The Costly Missteps in Indie Filmmaking: A Christmas Movie Story

No Slate? No Sync!

One of the most frequent issues I encounter is footage that arrives at my desk without proper audio and video synchronization. In the filmmaking world, syncing is what makes sure the sound matches the picture—like when an actor's lips move, and you hear their lines at the exact same moment. This process should be easy if done correctly. The key tool here is the slate (you might know it as the "clapperboard").

But when filmmakers don't use a slate, or when they use it incorrectly, things go wrong. Without those iconic “click” moments that give us clear sync points, I find myself spending hours manually aligning sound and picture. The absence of a slate may seem like a minor issue on set, but it can easily lead to hours of extra work during editing—and more time in the editing room means a larger postproduction bill.

On the 2023 Christmas movie I worked on, for instance, the production didn’t consistently slate. It seemed that everyone thought, “Eh, we’re just doing dialogue scenes, it’s not a big deal.” Well, it turned out to be a very big deal. Every line of dialogue had to be painstakingly synchronized with the footage by ear. This took me about twice as long as it should have, and believe me, the cost added up for the producers. The lesson here? Always slate your shots, even if it’s just a conversation in the living room—your editor will thank you (and so will your budget, and probably your editor's sanity).

Filmmaking is a magical journey, especially in the world of independent cinema where passion and creativity often thrive against the odds. However, if you’re an indie filmmaker, it’s important to understand that the decisions made on set can either lead to a smooth postproduction process or a tangled mess of headaches—both for you and for your editor. In this article, I want to talk about some common mistakes I often see as an editor and how they can turn what should be an exciting film into a nightmare, often increasing postproduction costs. To keep things relatable, I'll share a personal example from a Christmas movie I worked on in 2023. Spoiler alert: we made it through, but not without a lot of unnecessary challenges (and a few moments where I questioned my life choices)!

Another common problem I run into is footage recorded in improper or low-quality codecs. A codec is simply the format in which your video is recorded. The issue arises when filmmakers use highly compressed formats like MP4, which are convenient for storage but not ideal for editing or color grading.

MP4 is great if you want to save on file space, but it doesn’t give editors much flexibility to adjust the colors, the brightness, or the finer details of a shot. Think of it like a loaf of bread: MP4 is the grocery store sandwich loaf, while formats like ProRes or RAW are the artisan loaves fresh from a bakery—fuller, richer, and giving you all the ingredients to make something incredible.

In the 2023 Christmas movie, the production team used MP4 for most of their shots. The festive scenes, with twinkling Christmas lights and soft snowfall, should have been bursting with holiday charm, but the footage looked flat and lacked the dynamic range necessary to bring out the magic of the season.

I ended up spending extra time trying to work around the limitations of the MP4 footage. If they had shot in ProRes or RAW, I could have really elevated those scenes to feel like a warm holiday card come to life. Instead, my time was spent fixing problems rather than enhancing the magic, which again led to an increase in the postproduction budget. Lesson learned: don’t be a Scrooge with your codecs.

Another crucial piece that often gets overlooked is the script supervisor’s log. The script supervisor (or scripty) keeps track of all the takes, noting which ones the director liked best (these are called “circled takes”). Having these logs is like having a treasure map as an editor—it points me directly to the best pieces of footage, so I don’t have to sift through hours of material trying to guess which take had the best performance.

During the 2023 Christmas film, the scripty’s notes were, let’s just say, less than stellar. There was no indication of which takes were circled, and the log was full of gaps. I found myself looking at every take, trying to figure out which one matched the director’s vision. This added hours of work and slowed down the entire editing process. The more time I have to spend guessing, the more costly postproduction becomes. I even started feeling like a detective in a bad holiday mystery—except instead of solving crimes, I was just trying to figure out which take of "Merry Christmas!" was supposed to be the good one.

If you’re an indie filmmaker, make sure your script supervisor’s logs are detailed and clear. It will save time and money, and it will help your editor create the best version of your film. Trust me, your editor will be happier, and we all know a happy editor means fewer angry emails.

