Solve on-set problems in editing or color grading later — not now. Pragmatic sometimes, dangerous habit always.
On set, you notice a hard shadow edge, the lighting isn't quite right, or a movement could be sharper — and quickly, the phrase comes up: "We'll fix it in post." This isn't just an excuse; it's the reality of modern film production. Digital intermediates, color correction, and NLE editing now enable things that were unthinkable fifteen years ago. But therein lies the trap: the phrase becomes a habit, a convenience — and in the end, you're sitting at the editing bay realizing that four weeks of rotoscoping and keyframing await you, where you could have saved seconds on set.
The practice is nuanced. Technical corrections belong in post-production: a white balance that didn't work when switching between artificial light and daylight, a slight stabilization of a handheld shot, the removal of a reflected monitor in the background. Here, the effort pays off because it remains minimal and the quality increases. It's different when you convince yourself that a flawed performance, a bad extra, or a wrong location choice can be "somehow fixed" later. That's self-deception. An actor who flubs their line won't be improved by color correction. An extra looking into the camera won't disappear through blur.
On set, you decide on image quality, look, lighting, performance — these are your only chances. In the edit, you optimize what's there. A good DoP and an experienced production designer know: every euro you invest in preparation and set work saves you three times that in post. Conversely, a botched shoot can become a bottomless pit in post-production. The producer won't ask you to justify the correction then — they'll only see the time and costs exploding.
The motto, therefore, is: use post-production capabilities for what they are intended for — fine-tuning, correction, design. But don't rely on it as a strategy. Before shooting begins, you need a plan; on set, you need concentration; and in post-production, you need time to make the best of the material — not to save it.