Nothing ever goes as planned- plan for that.
You can plan something, anything- a shoot, a meeting, even a simple lunch date- well in advance and still have hiccups occur when it comes time to put it into action. Regardless of how thorough you are in your planning, there is always room for something to go off track. It’s easy to let this worry consume your mind and get caught up in the “what-ifs”, but recognizing that mistakes are inevitable is crucial in overcoming them and getting your project back on the right track. Here are a few tips on how to deal with obstacles as you encounter them.
1. “Yes, and…” This is the golden rule of improvisation. What this essentially means is to accept any and all challenges that are thrown at you with open arms, and work with your partner or partners in a project to build upon it. To say “no” or “but”, to shoot down or deny anything that is thrown at you, slows down progress and helps nobody. It’s important to grit your teeth and work with what you have.
2. Make your partner(s) look good. Teamwork is essential to any project, and as you probably already know, there is no “I” in “team”. When you are operating a project with a team, you are no longer just an individual, but a crucial mechanism in a larger machine. If things go wrong, act as a team! Don’t spend time putting someone else down.
3. Reflection and Future Growth. Any feedback, criticism, or reflection that may come up during a project should be brought up again once it ends, and this reflection period can be where you determine what to include or cut out during your next project. Reflecting on the high and lows of your project allows for everyone to understand and celebrate what went well, as well as recognize what didn’t go so well and understand how to prevent those hiccups in the future.
If you browse through some of our older blog posts (such as this one on shooting outside in natural lighting and this one on interviewing subjects), you will quickly see that regardless of all the tips we can share with you based on our own experiences during the production process, we frequently advise adaptation as something to embrace. No two shoots are the same, and even with the information we provide, you will inevitably run into something unexpected that you don’t have time to reach out and ask about. However, if you do have questions, feel free to reach out to us here- we are happy to help you on your project however we can!