Perils of Production: Camera Crew Confessions

Indie Film Podcast
Feb 6
3 min read

Filmmaking is an art, a science, and—if we're being honest—a series of high-stakes blunders wrapped in creativity. In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, Victoria and Chuck take us on a journey through their biggest cinematography mishaps so you, dear filmmaker, don’t have to repeat them. Because while learning from your mistakes is valuable, learning from other people’s mistakes is much, much funnier.

Step One: Learn What an Aperture Is (Preferably Before Shooting a Film)

Chuck recalls the early days of filmmaking with his brother when they were, let’s say, “blissfully unaware” of how cameras work. Exposure? Aperture? ISO? Minor details, apparently. In their 48-hour film festival entry Guru’s Sandbox, an intense scene with a character holding a gun resulted in a stunning visual of…a completely blown-out window. The actor? Nowhere to be seen. Just a glowing rectangle of cinematic brilliance.

Cinematography Tip #1: Auto Mode is Not Your Friend

Yes, it’s tempting. No, you shouldn’t do it. Take the time to learn your camera’s manual settings so your footage doesn’t look like a ghost story set inside the sun.

Red Means Record… Right?

Victoria confesses to the classic rookie mistake: forgetting to hit record. Nothing like nailing the perfect take only to realize later that all you captured was the floor. Or, even worse—hitting the record button twice. This “fun” move means you have five minutes of yourself setting up the shot, followed by precisely zero minutes of the actual action. That happened to Chuck while filming a commercial for musician Jesse Blake Rundle. He got a lot of B-roll of his own intense concentration, but none of the footage he actually needed.

Cinematography Tip #2: Trust, But Verify

Always, always check the red light. If it’s not glowing with the intensity of your rising panic, you’re not recording.

Where’s the Mic? (Spoiler: It’s in the Shot)

Ah, the game of “Where’s the Mic?” A timeless classic where you painstakingly hide your boom mic, only to realize it’s made a cameo in every single shot. Victoria played this game frequently with a filmmaking crew in college while shooting their web series D.E.A.T.H., shoving mics in shoes, corners, and (presumably) pockets, only to find them photobombing important scenes. Their ultimate revelation? Perhaps having an actual location sound person might have helped.

Cinematography Tip #3: Mics Deserve Better

If you’re going to hide a mic, double-check your framing. Or, wild idea, hire a sound department.

The “WIFFFLE” System

After enduring a tragic amount of preventable mistakes, Chuck and his brother devised the WIFFFLE checklist—a foolproof way to ensure you don’t ruin an entire shoot before it even begins:

White Balance – Make sure all cameras match so your footage doesn’t look like a neon fever dream.
ISO – Avoid cranking this up unless you want your film to resemble a 90s home video.
Focus – If it’s blurry, it’s bad. Simple.
Framing – A little effort here makes a world of difference.
F-Stop – Controls your aperture, which controls your exposure, which controls whether your film looks like Alien vs. Predator 2 (a.k.a. “What’s happening? I can’t see anything!”).
Level – If your camera is crooked, so is your shot.
Exposure – Underexposure is trendy. Too underexposed is unwatchable.

Cinematography Tip #4: Make a Checklist (And Actually Use It)

If you do nothing else, just run through this list before hitting record.

The Best & Worst of Cinematography (A Totally Objective List)

Victoria and Chuck agreed that some movies nail cinematography, while others… try their best.

Worst Offenders:

Phantom of the Opera – Stunning music. Gorgeous production. Cinematography? Snooze fest. Watch it on mute and suddenly, the magic is gone.
Alien vs. Predator 2 – Someone forgot to pay the light bill. It’s so dark, it’s practically an audio drama.
Most Marvel Movies – We love the superheroes, but can we please get some interesting camera work?

Cinematography Goals:

The Shining – Kubrick’s framing is pure, unsettling perfection.
Krampus – The first three minutes, especially? Cinematic chef’s kiss.
Better Call Saul – TV that looks better than half of Hollywood’s blockbusters.

Practice Makes Perfect (Or at Least Less Embarrassing)

So how do you get better? Chuck recommends taking as many photos as possible—preferably in RAW, edited properly, and maybe even uploaded as stock images for a few bucks. Victoria's cinematography tip simply suggests grabbing your damn camera and experimenting with different composition styles. And if all else fails, maybe make your neighborhood door-to-door salespeople participate in your test shots.