Question for Producers: more time=higher quality?

[endofallthings2]

Having dipped my feet in the custom video market earlier in the year ("The Broker" from TBFE), I'm now thinking about what I might commission next!

I was really happy with the broker custom, for 1 day's shooting it was incredibly well done and put together. I have the budget for possibly a longer shoot for another custom - maybe 2-3 days, but my custom idea probably isn't massively more adventurous (cast, length, SFX etc) than the previous. Maybe some more fight choreography?

So...my question is this...does extra shooting time actually change the quality of the customs dramatically...I.e if you have more coverage, more time to plan shoots, go to better locations, maybe 'light' things in a more dramatic what, does the finished product look significantly better?

Or...are there other 'hard' barriers to levels of quality that are nothing to do with time (equipment, restrictions on shooting cos it's porno etc) that mean there's a general ceiling that doesn't get breached?

Honest answers would be appreciated as I ponder my next custom possibilities (I could just do 3 standard customs for the money!)

[swampy170]

If there's longer to shoot, that will lead to a producer maximising the quality they can provide. Longer can be taken to set up shots - and ultimately more footage can also be shot.

However things like SFX, shot composition and fight composition all have hard limits in terms of the abilities of the cast and crew - time will only go so far in allowing quality to increase up to the boundaries of these limits

[KnightsofGotham.com]

Let me give this a shot.
Here's the main difference between a 1 day shoot and a 3 day shoot

1 day shoot:
We need to shoot 5 scenes in 4 locations. we have 8 hours to do this.
Ok
lets go to the first location and shoot whatever has to be shot there....second take just in case? no time, sorry, off to the second location.
Second location is finished, not really happy with the take. can we shoot it again? no....ok, off to the 3rd location

What do you mean we only have 3 hours left? ok...screw the 4th location...im re-writing this in the car so we can get everything finished at the next location.......


3 day shoot:
ok people we're shooting scene one. I want three angles and enough time to run through each scene 3 times if needed
ok we got it all in the can in 2? great lets scope the next location

Ok second location I want three angles and enough time to run through each scene 3 times if needed. We got ti all done? great lets wrap and see you all in location 3 tomorrow.


I don't have to continue....Im sure you get the point.

The less time you have for a project the less you can actually do for the project. so if you have a project that is just 3 scenes and they are super simple then 1 day is enough, but if you have a complex script, and multiple locations the more time the better.

I have shot movies that were 30 minutes run time that took 2 weeks to shoot, and have had 30 minute films that took 4 hours to shoot.
Its not a subject you can paint with broad strokes and say thats the hard rule.
there are a lot of factors, but ultimately if you have a complex script more time is better than less.

[Mr. X]

My case is different. The movies I sold were shot originally for 3 minute episodes on my subscription site. So they were intended to be long. So they run 1.5 hours total but are obviously too long for conventional sales.

[viking]

My case is different. The movies I sold were shot originally for 3 minute episodes on my subscription site. So they were intended to be long. So they run 1.5 hours total but are obviously too long for conventional sales.

How long did it take to do the entire video with Akira Lane in the Kun Li role?

[Mr. X]

How long did it take to do the entire video with Akira Lane in the Kun Li role?

The shoot was 2 10 hour days in a row plus a third day when we brought her back to finish the movie and she did a movie for super heroine central. But the other part of kim li with agent swan was done much earlier and was another 6 hour day shoot with Eve and Mona. So in all its probably 4 days of 8-10 hours. I'm pretty down to business when I shoot so I have a fairly accurate script, I know what I want and I can usually get items done in one take. I may do two takes or two camera angles. Also you can shoot things ahead like again we shot Agent Swan's scenes a week before bringing in Akira. The other thing is I have to time when models will be there. For example in the last part of Kim Li Swan is not in it cause she had some other engagement so I had to arrange the shoot for when she was there so all scenes with her and Akira had to b done out of order. It pays to have a good script then divide the script by shoot locations and who is there at the time.

This was the same with Agent Swallow and Agent Falcon.

[viking]

Thanks for the reply. It was a good series.

[endofallthings2]

Very much appreciate everyone's contributions...

[Supernatural]

I have a story I posted in the story section recently. I don't have the funds, but maybe someone can claim it as their own idea. As far as the actor goes, I just am interested in Akira lane playing the main heroine role