I am often asked my favourite part of a production; whether I love the thrill of the shoot (especially so when sod’s law or nature works against you), or the developmental stage as the creative idea unfolds during pre-production.
I have to say I love the shift when key people come on board – the director, the DOP, the set designer, or the location manager whose lateral thinking seems to peak most on the jobs with the shortest schedules, or when the budget dictates no overnight stays.
I also enjoy a healthy head to head with the 1st AD while we thrash out the best use of available shoot time, which provides an ironic smile when the weather works against what we both agreed was the best day for that pre-dawn call.
Above all, I love the challenges a production places on the budget once you are past the go ahead stage, forcing everyone to come up with solutions that will take the creative idea in different, and often even better direction.
Working with clients as a senior producer at the Central Office of Information meant I also gained the advantage of having an insight into the ‘other side’ of the process.
Understanding how the lack of transparency was causing frustrations on both sides and causing problems later on, it rewarded me with one of the most valuable assets on any job – have a solution ready up your sleeve that you can present in a way that suits all.
There is no greater experience than having stood on a set and the lead actor doesn’t turn up, or in the middle of a field when the tail-end of Hurricane Shazam hits an area of Wales that previously had enjoyed the best micro-climate in the UK, but its those challenges that often provide the best outcome.
Delivering a final edit to a happy client is a great feeling, but knowing that you got there by working as a team, with an equally happy crew and director, is the part of the job that leaves me feeling most satisfied.