Watching an editor edit can sometimes be like watching a speck of water evaporate from the table.  It will feel that slow and yes boring.  When working with an editor there are several things I’ve learned over the years, and one of them is never sit in the same room leaning over their shoulders waiting for them to make the next cut.  It’s absolute torture for me and it’s probably annoying for the editor to have a producer tell them to shave five frames off the head of a dissolve while their still in the middle of cutting the piece.  Geez… once the timeline is down the editor will need to go through it a few times and get a sense of the pacing, make their own changes and adjustments, select different shots without someone sitting behind them watching their every keystroke.  Just imagine you’re in the middle of writing a script and someone behind you has a suggestion for every comma, preposition or adjective, while you’re still formulating your thoughts. You might just want to turn around and slap some sense into them.

Here’s how I work with editors –

Typically, I’ll string the time line together in FCP or Avid to get the story down.  Then I’ll turn it over to the editor.  At this point I’m very close to the story.  I’ve written it, I’ve shot it, I’ve screened the material and I’ve created a rough cut.  Time for some fresh, creative, professional eyes to take it to the next level and bring another dimension to the storytelling.

I’ll give the editor the script, my log sheets, notes, and footage that absolutely must be in the segment.  If animation has been created, I’ll supply that as well, unless the editor is going to create them in After Effects.  Once I  hand everything over I walk away.  Yes, walk away.  Let him or her work with it  like a sculptor with clay. Let them put their creative stamp on it, and see where it takes the piece.  You can always pull back.  But it takes longer to get something out of an editor if you’ve shut them down from the beginning by saying this is the way it has to be, no changes, no exceptions. (more…)

Every once in a while the DP of choice becomes the DP Diva, and then the shoot becomes absolute agony. Speaking from personal experience, it’s a situation that makes you want to open up a yogurt stand and forget you were ever involved with television production. From requesting last minute lenses, lights, and dollys to being nasty and even yelling at the crew, a situation like that can be untenable.  But this is where you have dig deep into the center of your producer soul, strap on a pair of balls and get the show produced with the least amount of collateral damage.

Be Decisive
When the DP is being unreasonable or demanding, never let him see you sweat.  If you’re lip quivers, if you appear indecisive, if you’ve got beads of perspiration running down your neck you might as well hang a sign on your forehead that says, “Come and get me,” because you’ve just lost control.  You must remain calm, don’t yell back, don’t lose your temper.  Believe me; they’ll only remember you were the one screaming your fool head off.  Find out what he wants, hold a small, brief conference with the director present, and see how you can accommodate his needs while staying in budget.  Make him and his creative vision as right as you can, but hold the line on money, find a compromise and a way to work around the situation.

Be Prepared
Have several conversations with the DP before you shoot.  This may not always be easy; typically your DP is shooting other jobs before he’s scheduled to shoot yours.  Make an appointment to either meet with him in person or speak by phone.  Send him the script and or story boards well in advance.  Ask questions.  Make sure he sends you via email every possible piece of equipment he thinks he’ll need and then go over the budget to see what you can give him.  If there’s a piece of equipment you can’t afford it’s time to have a conversation with the director and the DP and find out what equipment will satisfy their needs within the budget.

Be Kind
The DP is going to be one of the hardest working people on the set.  The vision is in his hands; how he shoots it will be what you end up with.  So have a heart make sure he’s had something to eat, offer coffee or water, or whatever will make it easier for him.  Show him respect.

Be in Control
Without making the entire crew physcotic, make sure everyone is on schedule.  Don’t hover like a landing craft when their setting up the lights and the shot, but keep an eagle eye on the schedule and make sure it’s moving as fast as humanly possible.  The truth is, if you let him, a DP will spend way more time lighting the shot than you’ve allowed.  So stay on top of it, without being annoying.

Bottom Line
You control the financial bottom line.  The footage you end up with at the end of the shoot is  your responsibility.  If you’re dealing with a difficult DP, you’re going to have to suck it up and get the shot, because at that point you are stuck.  So make sure you don’t get upset, don’t yell, and for goodness sakes, be a bigger person than he.  Be professional.  You’ve got an entire crew waiting to see how you’re going to react, they’ll take their cues from you.  Show you care, you’re in control and that you can be creative and work around any situation that comes up on the set.

In my career I’ve worked with many terrific DP’s, and have had some wonderful experiences, but one day you may find yourself with a Diva on the set.

