Should I redo my short film or settle with the final product?

Hello all!

A month and a half ago I decided to film direct a short. It's been two years since I have directed/shot my own project. It was a very exciting process.


Looking back on, I realized technically speaking, the film could be better and I wanted to reshoot.

My Reasons:

Technically Speaking, the film could be better. A particle got on the lens, in the opening scenes a few shots had a smudge on it. The average viewer probably would not notice but anyone with a good eye would and that really bothered me. I want to elevate to the next level and the work I am doing needs to reflect that. Amateur mistakes cannot be acceptably.

The film didnt take long to shoot. Only half a day, If I was shooting multiple days I would probably suck it up but since shooting time was short I dont mind investing that time again

I am a stronger filmmaker now - I know which scenes I want to make stronger and I will also assembly a small crew to not overload myself like I did last time which I feel like effected my performance as a director. I did everything on my own last time which was my mistake. This time I want to utilize more resources

The main conflict I am having are the feelings of the actors who were in the last project. I filmed the original project 2 hours away but I feel like it is best to reshoot locally. It was stressful for my getting up there.

I had a lead actress, who was in every scene (3 total) and 3 minor ones who improvised. I told one of them I plan on reshooting and they got emotional because they felt as though I am cutting them out and didn't value the work they did which I totally understand. I am open to working with them again but due to distance it may not be possible.

Right now I feel as though achieving my vision is the utmost priority. This is an amazing idea and this year I told myself I will be aggressive on seeking more opportunities. So the work I put out has to reach the technical level I wanted. I feel like it makes sense for me to reshoot, filming the project did not take long. And crew wise there are people willing to help me. The only snag would be getting new locations, but I am ready for anything and to put the work in.


People of IndieTalk, am I being an asshole? Should I suck it up?
 
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You could chalk the first effort up to being your test shoot and start over totally, as long as you can really step it up. What will happen if it turns out the same? Do you have the money and resources to be able to step it up? Also how good is the story? If this is a passion project, sure start over. If this is just some average story because you needed one, NO, do not start over. Finish it and move on to the next.
 
It depends on what you want to do with the short. If it is only to show it locally or through YouTube or something similar, just finish it and move on. However, if your intention is to send it to festivals, then you might want to reshoot to give it a change to win.
 
If you have trusted filmmaker friends who are good at what they do, have them check it out. The flaws you obsess over may not be noticeable to anyone else. And they can possibly give you advice first hand whether to reshoot or scrap it. Remember that everyone has different tastes. I have filmmaker friends who are GOOD but are also the worst critics. Get multiple opinions and use that consensus as a general starting point.
 
If it was just for a minor flaw in the image, I'd say don't do it. Mostly because you had people who wanted to be a part of it, gave their time to it, and now will be cut out of it.
However, you said there were other things you wanted to add/improve/enhance or whatever. That does change my calculus, but without more detail, I can't form an opinion.
I'd also echo some of the other things that have been said. Just remember that content trumps quality. If it's a good concept and you did a decent job with it, the story will stand on it's own. I have never loved a movie more because I saw it on BluRay vs. an old school DVD.
 
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