What is a Sensible Shooting Ratio?
The shooting ratio is the average number of takes you require for each shot. If a director records only one take of each shot, and uses every one of those takes in the final edit with no wasted footage, the ratio would be 1:1. A practitioner of the dump-truck style might shoot 30:1, running each scene 30 times in various angles so the editor can assemble one final scene.
A sensible shooting ratio for most projects is somewhere between 4:1 and 10:1. Any less and you risk not getting the coverage you need; any more and you're wasting time and money.
Yes, DV tape is cheap and there are no direct cost penalties for shooting more takes. But keep in mind that you also need to conserve the energy, enthusiasm, and momentum ...
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