Before you can produce a show, you have to have a show to produce.  That starts with an idea and a script.  When it comes to writing the script – I sometimes agonize.  Yes, agonize.  There are other producers who just sit down and write and write and write.  It seems to effortlessly flow from their mind to the tips of their fingers as they furiously type out their ideas on the page.  Me, I have to walk around the desk a few times, research, think,  get a cup of coffee,  have a  snack — now it’s time for lunch.  Lunch is done, better check those emails.   Finally, after much doing and thinking and not much writing, I’ll sit down, with the clock ticking down to zero and finally write the first draft.  Funny, once I actually get to writing, it does flow.  With a first draft complete, I can easily re-write and revise until I get a script everyone likes and agrees on.

So the trick to writing, is writing.  Just write and write and write.  As bestselling author Nora Roberts says, “It’s easier to fix something you’ve written then to fix a blank page.”

I am a New Yorker — pay no attention to the fact that I moved to New Jersey, we all make mistakes — there’s no place like New York.  Where else can you get a hamburger at 3am, or meet someone for a cup of coffee at midnight if you’re so inclined.  New York City has a pulse and energy that isn’t easily duplicated anywhere in the world and I love to see NY captured on film.  If you’re as much of a film and TV buff as I am, you’re probably interested in the behind the scenes as well. If you are, I invite you take the walking tours created by The New York City Mayor’s Office for Film, Theatre and Broadcasting.  These tours are free, fun, and easy to access.  Simply go their website and download the podcast and the maps and you’re on your way.

The first tour takes place in Tribeca and is narrated by actor Julianna Margulies.  Tribeca is a triangular section of the city located below Canal Street – hence the name TriBeCa (TRIangleBElowCAnal.)  The tour features the locations for Ghostbusters, Saturday Night Live, Law & Order, Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie’s Choice, Annie Hall, Mo Better Blues, City Hall, Spin City and others.   After the tour you can enjoy visiting art exhibitions, shopping, or just having a glass of something-something at any number of restaurants in the area.

Battery Park is the second tour narrated by actor Matthew Modine.  Matthew gives a brief history of the entertainment industry in NYC as well as the details on the restoration work done in the area.  You’ll be directed to several landmarks, as well as specific locations where scenes in Klute, Patterns, Wall Street, Desperately Seeking Susan, Working Girl,  Men in Black and others were shot.  You’ll also learn which film was the only one allowed to actually shoot inside City Hall.

If you’re interested in behind the scenes, or if you just love NYC as much as I do, this is a fun way to spend a crisp Fall afternoon – and for goodness sakes it’s free.

We’d like to believe we can erase all the mistakes we’ve ever made; unfortunately there are some we have to live with.  When it’s a mistake made on a shoot, there are certain people that believe you can just fix it in post.  I’m here to tell you – fixing a scene after the fact takes time and money.  And that’s probably money you didn’t have to begin with.

I just completed a shoot where the agency was providing a sign the talent would hold up and after a few lines the talent would toss the sign away.  The sign arrived with three major problems; 1) it had very strange brown spots all over it, 2) it was too big, covering a large portion of the talent’s chest, 3) there was an exclamation point missing from the sign.  While I was out of the studio handling other things it was decided they’d shoot it anyway and then fix it in post production.  Needless to say, I went to the agency and said that was a big mistake.  Trying to fix all these errors would never happen in post production and if it could be fixed the cost would be exorbitant.  I suggested we rush out and get new signs made and shoot a different scene in the meantime.  The cost of getting new signs made on a rush basis was high, but not nearly as high as the cost of trying and potentially failing to fix that mess in post production.

As a producer, I always look for ways to save money and make sure the shot is right.  But I’m keenly aware that the ‘fix it in post’ route will always be the more expensive and painful way to go.   It really is easier to just shoot it right and know you’ve got what you need.

You’re the producer, your reputation is on the line, your job is on the line, and your head is on the chopping block.  Because if something’s not working on the set;  food, wardrobe, art direction, camera, sound, or anything else, you’re going to hear about it and everyone will want you to do something to rectify the situation.

