It happened again...

So again I took on a project in which I would be gaffer. It was for no pay because

1.) I need the experience
2.) It seemed like a great project to work on
3.) I enjoy doing it

Back to my point. After several weekends of work and lots of travel we got the project completed. Well I just got to watch a trailer for the film and guess what? I counted 4 different shots with light kits in them. I even made sure to ask before nearly each shot if it looks good and are my lights in the way. I was assured they weren't. Does anyone have any tips and how I can keep this from happening in the future? As a gaffer I am not the one shooting the actual piece, so I don't get the final view. Does anyone else seem to have this problem? Thanks in advance for any tips that anyone may have.
 
The monitors are restrictive if you don't have anyone to look at it, so yes, then it's just an object. Else it's super useful, but that goes without saying.

Next time tape some reflectors... they will see the lights better, doh! If they filmed hand hold, then it's very easy to get mics or lights on the way, else, they should have avoid it.
Even we, as totally amateurs, check for mics, people, lights, cables are not in frame...
I trend to move my hands around mics and light poles so the camera person (or myself) can see if there is anything moving. Else it's hard to differentiate it on a small screen.

Well, I hope your guys have some skills in editing to remove all that.
 
But that screams amateur. And the rest of the world does care if it is in the shot. Doesn't that matter to you?

Yep, if I failed in my job on set (which is what this would really mean), and I had a take with a B grade performance that was clean, and a take with an A+ performance with a boom shadow, I'd use the clean shot with the "B" grade performance 100% of the time.
 
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