In filmmaking, there’s a metric called “Shooting Ratio” which measures the amount of footage recorded compared to the amount of footage used in the final release.

“5:1” is considered a pretty good shooting ratio since it means that 5 minutes of footage was recorded for every one minute of footage that appears on screen. Apocalypse Now, a famously troubled production that almost bankrupted Francis Ford Coppola, had a shooting ratio of 95:1. In other words, Coppola recorded over 200 hours of footage that ultimately resulted in a theatrical film with a 153 minute running time.

The point?

80% of footage is left on the cutting room floor, and that’s under ideal circumstances.

There are many times when I go out to film CapyTube videos and come home with nothing.

Sometimes the Capybaras aren’t in the park.

Sometimes the capys are hanging out in an area that’s inaccessible or they’re too far away to record clearly.

And sometimes the Capybaras aren’t doing anything particularly exciting.

Case in point, this picture…

The capys were grazing together in the park. But they weren’t doing anything exciting or interesting enough to warrant making a video.

Still, time spent in nature with Capybaras is time well spent!

Thank you for reading and have a terrific Thursday!

- CapyTube