You're on location for a shoot, but your camera monitor is broken. How will you get the perfect shot?

My Eyes......Monitor? I'm from the old school. We had to walk 5 miles in the snow with out shoes to get a shot...............

I recommend watching episode 8 of the fourth season of "Boris," which is available on Disney+. The episode cleverly presents a scenario where one of the cameras fails due to an LC3 not connecting to an MC2.

New to the biz? Listen, to everything. Ask questions, when appropriate. Look attentive, and engaged. PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN. Stop texting constantly and be in the present moment. Your absolute laser focus is required. If you appear not engaged, not listening, or distracted, at critical moments, you may be written off as not having what it takes. Back in the olden days, there was ONE PHONE on set, usually carried by a 2nd AD or a PA. It was large, clunky, and a total albatross. Everyone needed it. It would be handed out to best boys and crew as needed, so they could call the office or their crew for the next day. There was nothing streamline about it. Put your phone away, and participate in the art of filmmaking.

The answer is the question. If the monitor is truly broken, you can’t see to make “the perfect shot.” You find another line of work. So, you sell off what remaining gear works, you get an MBA through an online course, you find a job at a major pharma company as a sales rep, then you live out your days having endless meetings, always looking forward to the next weeklong convention in Orlando where the company will shower you with gifts and high end tchotchkes that no one really wants, but let’s face it, you’re a magpie now, so it’s shiny and you take them. Perfect shot? Forget about that, you’re in sales now.

In fact happened to my team while shooting during the weekend in a small town and very far away from the rental. Although we have had a camera test before, both of our teradek weren’t working and we only got the replacements the next day, so we decided to change the shoot schedule and shoot all the static shots to be able to control the focus better. So I would say, trust your technician, your crew and think outside the box.

Look thru the camera! Look thru the camera! Look thru the camera! Look thru the camera! Look thru the camera! Look…………….

The viewfinder is the best option of getting a clear, balanced coverage. One that is not determined or aided by the added brightness that the monitor offers

In my experience, viewfinder is the best for composition and focus on the image being captured. I’d prefer the viewfinder over monitor any given instance.

Check the framing through the viewfinder. Once you're ok with it, let the DoP do his/her job, you focus on the performance. Monitors are a luxury, anyway.

I think this is a no-brainer. You have to look through the viewfinder for framing and turn on zebra patterns for exposure. If the viewfinder isn't good enough to show focus (rare), take a distance measurement and do it manually.

Monitor is nice for setting up the shot, but back when film was used, there were few monitors. You’ll have to pull out the measuring tape to note the distance in relation to your f-stop and what sort of depth of field you were hoping for with your shot. Use a light meter to determine the exposure. If you are worried and/or don’t know how to do measure light or depth of field, turn your camera on auto and set up your shot that way, using only the viewfinder and the camera’s auto-functions. If your producer or director need to see the shot, pull out your smartphone to give them an idea of what the framing will look like with what you set up.

Shoot max resolution of your camera or open gate if available. Frame wide enough to crop later. Use eye-autofocus. Use viewfinder. With experience you know how much a 24mm or 35mm will capture in frame. Use laptop for quick check if available. Tether it if available. Use Wifi/Bluetooth to connect to phone if the camera model supports. Get hdmi cable easily available in any small town. Get going. Don't stop.

Improvise. The next best thing is your smartphone. Thank goodness most if not all digital filmmaking equipment can work wirelessly. A little system setting and you’re all set. But ultimately, the function of a Director is to watch the performances of the actor during that shoot. The Director has to trust the Cinematographer to do his or her job. That’s why you worked with that person in the first place. By focusing on directing the actors, you leave opportunities for improvisation and magical moments to present itself for cinematographer to capture.

Siempre confía en tu ojo y experiencia combinando la luz y el encuadre, lo demás saldrá solo. (Díselo a nuestros amigos los analógicos)

Carefully review your footage, paying close attention to the details, composition, and overall quality. If you identify areas that can be improved, consider reshooting those particular shots to achieve a higher standard. Taking the time to refine and enhance your footage through reshooting demonstrates a commitment to delivering a polished and professional end product. This iterative process ensures that your final result meets your creative vision and exceeds the expectations of your audience.

Review the footage, on my laptop. I can edit and I know how that process works ( something that I feel every producer should know ) start reviewing with your client in that way and make sure it is not causing any delay to your shot but also making sure everyone is happy on set.

