When considering a production company for your next professional video or photo project, keep in mind that collaboration is key. There will be a lot of calls, emails, and texts and lots of questions asked during pre-production. It’s important that you have a clear vision of what you’d like to achieve so that the production team can always have a specific goal in mind on shoot day. Invariably though, unexpected things happen and that’s when we prove our mettle.
Creative thinking on the fly is a common trait among Mixed Bag Media team members. If we all have the vision and goal of the project in mind, we all can be on the lookout for solutions if a problem arises.
To get another perspective, I asked our newest team member and veteran photographer, Pamela Dabrowa: How do you push past a problem during a shoot? i.e. your scheduled employee talent can’t make it at the last minute OR the location you had planned on is now not available OR the client throws out an idea that they’re really excited about, but it’s going to blow up your schedule for the day.
Pamela:
As a former journalist, I’ve learned the importance of being open and adaptable to whatever comes our way. Despite meticulous planning, the unpredictable nature of life can introduce unexpected changes. This makes flexibility crucial. Whether it’s an outdoor shoot interrupted by a sudden rainstorm, unexpected construction, sirens nearby, or an impromptu parade (it’s happened), we must either leverage the situation to our advantage or quickly pivot to an alternative plan.
Collaboration is key when working on a project with diverse minds—producers, directors, videographers, photographers, assistants, colleagues, and clients. What one person might overlook, another can catch. Flexibility is essential, but so is being thoroughly prepared. Having extra gear—cameras, lights, audio equipment—ensures we’re ready for any technical issues. Professional shoots may seem gear-heavy, but that’s what provides the best chance for success. When electricity is unavailable, we rely on battery power. When the light is too harsh, we use scrims. Being prepared and adaptable are the cornerstones of our approach.
Being prepared and adaptable are the traits that cause our clients to say “You made that so easy!” And “I was really nervous before we got started, but that was actually a lot of fun!” We take great pride in our years of experience and the skills learned along the way.
The work we do can come with a lot of pressure, but it is also a lot of fun. We enjoy the collaborative aspect of what we do. We love brainstorming among team members as well as with clients. It’s exciting to think through the possibilities of how to achieve someone’s vision and turn those ideas into action.
Our number one most common “problem” experienced during video shoots – leaf blowers and lawncare workers right outside of the space you’re trying to conduct an interview in. The most common fix is just to ask the crew if they can hold for 20-30min., but sometimes their schedule is too tight and that’s not feasible. In that case, we contemplate moving locations or if our schedule has time, we wait. Also though, new post-production tools allow for “cleaning up” audio more now than ever before, so we can often go for it and fix it later. That’s not the ideal choice, but it can work. Among other reasons why we love photography, there is no audio to worry about!
Even the most well-planned shoot may have a curveball at some point in the day, so like Pamela said earlier – flexibility is crucial. You often need the help of those around you to make something happen which brings us back to the fact that collaboration is key.
