Check twice, shoot once!

There's an old carpenter's adage 'Measure twice, cut once', meaning you should always check and double check before embarking on something that cannot be undone, like taking a saw to a piece of wood.

The same applies to filmmaking.

One of the saddest things in small gauge and Super 8 filmmaking is the loss of new users who don't get the results they expect when they shoot for the first time. Getting a reel of over or under exposed film back from the laboratory, or feet of fuzzy footage, does nothing for the confidence or the ego!

Super 8 and other film formats aren't video - you have to invest time and learn about them, your camera needs to be in good working order, you need to know what your film stock can do and the light needs to be right for your film. You can't run around shooting willy-nilly - well you can, but you'll get rubbish back.

Garbage In, Garbage Out for anyone who's done Computing 101.

So, presuming you're camera is in good condition and you've chosen your film stock carefully - check your exposure levels, check them again, use an external light meter if needs be and if you have the time accurately measure the distance to your subject to ensure you're in focus. Then press the trigger!

Remember, 'Check twice, shoot once' - and you won't go too far wrong!