How Do You Adapt Your Production Strategy in Response to Unforeseen Circumstances?
To understand how to navigate unexpected challenges in film and video production, we asked industry professionals to share their experiences. From adapting to unforeseen circumstances to staying calm and trusting your team, here are the top five stories from video producers and creative directors on how they successfully adapted their production strategies.
- Adapt to Unforeseen Circumstances
- Prioritize Shots and Adjust Schedule
- Embrace Changes and Stay Positive
- Extend Filming Timeline for Larger Story
- Stay Calm and Trust Your Team
Adapt to Unforeseen Circumstances
Just about every single shoot has unforeseen circumstances. Most are minor, but occasionally they are significant. We work through it. By focusing on the goals of the project and being flexible, we find ways to still have a successful project no matter what obstacles we face. It's just what we do.
Prioritize Shots and Adjust Schedule
We were filming a car commercial when a delivery van crashed into the rear of the car on set. There were only two prototype models of the car in the U.S., and we would have to wait a day for the second to be delivered. We had to go back to the storyboards and prioritize the shots where the rear of the car was not visible, and additionally, bring Day 2 content forward to Day 1. Ultimately, this was less efficient than the original plan, but with some overtime from the crew, we were able to deliver the full project on time.
Embrace Changes and Stay Positive
There is a saying, 'Fail to plan, plan to fail.' This is very true for video shoots. And even if you plan, things will never go your way. But we are filmmakers; we have to adapt and make the best out of it with a smile on our faces.
There was an interesting shoot we did. It was one long take, on a moving vehicle. We had to film 40 people at one go in super-slow motion using the Phantom high-speed camera. We recced the perfect spot, and my ideal time of the day to shoot this was at 4 p.m., when the sun would be at the perfect spot for this location. This was going to be shot in an open, deserted ground without any shelters or buildings nearby.
We had to be prepared for anything. The production team had to organize tents for the talents to protect them from the hot sun, porta-toilets, and a separate water tank for the toilets to be dropped and set up. The rain forecast was good and clear for that day of the shoot.
On the day of the shoot, we all arrived right after lunch, set up, and rehearsed our shot with the talents. And we were about to go for a take when it suddenly started to rain. We all scrambled to take shelter. It wasn't a light rain; it was very heavy and very windy, and our tents almost flew off. We had to hold them down. We were all soaked.
But thankfully, the rain stopped after an hour. It was close to 5 p.m. We reset everything. And as we were about to roll, the beautiful sun came out, and we got the take with the 40 talents in 3 runs. The shot turned out better than I expected, and the sun was much lower and warmer. The skies behind the talents were blue.
The forced delay to the shoot added more magic to the shot, and it was worth the effort and getting wet. The universe and Mother Nature were telling us something, and we obeyed it.
Everybody went back home with a smile. That's the beauty of filmmaking; we have to embrace the change, and I always believe things always happen for a reason.
Extend Filming Timeline for Larger Story
In 2016, I began shooting my 2024 documentary film, The American Question, which explores the roots of American polarization and distrust in a quest for unity amidst division. Initially, we thought that we were going to film for 2 years, crafting a story around the 2018 election. But as we got through filming, observing trust between Americans breaking down rapidly, we realized the narrative we wanted to tell was a much larger canvas.
This required us to keep pushing our timeline further, ultimately landing on an 8-year filming journey, which resulted in the film audiences will see in fall 2024. To pull this off was no easy task. It required a lot of buy-in from our investors, explaining how we needed time to see how society would change, and their trust that we would execute on that vision.
Through explaining clearly the storytelling need, and laying out a practical, sensible budget, we were able to succeed. Instead of filming constantly, we would treat each shoot like a summer camp, going back and forth to various subjects and experts at different times, containing production and our timeline. This allowed us to edit The American Question over an 8-year period, cutting out the elements that weren't relevant over time, and figuring out which story threads to follow.
In my career, I have never directed a film like this, so the hardest part was the mental stamina to know we could make it to completion. Sometimes, especially in a documentary, the unforeseen circumstance is the story itself. Being able to adapt, and convince your stakeholders why you have to do it, is the essential component of moving your production strategy along.
Stay Calm and Trust Your Team
When situations demand that you adjust your production strategy, let your purpose and vision be your guiding light. Above all, stay calm and remember to trust your team, communicate clearly, prioritize critical steps, and always remember the primary objective. Working together, production teams can produce high-quality work that may even be superior with the pressure turned on.