The day of filming is always a difficult day. But if you’ve done the preparation then it’ll be a day that you love.

Coordinating actors, crew, catering, locations and accommodating for bad weather will create disruption but with a good director and producer, you’ll get all the shots you need. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be back in bed at a reasonable hour. The reality of filmmaking, whether it’s a short film, feature-length movie, corporate production or television advertisement, is things rarely go to plan – so be flexible.

In the short film, ‘The Man from Mooroolbark’ the bulk of the action takes place in a barbershop. The location we chose was open 7 days a week so the only access we had was was from 4pm on Sunday til 10 am the following morning. The film is set at dusk so right through the night we were required to light the location to create a consistent, afternoon glow. Shooting the bulk of the film over one night was not ideal but with no other access to the location, we had no choice.

MAINTAINING CALM
There were long, long days shooting on the TV series Photo Number 6. The first episode was shot in Iceland during summer and the sun didn’t set until well after 10pm. The crew were exhausted, tempers were frayed and we were only in week one of a six-week shoot.  It therefore goes without saying that the right team is vital to help in those stressful times. It is unavoidable that things will go wrong, so a crew that is respectful and forgiving is important – particularly for long shoots.

The director’s job is to guide the cast and crew through all the potential pitfalls and keep everyone focused on the final vision. Getting the perfect shot pushes a schedule into the wee hours of the morning, drains cast and crew, and can drive up costs. Being able to adapt control time, and move things forward is a sign of great director.

ADAPTING
In the penultimate episode of the Apple TV show ‘Is This Thing On?’, bad weather resulted in the cancelling of skydiving for the cast. Jumping out of a plane was to be a major turning point for the characters in the show, and now it was impossible. But that didn’t stop us from going through the process of training, dressing and driving out to the airport with the cast believing they were going to sky dive for the first time. In the end, the scene became about having the fortitude go through with it, whether they jumped or not was irrelevant.  We had adapted to the circumstances and managed to create a great ending despite the unavoidable change in circumstances.

Filming a show is an incredible experience, akin to going to war. Friendships are built, tested, and occasionally lost. And like any battle, what is planned on paper weeks before, becomes irrelevant on the day. A confident, engaging director and executive producer are the keys between a successful shoot and an angry mob.