We’ve all heard of the ‘10,000 hours’ rule. It was first introduced by Malcolm Gladwell as the glass ceiling of practice needed for gaining ‘mastery’ in any field.

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The number itself has become a subject of criticism and even scientific study but it is merely the bar Gladwell set to reach the next level in your specialty. What holds true is the dedication and experience needed to gain this highest level of working capacity. When it comes to a film shoot, the need for experts in all areas is integral to getting the best work. Experience will always show on the screen.

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When putting together top talent for a shoot, experienced professionals is something that a producer is always looking out for. It’s much the same as a conductor employing the finest musicians for each section of his symphony orchestra. This talent is accrued over years of blood, sweat and (mostly) tears spent on a set. There really is no substitute for the hours spent on the job, working with a team of dedicated professionals to solve problems as they happen. 

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The day in the life of a shoot

Even before a single frame has been captured the production will have been planned to account for every single minute. Preparation is the blood brother of experience. The hardened veterans will always give a shoot the respect it deserves by planning for every eventuality and leave nothing to chance. It’s also when you’ll build your team and make sure the right level of expertise is drafted in at the right time. The key to making stunning content that converts is all about finding specialists in each department.

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Call time. It’s two words that mean so much in the industry. It’s a call to arms for those soldiers of fortune who have dedicated their lives to the cause of film. To the make up artists, the art directors, the actors, the directors and producers of this world, it's the moment where they get to flex their talent and expertise. They are primed to go and ready for anything. Each day is a battle against the clock and if you don’t have the right skills on board then the time will soon tick away. 

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“You have a group of people trying to accomplish a mission greater than themselves; it's not about you. You have a role, you have to know your role within that team.”

Adam Driver - Actor

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The knock on effect of having a weak link in the team will cost you time and ultimately money. Let’s say you decide to scrimp on the make-up dept and get in someone who is a bit cheaper but has a lot less experience to do the job for you. On the day they crack under pressure and can’t get the actors ready in time. That means you’ve got a team of people standing around twiddling their thumbs and a time precious schedule pushed to breaking point. It all comes down to understanding the importance of each and every position, and giving them the respect that they’re due. 

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Ultimately, the more budget you dedicate to finding the best professionals around, the more it will pay off at every stage of the production. It’s easy to look at the granular detail and assess it on a pennies and pounds basis. But investing your money in dedicated specialists, who have built up expertise over decades, is about adding value to your content. The value of a team member who is the best at what they do will cost you less in wasted time, through on set problem solving and quick post-production fix ups.

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Experience that shows

When the talent is all ushered into position, the 1st AD is shouting orders to his crew and the director is making last second adjustments to the shot. When you’re on set, it’s easy to forget the symposium of knowledge, skills and good honest hard work at play. The time sensitive nature of a shoot means there is always a need to get through the day quickly. This is where experience will really show. The experienced hands will know exactly how to get the most from the time you have on your shoot.

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The nature of a commercial shoot means that the clock is always ticking. Compare this to the marathon of a drama or a film production that may span many months, the luxury of time is not always available to the sprint of a commercial shoot. The shoot days are tight and getting content to broadcast can come right down to the line. What if you’ve got a 30 minute window to shoot the footballing superstar in your ad and your lighting set up goes on the fritz? That’s going to take an expert lighting technician to fix. Or, an edit that needs to be live on TV by the end of the week? That’ll take a crack editor to turn around with time to spare for amendments. There are any number of occasions where experience will save you those valuable seconds, minutes and hours that can make all the difference.

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One great example of this was our work with NOW Music, creating a TV commercial that would span the decades of hits they offered in their new app. The problem needed a creative solution and technical know how to get a result that hit the brief. We wanted to travel through the ages in one household from the 80’s to the modern day but in one sweeping shot. It took 4 purpose built sets, a full studio ‘live’ edit suite, countless costume changes for our acting family, a steadicam operator and a truck full of props and furniture. 

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This level of production means that you need only the best people at the helm. The unique way we approached the shoot meant we had to draft in a team capable of doing justice to the creative. The fact that it was a one day shoot made it even more important to get the right team together.  Our in-house team of experts and network of freelance professionals means we can crew up for any type of shoot. It’s our job to make sure you get a team of “A” players, who can handle life in the production trenches. We know that when the going gets tough, we let our experience show.

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