This weekend I tagged along to the set of our new product video. Oak & Rumble‘s team was so welcoming – I had so much fun! I’d like to say that they taught me a lot about video production, but I’ll be honest about my strengths and weaknesses. In reality, they taught me about patience. There’s a lot of “rushing to wait” while shooting! It seemed to take about 20 minutes to set up the lighting each time we moved – that’s significant when getting the actual shot only took 30 seconds. During one of the last 20 minute stretches, I looked at the actors goofing around and realized that a lot of my takeaways from the day were actually applicable outside this surreal set.
In addition to being patient, I learned that I should:
Learn how to hold a conversation – even if it’s just with myself.
Most of our scenes involve a voiceover, but it still has to look like the characters are talking. While we were shooting without audio, I heard some of the following gems:
“What’s an active voice? That’s a great question. I have no idea. *Points to the whiteboard* These are just random words I chose.”
“We sell all fish. Yes, sharks AND guppies.”
It didn’t matter if people were listening or responding – I’m pretty sure some of our actors could talk for hours on end. Speaking comfortably and confidently is a skill, even if you’re somehow selling the same person sharks and guppies.
Know and trust my team’s strengths.
Oak & Rumble’s founders, Brandon and Dave, are a great team. They know how to work together – when to take over, and when to step back. They understand each other’s strengths, and where they can best contribute to the success of a project. At one point, Dave observed to me, “We’re definitely falling behind. It’s ok; Brandon can make it up after lunch.” He didn’t get stressed because the timing of the morning was off, he was confident that his team could get back on track. He also didn’t take over in the name of productivity. It can be tempting to take control if things aren’t going as planned. But when your team has a specific skill set (like actually filming a video), taking over the task can just end up muddying the waters. Trust your team.
Speak up and ask for input.
The level of communication between the actors and the crew was pretty incredible. There was so much discussion of every movement. In one of the last scenes of the day, “Dave” was going to feed his fish. We’d spent the whole day shooting from his left side, which meant that the fish was on his right in every scene. While the lighting was being set up, he ran through the movement a few times and realized: “I’m left-handed. If I feed the fish with my left hand, will I block the shot?”
The actor and directors practiced the action a few times and decided that he’d have to use his right hand to feed the fish. The issue was quickly addressed and dealt with because it was raised early. The end result might have been a little uncomfortable, but it looked awesome!
Preparation is key.
See, that’s funny because Dave forgot or lost his keys about 6 times that day. Sadly this is not an exaggeration.
Before the day of the shoot, they’d already written and rewritten the script, storyboarded all the scenes, and run through all the shots. And that’s just what I saw – I’m sure Oak & Rumble put way more work into it than I’ll ever know about.
On the day of, I watched them (with blurry eyes as it was 7 am) grab some pretty weird props, and every piece of equipment they might need. Better to take it and not need it than wish you’d brought that fishing rod. Then as we started filming, they shot every scene multiple times in different ways. When they start editing the footage this week, I’m sure they’ll be grateful that they were so thorough.
So, thanks for the laughs and the lessons Oak & Rumble! I think I know enough to get a producer credit… right?
John is the Founder & CEO of Wriber. He’s passionate about entrepreneurship, high-tech startups, thought leadership, content marketing, and artificial intelligence. John frequently volunteers his time at the University of Waterloo to help young entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground. He’s also a faithful Toronto Maple Leafs fan, frequent Redditor, and lifelong learner.