. The actors may have given everything they got on that last take and only have so many in them. We might be in a mad rush to make our day and don't have time to go again. These are things going through the directors head and should also be going through yours as you're deciding if you should push for another take. If the director decides to go again, then great, you get another shot at it. If they decide not to, and If I feel strongly enough that we should go again, and I've considered the mitigating factors, then I will tactfully and respectfully request another take. After that, it's out of my hands. I've made my case and offered my sugestion and the decision is now the director's. And if they decide to move on, then I'll just have to swallow my pride and live with it and hope that nagging flaw doesn't make it in the movie
I think the key difference here is bringing up an issue that may require going again and asking for another take. These are two fundamentally different things that yes, often have overlap. You MUST bring up issues as that is your job. However, bring them up quietly when you can. If something is unusable, as soon as that camera cuts, let the AD know you need another so no one calls “Moving on”. Then quietly talk to the DP and let them know. In the end this is up to the DP and the Director. If there is a small issue, jump off the dolly and immediately and quietly walk to the DP and say “Hang on before we move on I just want to make sure everyone saw…” and let them make the decision. It’s definitely a tough situation but the only thing you CAN”T do is say nothing.
