Yes. Someone on this very forum thought this was a terrible idea and a waste of time. I found weeks of rehearsals to be invaluable and I will seek to repeat this procedure on everything I ever do.
Plus, we had a company move in the day. The house exteriors were shot at a different house than the interiors which was 2.5 miles away.
Ummm...
I was one of the individuals that said
extensive rehearsal (especially on a short) is a waste of time. If you are working with quality actors, they will come prepared to the the set with many ideas, and be completely malleable. Holding a few rehearsals is a good thing, naturally, but going over-board can kill an emotion or the spontaneity in a scene...can...not saying it always will, but it can.
Good actors come prepared, and good actors pick up on direction and blocking quickly. Obviously not every actor in the industry (at any budget) runs at the same performance levels...but in general if you're shooting a decent budget indie (with say, REDs), you will probably be hiring quality actors and not just friends.
As far as camera work and shot lists...well, rehearsals aren't going to help...at least not with a rented camera. You have to plan things out, practice with the equipment you have, and when the real equipment arrives, you have to immediately get to doing run-throughs for tech and blocking with your actual equipment.
Let's also not forget, the RED is a digital camera...you're not spending any more money on a second or third take then you would on one take (to a degree). Especially if you're not renting it (which I'm confused as to how your budget was so low if you didn't). I'm not sure why it had to be crammed into one day...as far as I know, I didn't know RED has one-day rental deals...usually they are week long or whatnot...did you guys get a one day package on the grip truck, equipment, and camera? And if it was a friend's camera, then even more an opportunity to take your time. That's a lot of setups to bank on getting in one day...what if there was a problem?
Sonny, you did an awesome job shooting how many pages in one day? A lot I know...and I think your short doesn't look rushed.
Anyway. I think you guys did freakin' awesome. I just don't think you need to hold 8 two hour rehearsals for a short film.
But, hey...if you have the time...rock it how you want to rock it. Just remember, you *can* burn out an actor or a scene by over-rehearsing.
I've gone off topic (sort of)...I think your BtS looks awesome--I'd love to see more (with some dialog and sound). Thanks.
Cheers.
