When to pivot from planned shots to actor spontaneity on a tight schedule?
Hey everyone, Megan here. I'm currently on a tight-turnaround indie feature, think two weeks to shoot, max. We've done our best with pre-viz and rehearsals, but as you know, things shift on set. I'm finding myself in situations where an actor will do something brilliant, totally unscripted movement or line delivery, that just sings. It wasn't in the blocking, it wasn't in the pre-viz. My instinct is to capture that authenticity, but then I'm looking at my lining notes, and thinking about the shot list, and the AD is already calling for the next setup.
When do you decide to lean into that spontaneous 'magic'? And more importantly, how do you manage the ripple effect on the schedule and your continuity? Do you quickly re-block or re-frame, or just try to get it and move on, hoping to tie it together in post? Trying to strike that balance without completely derailing a day.