To err is human

I can tell you this story now because the job I was doing is now over & passed but this time last week, I would have been ashamed to admit... Mainly because they are basic camera errors. Perhaps you'll find the insight interesting (and the people concerned will forgive me).

If you are in any way interested in movies (like me) and have read articles, watched interviews or listened to DVD commentaries, you may have heard mention of shots or sequences that went wrong or that had to be 'salvaged' during editing or just plain bodged on the day. There's a whole raft of stories about things done in Star Wars due to lack of money, time or skill on the part of the filmmakers and there's even examples of where a 'bodge' can end up better than the original script/intention - see the infamous 'whip/sword/gun fight' in Raiders of the Lost Ark brought about because of a major case of diarrhoea...

But these are mainly the exception and usually errors or misunderstandings are just plain stressful. We, at Urban Saints, are not immune to these situations either. This was clearly the case last Friday as I can now explain:

It hadn't started well. I was due to take Chris - with me on work experience - off to an activity centre for the final 'act' of his week. We were filming some cheap & cheerful intro clips for this weekend's Spree camp. Problem was that my meetings had overrun, my 'presenters' had phoned to say it was raining and were we still planning to show up and we hadn't packed any of the props. We reassured them we were coming - rain or no rain - and got packed up ASAP but by the time we left we were already nearly an hour late with around an hour's travelling to do. A couple of traffic jams and wrong turns later and we've arrived - a full two hours later than we'd arranged.

We arrive to see Fiona (Presenter 1) in a full climbing harness and hard hat so clearly there is no time to lose. The first thing I'm told is Ellen (Presenter 2) has to be home by 5 so that means we've only got 90 minutes, rather than the 3 or 4 hours I was expecting. We're going to have to shoot and move on, shoot and move on. All in one go, no mistakes, no re-takes. And then they put climbing harnesses on us too! Unfortunately, I'm about to commit at least two classic errors...

So, the opening shot of the video is an introduction at the top of the abseil tower before our presenters disappear off down the wall with a flourish. To make things easier, we'll film them setting off, get them to stop halfway and then go down and film them landing etc. Up the tower we go, carrying all the camera kit up the several stepladders only to head back down again once Fiona and Ellen are halfway and carry on filming as they finish their descent...

Now I'm attached to a rope at the top of the tower, while our intrepid duo ready themselves for a one-off 'drop'. We've got to get this in one go and I get them to do a practice to make sure the sound is right. I practice 'following' our stars down over the edge and although I'm not especially worried by the height, I am worried about losing my grip and seeing the £2000 camera literally following them! Time is ticking though so we need to get going. There's hardly any light on their faces so I switch on my rarely-used 'back-light' function (technically Error #3, as I forget to turn it off in a later shot, leading to a really washed out look...) and we're ready. We shoot - they yell, then disappear over the edge, stopping a few feet down, while we go back down the ladders with harnesses and caribinas clanging.

Now we're at the bottom of the tower looking up as they drop to the ground, detach their ropes and stride off, looking like Charlie's Angels. At this point I decide it is a good idea to check that our "one-off" shot has recorded correctly. Disaster - the sound is bodged and there's no way to fix it! Error #1: Should have let the camera roll while we we're setting up to avoid giving the potentially unstable opening millimetres of the miniDV tape the chance to ruin the whole shot. Decide we can salvage it, of sorts, by repeating opening line on the ground and then cutting to their descent (see final video - below). But having watched the footage back I then commit Error #2: Forget to ensure tape is at the end before hitting record and end up recording over some of the descent too...

Needless to say, what you see next is the result of what WAS filmed (and is probably still more than adequate) but could have been SO much better but for basic errors and poor time-keeping! Let this be a lesson to us all (it certainly was for me!) and let's say no more about it...