Let me give a little illustration –

Some years ago I was producing a music video and we were shooting in The Tombs in NYC.  For those not familiar with The Tombs, they’re the holding cells in NY for accused criminals waiting for transport to federal prison.  The client wanted to shoot there.  Yes, they did – something about authenticity.   So arrangements were made and we were allowed to shoot from 6pm until 4am when prisoners were sent below somewhere I wasn’t privy to.  As you can imagine security getting in and getting out wasn’t just tight – it was sealed up – as in, once the crew and talent were inside, no one could leave until the entire crew left.  That meant, there would be no runs to any store for anything that was needed once  inside.  Everything needed to be carefully and skillfully prepared before 6pm the day of the shoot.   In addition the crew needed to be a small as possible.  In particular, we couldn’t have catering or craft services on the ‘set’.  That meant I had to ensure all arrangements were made for the proper amount of food and beverage for a 10 hour work day.

While I have always been prepared to expect the unexpected, I didn’t think rats would abscond with the some of the food while we waited to take our meal break.  I was forced to order the food that had been picked at by those nasty rodents to be thrown out.  That left precious little for a crew that had been working for five hours in 102 degree heat with no windows inside an actual jail.  Needless to say, I didn’t just get dirty looks, at that point I had a bull’s eye painted on my chest and back and it was target practice time for the crew, because in the end, it falls on you the producer.

So – here’s a little tip.  If you find yourself in a position of having to shoot in a place you can’t leave make sure your food budget is large.  And then make sure you keep the food under wraps – as in hermetically sealed.

Why pay for a first class plane ticket if your intention was to get there by bus? That’s what happens when you bypass a producer – you end up sitting in the back of the bus with no air-conditioning on a very long journey to an extremely uncomfortable place.

As a producer, it’s my job to make sure that everything runs smoothly –in short, on time, on budget, with the creative vision intact and everybody happy. That only happens when you don’t decide you can do the job of the producer better. If you’re thinking, “Hey I have a friend in the catering business, let me give her a call and make all the arrangements,” you may end up serving the crew baloney sandwiches with a caviar price tag. If you’re going to make deals with the wardrobe stylist and tell them what and where to shop, but never pass the information to the producer until after the fact, you may find you’ve going over budget on a line item or two.

Clients, creatives and directors all have a vision, and they want to see that vision on the screen. It’s my job to make certain that vision is realized. I can get that job done, if you let me do my job and don’t try and do it for me – even with the kindest of intentions. Don’t bypass, it saves time, it saves money, and it saves disappointment in the final product.

If you feel your time is better spent elsewhere than on the creative – like negotiating with agents, hiring crews, and deciding what prop house we should use – be prepared for a long uncomfortable journey to a destination that wasn’t your first choice.

There are two types of production schedules.  Tight and brutal.  Either way, you need all the time you can manufacture, and one way to ease the time strain is have written transcripts of all the video you’ve shot.  I believe that if you do not transcribe tapes the minute you return from a shoot – it will bite you in the ass during the editing process.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve worked for production companies that do not transcribe tapes they’ve shot.  For me, that’s like throwing your cell phone into a bin with 600 other cell phones and hoping you’ll recover yours just by the ring tone.  Chances are you’re going to waste a lot of valuable time trying to find it and you’ll more than likely get frustrated in the process.

If the budget is tight, then you’ll be doing your own transcriptions.  If you’ve got an intern, get him or her to help.  If you’re lucky to work for a production company that has a Production Assistant assigned to you, get them to do it.  It really doesn’t matter, as long as it gets done.

Why am I so adamant that transcriptions get done immediately?  Oh, let me count the ways.

If you just use the tape logs and not the transcripts you’ll end up stringing together sound bites on a time line and not telling the most compelling story you can.  It will waste hours, you’ll be completely frustrated, and you’ll invariably end up shuttling back and forth through the tape, swearing that so and so said such and such somewhere around here – I think.

With transcriptions you have a basis for organization, and over half of all production is based on organization.   With a transcript you can easily create a paper edit, which is statistically much faster to create, and easier to cut and paste.  And as you begin to cut and paste, the story you want to tell, will begin to take place, and you will have the potential for an incredible segment.

If you’re working for a production company on a small budget more than likely they’ll send you out to shoot with a cameraman and a sound person that will sometimes double as the grip and the production assistant. Now it’s up to you, the producer, to take notes while you’re directing and asking interview questions.

Many producers feel, it’s important to keep all their attention on the person they’re interviewing and not be bothered with notes, but you won’t always have that luxury. And after a day, or several long shoot days, you won’t remember who said what when, or what tape the exterior shot of a building is located on. So, take notes.