Even with a functioning monitor, reviewing footage before striking or leaving a set or moving on with your production is critical. The only time this is not possible is with a film crew and with a professional DP you shouldn't have to worry much. Knowing what you have in the can or what must be shot again is a simple process in modern digital times. But the more obvious answer is carry a redundant monitor. Barring that, trust the camera viewfinder even if it is in B&W because the camera "should" have shot color. Always make sure you white balance and are confident the camera is working properly by shooting and testing footage prior to the critical day of shooting. Know your equipment. Trust your process. Check all you can.

Approach to reviewing footage is thorough and professional. Reviewing on different devices can help identify any device-specific issues. Checking for quality, continuity, and performance is crucial for a successful final product. Reshooting or editing in post-production are good solutions if the footage doesn’t meet expectations. Additionally, consider taking notes during the review process to keep track of potential issues or standout moments. This can be helpful during the editing process. Remember, it’s always better to have more footage than needed, so don’t hesitate to take extra shots.

It already happened to me in one shoot. I check the footage on the laptop before changing the camera position or lighting. If you don't have any good laptop to preview the footage, you better wait for the replacement monitor. Nothing is more important than the visuals.

Shooting without a monitor in the modern age is almost always a non-option. The best thing you can learn from experience is that, if it can break it will break, and you need to be prepared with a backup option. This lesson best learned before you even start shooting. Experience and knowledge can help you skate by, but you'll take a few days of your life from the stress that will cause.

Preparedness is all about redundancies. Think of a backup and a backup for the backup. You never know what can happen, especially when things are moving quickly on set. Equipment gets damaged, people forget the quirks of gear or processes like working with SDI signals. It's just a fact of the job. You should always have a solution for when something inevitably happens.

Well first of all don’t loose your mind. If you are with a team that you regularly work with and have done pre-production with that will reduce your anxiety by 50%. Now, ofcourse depending on what equipment you have, try connecting your laptop using the wire. I almost always hv my laptop with me and bag has various conversion wires. If you have an iPad or good Mobile phone try connecting that wirelessly. Worst comes worth, if nothing is working trust your Instinct & DP. Check initial framing and then let it flow. Look at the action with your eyes - as the camera rolls. Then if time permits quickly review the shots.

Learning from challenging experiences is insightful. Shooting without a monitor indeed tests your improvisation skills, trust in your abilities, and teamwork. It also teaches valuable lessons in equipment maintenance, contingency planning, and foresight. These experiences, although stressful, can significantly enhance your problem-solving skills and resilience. They can also lead to discovering new techniques or workflows that you might not have considered otherwise. Remember, every challenge overcome is a step forward in your journey of growth and learning in the field. Keep embracing these opportunities!

Trabajar en equipo es saber delegar y hablar en voz baja con cada miembro del equipo de trabajo. Cualquier inconveniente hay que tener un plan B

Well, viewfinder is the key. Anyways the monitors are never exactly aligned as well as the viewfinder. Look into the viewfinder for composition. Watch the recorded shot and move on...

Remember the days when all we had was an eyepiece? Beef up your study of composition, lighting, even math with respect to lenses, distance, f-stops etc. That way, even if you forgot your second monitor, you will have been using that external monitor only out of convenience and not necessity.

Back in the day, I had rented a camera for a helicopter shoot. When I got to the airport and opened the case, there was no eyepiece on the camera.The helicopter was booked for a certain time (@ $1500 per hour - way before drones!) so there was no calling the rental house and getting something else. This is when knowing how to do what you were trained to do comes into play. I knew this camera inside and out. I knew the lens, the focal length, zoom, iris - everything. I shot the entire time without ever "seeing" the shot until I came back, took the BetaSP tape out and got it to a deck to review. It was great! Saved my butt and my client's money for a reshoot. Look at everything on this list and be ready to do whatever you can to save the day.

Depending on the production, a decent solve for an inoperative cam monitor can be a smart phone. There are apps free/paid options to explore wireless camera monitoring via phone device. Doesn’t hurt to have a tried and tested smart phone backup monitor plan for all shoots. There are limitations such as latency and incremental costs to unlock additional features, however, if the viewfinder alone is unbearable and you need to monitor picture in real time, smart phone may be an effective solve.

Use the backup you thought to bring with you! Only a total newbie would bring ONE of anything to a film set! That is the first rule of filming, bring a backup and often a backup to THAT backup, so this cannot happen!