Run-throughs before rolling—actors, director, camera block movement, timing, camera moves. Cuts wasted takes, builds trust between departments. Non-negotiable for complex sequences.
Rehearsals
Before shooting a scene, it's run through — and this isn't optional, it's craft. During the rehearsal process, the director, actors, camera, and often sound coordinate how a scene will actually play out. This means actors go through their movements, their looks, their pauses. The director sees where the tension lies, where someone is standing too long, where the reaction doesn't fit. The camera traces the same lines, tests depth of field and framing. The camera assistant finds the focus points. Sound checks if microphones are entering the frame or if a movement sounds too loud.
The economic aspect is brutally important: a poorly prepared scene costs a massive amount of time on set. The director shoots, then realizes the actress steps into the light three steps too late, that the camera movement isn't synchronized with the dialogue, that the background actor is visibly freezing. On set, one minute of reshooting is expensive — 50 to 200 Euros per minute, depending on the production. In rehearsal, this minute costs nothing. That's why experienced crews rehearse intensively.
The practice varies by budget: for large productions, there are dedicated rehearsal days, sometimes even one rehearsal day per shooting week. The director runs through scenes individually or in blocks, sits with actors, reads dialogue, discusses motivation. On smaller sets, rehearsals happen during the drive to the location or directly on set with minimal lead time. With documentation — smartphone videos of rehearsals — the director can communicate decisions faster, and actors can later recall the correct sequence of movements.
A common mistake: rehearsing too little because one thinks they are saving time. The opposite happens. A well-executed rehearsal with clear positions, distinct transitions, and tested camera movements leads to compressed actual shooting time — fewer takes, less delay due to misunderstandings. Good rehearsals also create confidence for actors: they know the space, the lighting situation, the camera proximity. This reduces nervousness and increases the quality of the performance.