Always ask your cameraman to supply a video tap with visual time code. Have the monitor set in front of you, or if you’re shooting on the fly and running around, carry the monitor with you. It’s important, because you’ll not only want to see what the shot looks like it will give you the visual time code you need for your notes. Even if you only have time to mark the time code at the beginning of the shot – do it for your own sanity, and make a quick note of what it is you’re taping. It will help in your writing and editing process. It will also help you at the end of the day, before you wrap up; to quickly go through your notes and make sure you’ve shot everything you’re going to need.

Producing an on-camera interview is like having a conversation.  It should be easy and enjoyable for both you and the person you’re interviewing.  I remember producing my first on-camera interview.  When I think about it I get shutters.  I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been, and as a result I spent most of my time looking at the questions I’d written down rather than the person I was interviewing.  Fortunately, they were a pro – so I was able to get great material.

The path from not knowing what you’re doing to being able to get the perfect interview every time requires doing some homework before you even set up the camera.

Research the person.  Before you even think about going to tape, you should know your subject.  If the person you’re interviewing has written a book – do yourself a favor and read the book.  Read articles they’ve written or been interviewed for.  Find other video interviews they’ve appeared in.  This is an on-line age; chances are you can find lots of information from a Google search.  But don’t limit yourself; check the library, Amazon and trade sources, whatever you need to do to get as much information as possible.  The research phase will not only help you to formulate your questions, it tells you whether you have a story or not.

Once you’ve decided you have a story and your ‘subject’ has agreed to the on camera interview set up a telephone pre-interview to go over the questions you’ll be asking.  This gives them the opportunity to prepare succinct, witty, clever, or intelligent answers.  And it gives you the opportunity to get familiar with the way they speak.  If they’re slow, drawn out speakers who hem and haw between each adverb and adjective you’ve got a couple of choices.  You can re think your questions so he’s made to give shorter answers, or you can find another interviewee to supplement the first.  This allows you to edit between two ‘experts’ in a field, with one being a bit staid and sluggish and the other a picture perfect ‘sound bite.”  In any case, the pre interview gives them time to prepare, and that will put them more at ease.

Chances are you won’t be in the shot and no one will ever here your questions.  So, remind your interviewee that they will need to either repeat your question, or incorporate your question into the answer.  Believe me there is nothing worse than sitting in an editing room trying to string together sound bites that don’t work because you don’t know what the person is responding to.

Example:
Interviewer:
“I read that you won the peach baking contest 10 years in a row.  How did that make you feel?”
Interviewee:
“It felt wonderful!”

“It felt wonderful,” can refer to anything, making it difficult to use that sound bite without a voice over setting it up.  However, if you your interviewee had incorporated the question – the answer might have been: “Winning the peach baking contest for 10 years in a row was a wonderful feeling.”

Take a breath.  Seriously, take a breath.  When interviewing a subject and you’re not on camera – you’ll have to remind the interviewee to wait a beat before they answer your question.  And you too will have to wait a beat before acknowledging the answer.  Otherwise your voice will ‘step’ on their speaking making it a nightmare in the edit room to cut a clean sound bite.

Example:
Interviewee:
“If we don’t stop this vicious practice the American people will continue to fall prey to this folly.”

Just as the person says the word ‘folly’ you’re so excited you say, “Wow that was amazing.”  The editor will have to struggle, with your “WOW” on top of the interviewees “folly.”  Make it easier for everyone, take a breath and wait a beat before you respond.

Don’t be afraid to ask the interviewee to repeat their answer, or ask them the same question in a different way if you believe you can get a better answer.  However, there’s a fine line between interviewing and badgering.  If you’re new to interviewing on camera people, practice in the mirror.  Look at yourself – are you relaxed, comfortable and willing to engage another in a conversation.  What you see in the mirror is what an interviewee sees –so practice.  If you’re calm, they’re calm.  Remember, they’re sitting in the hot seat, with lights shining on them, a camera pointing in their face, a sound man stopping them every so often because there was a noise in the room.  Putting them at ease is important and a big part of your job.

Before you begin the interview, have them say and spell their name and position.

Always make sure that you have your interviewee sign a release form.  It protects you and allows you to use the footage in whatever manner the release form states.  Otherwise, you’re limited and in this age of multiple media outlets, you don’t want to be hampered because you didn’t get a release form signed.

Remember, if you’ve done your research, if you’re prepared, and if you practice, it should go smooth as silk.