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Taking Murphy’s Law into Your Own Hands
It’s not a foreign concept for anyone in any industry. People understand this law, it’s quite universal, and it’s referred to as Murphy’s Law. It states, if there is a possibility of something happening, it is then likely to happen. It commonly pairs itself with drastic circumstances one would not generally consider preparing themselves to troubleshoot.
In the camera crew production world things happen, and production professionals are entitled to making a mistake every now and then (eg. Superbowl Blackout). The difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person — the successful person learns from their mistake and NEVER MAKES IT AGAIN. Those are the people who gain “experience” from that event, and those are the people who go on to save the day on another production because of the mistake they had made on a prior production.
Experience Through Repetition
After 10 years of experience you find yourself in a place where mistakes are few and far between and doing things the right way is almost second nature for you. This is the exact reason why, at Crews Control, we will only represent directors of photography who have been in the industry for 10 plus years. We understand the mechanics of creating a successful video production shoot, and starting at its core are the people you hire to get the job done.
Through repetition, directors of photography gain the experience needed to guarantee their product. It’s like asking Tiger Woods to swing a golf club; he’s been doing it for 30 plus years so it’s as easy as breathing for him. Independent DPs, that have been in the industry for as long as ours have, do things because they are second nature to them and those workflows have worked for a long time.
The more experienced freelancers are going to cost more money, that’s a fact. This is the case with any service you require, and with any service you require…you get what you pay for. In the world of cinematography, you are paying for the director of photography to make your shot look as beautiful as it possibly can. So why would you limit your budget in the one place you cannot “fix in post” or “press ctrl+z” to undo?
Trying To Make Sense Of It All
I guess my whole point is companies that make successful videos for their marketing and advertising campaigns do not skimp on the budget for their field production, as they recognize it is a foundation of their entire production. It’s the one part of the entire project/campaign you have to get right the first time because, unlike golf, mulligans cost money.
And that’s one to grow on! (tell me where that quote came from in the comments)
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