Less isn't more. More is more.
Your client needs more.
We crowded around the monitor to watch playback on the previous take. I stood at the center, flanked by my cinematographer and my producer. Peering over our shoulders was the client and the creative director.
We played it back twice as the rest of the cast and crew waited. Then we discussed specific things we wanted to try for the subsequent take; little adjustments here and there.
“Back to one!”
Everyone started the processing of resetting and, despite the heat, spirits were good and morale was high. The client was incredibly pleased with what we were capturing.
And that’s always a good feeling.
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We wrapped to a round of smiles and pats on the back minutes after the sun dipped below the tree line (as we had planned). My cinematographer, producer, and I gave the ‘ole “job-well-done” to the cast and crew, thanking them for their hard work. The client and the creative director walked over to me and reiterated how excited they were with the entire day’s production and how eager they were to see the finished product.
I had been prepping this shoot for weeks and it was encouraging to see everything come off without any major setbacks. Oh sure, we had to pivot a few times along the way. Even on the day of the shoot we had to quickly rethink how we were going to block our main actor when it was obvious that our original plan wasn’t going to materialize. But hey, I know how to pivot.
My concept for this project was pretty ambitious. When the creative director first brought the script to me, I could instantly see in my mind’s eye how I would like to shoot it. As I walked the creative director through my idea I could see that she was getting excited about it too (Remember, always be passionate about your ideas and learn how to communicate them articulately. If people can sense your passion and understand your vision, it will go a long way in helping you get buy-in for your ideas).
We spent several days honing in on the right sequence of shots, storyboarding everything from start to finish. We brought our ideas to the client, who signed off of the concept. He too seemed excited about the project’s potential.
Despite my previous experience, however, I was still caught off guard by just how much I would have to pivot during post-production.
It all started with the first client review. I assembled the spot exactly as it had been scripted. I followed the storyboards without any deviation. After all, I didn’t want to do anything that the client hadn’t already previously approved (I had learned during pre-production that this particular client didn’t like surprises). I felt good about the edit, but then came the client’s reaction and comments. For some reason, he seemed underwhelmed; not nearly as excited as he was while on set.
He asked if we could change up the order of the shots.
He asked if we could tighten up in certain places, shaving frames here and there.
He asked if we could push in on certain things within the frame.
He asked if we could cut away to inserts of other actors in the background.
Now, ordinarily, these comments wouldn’t be a big deal. It’s par-for-the-course when you work in this business. The problem was that my entire concept hinged on a one-take look. Each camera move and talent blocking had to be locked to a very specific timing. So, for example, if my client asked that I let a shot linger on a specific actor or object, I knew that it was impossible because the entire video had been shot in real time.
From the very first review I knew that I would be losing my original one-take idea. The client decided that he wanted to chop it up and reorder the sequence.
Okay, I can handle that.
Sure, I hated to lose that concept because I was pretty proud of how it turned out, but I’ve learned that in a subjective business like video/film production, a project is written three times:
On the page
During the shoot
During the edit
…and sometimes you have to swallow your own pride and forfeit feelings of ownership in order to please the client and collect payment for the job. And so I reordered the edit (per the client’s feedback) and came back with two or three options for review.
It was then that I learned another valuable career lesson:
Always get COVERAGE.
During the next round, the client asked for inserts and cutaways I just didn’t have. I didn’t understand.
The client signed off on the concept. He saw the storyboards.
The client was on set that day.
I showed him playback on the client monitor to get his approval.
I thought I was safe to shoot a one-take look in real time. I didn’t think I needed coverage because of our pre-production discussions.
What does that mean, practically speaking? Well, it means that you may have to budget for a second day of shooting when you thought you only needed one. Spend the first day getting everything you need to meet the requirements of the script and the creative brief. Then, on the second day, shoot extra coverage even if you don’t think you’ll need it. This will give you plenty of options in the edit. This approach has other benefits too. Extra coverage can be repurposed for many other needs your client may have: website banner videos, social media posts, long-form edits, alternate edits… anything.
We see this all the time in advertising. Consider the recent State Farm ads with Jason Bateman starring as the less-than-ideal hero “Bate-Man.” They shot enough to produce this long-form spot, from which they created several :30s, :15s, and pre-roll ads. All because they took the time to shoot more.
So, despite what your client agrees to, always, always, always get coverage.
Lesson learned.