Film Production: Filming Problems

Filming Problems

Today we experienced a problem while shooting. We were trying to create a running shot where the camera follows the action and runs along side on a dolly.
From previous filming sessions this shot proved impossible as we were trying to film in the woods. The problems lay with the Dolly not running at all on the forest floor and as this is an A level production, our film budget isn't big enough to lay tracks in the woods or to flatten the floor.
Today, (our second attempt at filming this shot) my solution to our problem was that Jennifer would run alongside the edge of a smooth road with woods in the background. The dolly would run along the road creating a smooth motion tracking shot. The camera would be zoomed in enough to cover the road and would create the effect that the camera is motion tracking Jennifer. Our problem today with this shot was that the road, although flat was not suitable as it wasn't perfectly smooth. This jolted the camera giving an unprofessional look.
I am annoyed that this shot could not be used and our only solution is to use a mixture of match on action, panning shots and still shots to create a running scene. (please see my post on filming usability for more information about this problem)