Overcoming Obstacles
As a filmmaker, I've learned that for better or for worse, the process of bringing a project to life is never a straight line.
Obstacles, failure, and redirection are all part of the journey, and it's how we respond to them that determines our ultimate success.
A few weeks ago, I had to make the decision to scale down on my original production plan. I didn’t get the budget I needed to shoot on a fancy green screen stage in New York City, my pre-production was behind schedule, and I didn’t have enough money to hire a professional crew in the city. It sucked - and what sucked even more was having to tell everyone I failed.
Except, I didn’t fail - not really. It was more of a pivot. I had a teacher look over my pitch deck and production plan shortly before I decided to make this shift, and he said something that I simply couldn’t deny. He said “A good producer knows when to quit, and when to regroup.”
This was a difficult decision to make, as I had to sacrifice certain aspects of the project that I had originally envisioned. However, I knew that it was the right decision for the project and that it would ultimately allow me to tell the story I wanted to tell on a realistic scale.
Even after scaling down, each new step in pre-production brought its own set of challenges. I cast my lead - only to lose two of my supporting actors. I found the perfect location - only for them to discover that they double booked us. I pivoted, and found a new, even more perfect location. We’re still waiting to hear back from that one. I pushed my production dates back, resulting in more crew availability, but at the cost of a few crew having to step off. I cut an expense in one line of the budget, just to add it right back into other areas that have incurred more expenses. It’s a push and pull.
However, each obstacle is an opportunity to learn and grow. I try my best to “put my faith in the film gods” and assume that everything that happens is for a reason, and ultimately will serve the interest of the project. I've found that being flexible and open to new ideas can often lead to even better outcomes.
Currently, I'm in the midst of pre-production, and we've been holding department head and creative meetings to discuss how each element will be working with the others. It’s crucial that the aesthetic and tone of the film is consistent and unifying throughout all elements of production - so we spend a lot of time talking with the department heads to ensure that we will be achieving this. For example, we just had an extensive conversation about the dimension and shape of our tents - my DP needs to know the sizes, shapes, and colors of everything so she can light the scene properly, my Production Designer needs to know how much tent fabric to get and how we want it rigged, and I need to know exactly what I want so I can communicate it to them. We've also completed a first rough pass of the VFX worlds we're building and are working on refining them. Casting and location scouting are ongoing, and we're continuing to make adjustments as necessary. My fantastic producing team has been working to streamline some elements of pre-production, which allows me to start deep diving into my director work, which I could not be more excited about.
Let’s be real - the process of bringing a project to life is never easy, and obstacles and challenges are inevitable. However, by embracing a willingness to learn and grow, and being open to re-directing when necessary, we choose to allow the project to grow and evolve in ways we did not originally anticipate, ultimately leading to a better product than I could have originally imagined. As I move forward in pre-production, I'm excited to continue working with my team to tackle each new challenge that comes our way.
