The interview set when we arrived on the left. After on the right.
When looking for the right production company, you, of course, want to hire people with relevant experience and a track record of success…and you also want to hire people who can roll with the punches and think on their feet.
Such was the case, when we were recently hired to shoot what we were told was “just an hour or so…” of video interviews for an international law firm. This was in preparation for their annual summit, near our offices in Palm Beach. Although we participated in numerous calls in preparation for the shoot, our point person, an associate who was out of state, knew just a bit about the vision of her internal client. We arrived on location with our standard field package, including two cameras, lighting and sound gear.
When we walked our assigned conference room, we were shown all the props and set pieces (contained in the photo on the left…1 chair), but were quickly told that the real vision had not been properly relayed.
“Can we shoot interviews with a moderator and a guest, and if possible to make it look like a network news ‘talk show’?” the client asked.
Our team exchanged looks, smiled, and got to work.
The in-house catering manager and “destination management pro” on site kindly dropped everything to help us. Within ten next minutes, we pulled together potted plants, vases, and candles, reconfigured the set to make use of a corner, and found some framing elements, such as a portable wall. Within thirty minutes, we had our base-lighting scheme, props, and talent in place. Then it was just a matter of directing the talent through their interviews.
The take-away? Thinking on one’s feet is part of every producer’s job. Preparation is key, but we must always also be prepared for the unexpected, and, when it does, find creative solutions that work.