Let’s talk about sound for a moment. In independent film, I’ve seen a lot of situations where sound was either recorded improperly or not recorded at all. Sound is half of the experience of a film—it’s what draws the audience in and keeps them engaged. When sound is recorded poorly, or if no backup is recorded, it leaves the editor trying to piece together usable audio from scraps. This often results in needing costly ADR (automated dialogue replacement), where actors have to come back and re-record their lines in a studio.

In the Christmas movie, there were several scenes where the background noise was overwhelming—car horns, dogs barking, even someone’s phone ringing in the distance. None of these sounds were noticed on set, and the audio wasn’t properly monitored. As a result, we had to book a studio for ADR, which was an expense that could have been avoided with better sound management on set. I can’t tell you how fun it is to tell an actor, “Hey, remember that heartfelt emotional scene you did? Well, we need you to re-record it, but this time without the barking dog solo in the background.”

Another frequent mistake I encounter is the lack of adequate coverage. Coverage refers to having multiple angles and shots of the same scene, which allows the editor to choose from a variety of shots to tell the story in the most dynamic way possible. In the Christmas movie, several scenes were shot with just one camera angle, which left me with very little flexibility in editing. I had to work with what I had, which sometimes made the scenes feel stagnant and less engaging. If you can, always get plenty of coverage—it gives your editor options, and options make for a better final product. Remember, variety is the spice of life, and the same goes for movie editing.

All these mistakes—improper slating, incorrect codecs, lack of script supervisor logs, poor sound recording, and insufficient coverage—can lead to a significantly more time-consuming postproduction process. And time, as we all know, is money. The longer I spend syncing footage, cleaning up sound, or trying to make flat MP4 footage look cinematic, the more it’s going to cost the filmmakers.

On the Christmas movie, the producers learned this the hard way. What was supposed to be a relatively quick edit turned into weeks of problem-solving. They ended up spending far more than they had budgeted for postproduction because of these on-set mistakes. And beyond the financial cost, there was also the impact on the creative process. Instead of focusing on making the film the best it could be, much of my time was spent fixing preventable errors. It was like trying to turn a lump of coal into a Christmas present—possible, but not exactly easy or fun.

How to Avoid These Mistakes

So, how can you avoid these pitfalls in your own production? Here are a few quick tips:

Always Use a Slate: Even if it’s just a quick scene, slate it properly. It saves a lot of time in the editing room (and prevents editors from questioning their career choices).
Record in the Right Codec: If you want your film to have a professional look, record in ProRes or RAW. Avoid MP4 unless you’re just doing quick, disposable content. MP4 might seem convenient, but you wouldn't put a discount store ornament on your prized Christmas tree, right?
Keep Detailed Script Supervisor Logs: Make sure your script supervisor is noting everything—circled takes, continuity details, and any important notes from the director. It’s the difference between finding treasure and digging through sand.
Monitor Your Sound: Always have someone dedicated to monitoring sound on set. It’s much easier to re-record a line on set than to bring actors back for ADR. Plus, it saves everyone from that awkward “Can you sound exactly like you did six months ago?” conversation.
Get Plenty of Coverage: The more angles you have, the more options your editor will have to create something dynamic and engaging. One angle is just a sad, lonely Christmas stocking; multiple angles are the whole decorated mantle.

Conclusion: Let’s Make Movie Magic, Not Movie Nightmares

Independent filmmaking is challenging, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. The key to a successful film is not just what happens on set, but also what happens in the editing room. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can make sure your postproduction process goes as smoothly as possible—saving time, money, and a lot of stress.

The Christmas movie I edited in 2023 was a great learning experience, both for me and for the filmmakers. We managed to pull it off, and in the end, it was a charming holiday film. But it could have been done more efficiently with some simple changes on set. So, as you prepare for your next film, keep these lessons in mind. Let’s work together to make your next postproduction experience smooth, enjoyable, and affordable. After all, the magic of movies doesn’t just happen on set—it happens in the editing room too. And the less time I spend untangling a mess, the more time I have to sprinkle that festive magic (and maybe enjoy some eggnog in the process).

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