7 Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Film Before the Shoot Even Starts

You might think a film goes wrong on the day of the shoot: bad lighting, technical issues, or a creative direction that simply doesn't work.

In reality, many projects are already heading in the wrong direction before anyone even presses REC.

The wrong audience, too many messages, no distribution strategy, late approvals… Here are seven mistakes to avoid before starting a video production.

1. Not knowing who you're talking to

A film cannot effectively speak to everyone.
We once worked on a project aimed at young people… that also absolutely had to appeal to the shareholders. Every creative decision raised the same question: who are we really talking to?

Sometimes, you have to accept that a film designed for your audience might not be exactly the film you would choose for yourself.
Before starting, two things should therefore be clear: what should the film achieve, and with whom?

2. Trying to say everything

Introduce the brand, tell its story, explain the product, discuss CSR commitments, interview the founder, recruit new talent and drive sales…
When you try to say everything, nothing really stands out.
‍Sometimes, several pieces of content with clearly defined objectives will be more effective than one film expected to do everything.

A good film makes choices. And those choices start with a clear video production brief.

3. Thinking about distribution after the shoot

Producing a beautiful film that almost nobody sees is still a problem.
Distribution should therefore be considered before production: social media, paid media, television, cinema, events, CRM, sales teams…

But the most important question remains: who actually needs to see the film?
‍The people financing or approving the communication are not necessarily the people the communication is intended for.
Before producing a film, you need to know how it will reach its audience.

4. Involving the right people too late

Concept approved. Script approved. Storyboard approved. Shoot completed.
Then, a few days before delivery, someone new discovers the project and questions the entire concept.
To avoid this, the pre-production process should establish who approves what, and when.
If someone has the authority to challenge the project, they need to be involved early enough to do so. Once a stage is approved, the project needs to move forward.

5. Deciding on formats after the shoot

“By the way, we'll also need a 9:16 version.”
A vertical film isn't simply a horizontal film with the sides cropped off.
Aspect ratio affects framing, camera movements, talent positioning, sets, graphics and sometimes even the direction itself.
A shoot can absolutely be designed to produce 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 and multiple social media versions.

But this needs to be anticipated.
‍Formats are part of the film's conception, not just its export settings.

6. Confusing your taste with your audience's

We all have our preferences. But they don't necessarily match what the audience expects.
For some projects, highly cinematic brand film production makes perfect sense. For others, particularly social content, a more spontaneous image or even smartphone footage may be much more relevant.

So the question isn't simply:
“Do I like this film?”

It is:
“Does this film speak to the people it's intended for?”

7. Rushing pre-production

The deadline is approaching. The concept is almost approved. The casting is nearly complete. But the shoot date is already booked.
So you shoot anyway.
That's rarely a good idea.
Concept, script, storyboard, casting, locations, props, schedule, technical requirements, formats: the more questions you answer before the shoot, the fewer you'll discover on set.

There will always be unexpected situations during production. But adapting to the unexpected is very different from discovering that an essential decision was never made.
A few extra days of preparation will generally cost far less than an additional shooting day, and considerably less than a reshoot.

A film starts long before the shoot

A great camera won't save the wrong objective. Beautiful direction won't fix the wrong audience. And post-production cannot magically repair every decision that wasn't made beforehand.

The shoot shouldn't be the moment when you discover what film you want to make.
‍It's the moment when all the decisions made beforehand finally become images.