“There are no rules in filmmaking. Only sins.”
Everyone makes mistakes on set — even the most experienced crews. The difference between an amateur shoot and a truly professional production company isn’t the absence of mistakes, but how rarely they happen and how quickly they’re avoided.
For any production company hoping to be counted among the top production companies in London, discipline, clarity, and respect for process matter just as much as creativity. Film sets are fragile ecosystems: when one department slips, the whole machine grinds to a halt.
Mistakes are painful — and often expensive — but they’re also the fastest way to learn. The real danger comes when the same mistakes repeat, or when people step outside their expertise without understanding the consequences.
Here are five of the most common filmmaking mistakes — and how professional crews avoid them.
1. Underestimating Lighting
There are thousands of books on lighting for a reason: light is everything.
Natural light is unpredictable. Clouds move. Sun sets. Practical lights flicker. Without controlled lighting, continuity collapses and your edit suffers. Shots won’t match, skin tones drift, and your footage instantly looks amateur.
Skipping professional lighting might save time or money on paper, but it almost always costs more in post — or worse, results in footage that simply can’t be saved.
Professional rule:
If you can’t control the light, you don’t control the image.
2. Touching Gear Without Permission
On a film set, equipment is placed deliberately. If something is “just lying there,” assume it’s exactly where it needs to be.
Cinematographer and author David Elkins puts it simply:
“Don’t touch equipment outside your department unless specifically asked.”
Moving a cable, lens, or rig without permission can:
Break continuity
Damage expensive gear
Create safety hazards
Destroy trust within the crew
Professional crews survive on mutual respect. Stay in your lane.
3. Assuming CGI Will Fix It Later
Modern cameras and software are powerful — but they are not magic.
Visual effects can enhance good footage, not replace missing or badly shot material. If your script calls for day interiorand you shoot night interior, no amount of grading or VFX will truly fix that.
Post-production should elevate intention, not rescue poor planning.
Professional mindset:
Fix problems on set, not in post.
4. Poor Camera Setup and Operation
The myth: you need the newest, most expensive camera to get cinematic images.
The truth: a poorly operated high-end camera looks worse than a well-handled basic one.
Shaky shots, bad framing, incorrect exposure, or careless focus all pull the audience out of the story.
Use tripods when stability matters
Use Steadicam or gimbals only with trained operators
Don’t move the camera unless the movement has purpose
Your camera is the audience’s eyes. If it feels careless, the whole film feels careless.
5. Being Late
Nothing kills momentum faster than lateness.
A film set is a chain reaction:
If wardrobe is late, actors are late
If actors are late, lighting waits
If lighting waits, everyone waits
This applies to everything — from Hollywood features to small branded-content shoots.
Being on time isn’t impressive. It’s expected.
Professional standard:
Arrive 15 minutes early. Always.
Final Thought
There’s a famous story about Bruno Coppola, son of Francis Ford Coppola, who once took on producing duties he wasn’t prepared for — including booking flights for talent. On day one of shooting, the lead actress was missing… because she wasn’t even in the country.
The lesson is simple: stick to what you know, and hire the right people for the right jobs.
That’s how mistakes are minimised.
That’s how productions stay calm.
And that’s how great crews earn their reputation — and keep it.
