What to Do With Footage That Didn't Turn Out the Way You Planned

Every creator eventually ends up with footage that didn't come out the way they pictured it. The instinct is often to either scrap it entirely or apologize to your editor and hope for the best. Neither is usually necessary, a surprising amount of imperfect footage is still fully usable with the right approach.

Lighting and color problems

Underexposed or oddly colored footage can often be corrected significantly in a grade, more than most people expect. It's rarely a full fix for severely blown-out highlights or extremely low light, but moderate issues are usually salvageable without reshooting.

Audio issues

Background noise, room echo, and inconsistent levels can be cleaned up with modern audio tools far better than a few years ago. What's harder to fix after the fact is clipping, audio that was recorded too loud and distorted, so that's the one issue worth actually reshooting for if it's bad enough.

A flubbed or awkward take

This is often the easiest fix of all. A skilled editor can frequently cut around a stumble using a cutaway or a jump cut, especially if there's any B-roll or alternate footage to cut to. Tell your editor specifically where the rough moment is rather than hoping they catch it.

Send the footage as it is and flag the problem clearly. Most issues are more fixable in post than they feel like in the moment.

If you're ever unsure whether a shoot is salvageable, ask before reshooting. It's often a smaller fix than it feels like right after a rough session.