2010Operating forum
High take counts during commercial and film production shoots
16 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- Shooting to pre-recorded audio tracks is common in commercial production to ensure precise synchronization with dialogue, particularly for one-take shots where timing is critical.
- Take counts exceeding 30 can become excessive and may indicate issues with director vision, agency indecision, or performance degradation rather than camera operation problems.
- Complex choreography involving camera movement, actor blocking, and multiple technical elements frequently necessitates 50 or more takes to achieve the director's vision.
- Actor performance typically deteriorates noticeably after 30-40 takes, with diminishing returns on quality despite continued attempts.
- High take counts may result from late changes in creative direction or client specifications that require starting over rather than progressive refinement.
- Lighting conditions such as changing natural light during exterior shoots can necessitate repeated takes to maintain consistent visual quality.
- Directors' perfectionism and agency decision-making processes have more influence on take counts than operator or performer competence.
- Crew overtime costs and producer budget management sometimes determine when shooting wraps regardless of whether optimal takes have been achieved.
Depends on
- Examples span different decades and production types, so standards and practices may have evolved.
- Some participants disagreed about whether high take counts indicate problems or are simply normal for complex shots.
- Some accounts lack verification of whether reported take counts were accurate or approximate.
- The relationship between actual take count and final product used is unclear in most examples.