EXT. OFFICE - DAY *
I felt great about my pitch. Now, all that was left, was the waiting. I had just met with a business owner to discuss a video project and the meeting couldn’t have gone better. It was just the opportunity I needed in my young career to really get things off the ground and moving in the right direction. I kept my fingers crossed, hoping that he would decide to hire me as his video producer. For the past couple of weeks I had been writing and preparing everything I needed for this meeting: the creative brief, storyboards, script ideas, the budget, my vision, etc. I was young and very eager.
Only 18 months previous I made the decision to give up a steady paycheck (in what was a very demoralizing environment) to go out on my own as an independent video producer. But the two clients I had lined up before I made this leap of faith didn’t have any other work for me after the initial videos were delivered. And I knew I didn’t want to be an event videographer for the rest of my career. What I really wanted was to build up a small video production house (around 4-5 team members) where we could serve as a middle tier between bigger-budget companies, and one-man-band low budget options. And this potential client now on the hook was (in my mind) an entry point into making that goal a reality.
I can’t remember exactly how long it was between the pitch meeting and the phone call, but I finally received the news I was hoping for: I had the job. I immediately went to work. I presented a contract with all the specifics and got my deposit; money that would help me rent the necessary gear, hire the cast & crew, and hire a graphic designer to help with artwork and packaging on the back end. It was a time of excitement, creativity, and positive anticipation of what lie ahead.
FLASH-FORWARD.
EXT. HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM - DAY
Several weeks later I found myself at a high school football stadium, unloading my camera gear for another job, feeling good. I had been hired to shoot a marching band competition. I was in high spirits because just a few days prior I had mailed** the video to my client from the first part of this story. I was proud of how it turned out. Now all I had to do was wait for the kudos, my final check, and the overflow of new clients that was sure to follow.
I was halfway up the bleachers heading toward the press box when my phone rang. It was my client. He decided to eschew any of the usual pleasantries and got straight to the point. And punches, I can assure you, he did not pull.
The onslaught was swift and disorienting. Words like “terrible,” and “awful” hit me like a right hook, along with phrases like, “What is this?” I staggered around the proverbial ring, trying to stay upright amidst the ferocious beating my emotions were taking. Then he landed the knockout blow: He let it be known that he showed the videos to his staff and they laughed because they were so bad.
My self-esteem hit the canvas with incredible force. The referee moved in to start the count, but there was no way I was going to recover. It was KO clinic among KO clinics (minus the ear biting). My mind raced. The negativity spiraled out of control.
He hates it.
I’ll never be able to fix it.
He’ll ask for all of his money back and I’ve already spent it on cast, crew, gear, and my pay.
He’ll bad-mouth me to everyone he knows.
I’ll never work in video production again.
How will I take care of my family?
In a matter of minutes I had mentally thrown in the towel. I listened to him as he ranted. This was not just a case of a dissatisfied client. He was legitimately angry. And now it was my problem. My stomach turned.
But then I managed to regain some composure.
I apologized profusely.
I assured him I would make it right, whatever it took.
I discussed next steps.
What came next was extremely difficult for me. I went through revision after revision after revision. I worked as hard as I could to recut everything into something that he would approve. I had to sit in on phone calls with him, listening to him pick apart my work, make angry demands, and threaten to withhold money.
I spent way more time on the job than I had budgeted. I lost money throughout the process; not only on that project, but on other potential jobs. Since I was the only employee in my fledgling business, the more time I spent on one client’s work meant less time for me to generate new business and work on other projects. It was awful and demoralizing.
But, as Kelly Clarkson would say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It took a lot of damage control, but I finally presented the client with a product he approved of and we ended on good terms. I learned quite a bit through the struggle.
Relationships - A difficult client forces you to communicate; to find out what went wrong and where; to manage expectations; to negotiate; to find solutions. Difficult clients force you into resolving conflicts to everyone's satisfaction. They help you learn what it takes to manage business relationships so clients will be willing to hire you again and, most importantly, recommend you to others.
Contractual Agreements - As a freelancer you often have to take on several different responsibilities. Sometimes this includes the drafting of contracts between yourself and your client. A difficult client can expose loopholes in your contract. Those situations force you to reevaluate the wording of your agreements for future jobs. Difficult clients bring to light those seemingly little details that you overlooked.
Alternative Solutions - When a difficult client hates what you presented, it forces you to think about your work from another perspective; it forces you to start from scratch and think creatively about how you can re-script, re-shoot, and/or re-edit the piece in new and different ways to give the client what he/she expects. And I believe that when you can develop the ability to execute the creative in a variety of ways, your work will be better off in the long run.
Despite the problems I had on this job, I now believe it helped me think more critically about my own work and create better videos. However, it isn't fun when you have to deal with a difficult client who constantly says "No" to everything you present. It's frustrating when that client can't seem to make up his/her mind about graphics, music, tone, pacing, etc. And it isn't very encouraging when you look back at your timesheet to see that you have invested way more time on the project that you ever thought you would.
But if you handle the situation with patience, understanding, and a positive attitude, and you manage to navigate to the other side safely, you will find that you’re able to withstand the haymakers that may come from a future client the next time you step into the ring.
* In case you’re wondering what these headings mean, they’re called slug lines.
** “Mailed?” you might be asking yourself. Yes, mailed… on VHS tape, no less. This story took place a few years ago.