So much can be accomplished in post these days it’s hard to completely dismiss the offhand “we’ll fix it in post” comment. Experience tells us however that often when this phrase is bandied about something isn’t going according to plan. Something that is going to take more time than is budgeted to fix. Or maybe the actor or camera crews doesn’t seem like they’ll be able to accomplish the shot.

So what’s the tip here? When someone says this on set, make sure you completely understand your options and costs. We’ll going over schedule cost you anymore or is there some cushion built into your schedule already. Do you have some contingency money that might solve the problem at hand? You may be able to get the problem solved on set right away and not have to carry the problem over to post.

If you do decide to fix it in post you need to be educated about your situation. If you have any doubts about fixing it after the fact, talk to your post supervisor to make sure you’re not walking into higher costs and more problems in post. Things to consider are will the fix require a simple edit or time eating rotoscoping. Also, you need to consider your post schedule. Will adding more in post ruin your schedule and cause your job to be late.

Whatever you decide, you’ll have to live with your decisions because once the set crew breaks down the scene, there’s little chance you’ll be reshooting on that day or on any other.

Image from video production shoot