We need to shoot inside a taxi. My instinct is to grab one and pay the cabbie for a couple hours of time. Producers say no, unacceptable, so they pay three times the price to get a professional “movie taxi” brought in. It takes a long time to load off the flatbed. They try to start it up and it doesn’t start. Try again. Nothing. Pop the trunk. Aha… Dead battery. 90 minutes later, producers hail a cab and pay the driver for a couple hours of time. We lose two hours of shooting time which translates into cutting two scenes and butchering a third. If you're directing, trust your instincts. And if you rent a cab, check the damn battery.