The Project Is Full. Which Idea Are We Removing?

There is a dangerous sentence in a creative discussion.

“While we’re there, we could also…”

A second location. Another outfit. A short interview. A completely different sequence that would only take a moment.

Every idea sounds quite reasonable on its own.

Together, they may have booked a different project.

I love the enthusiasm that produces possibilities. It is one of the reasons creative work interests me. A conversation can reveal something nobody had considered at the beginning.

But adding an idea has practical consequences.

Another outfit involves getting changed. A new location involves moving people and equipment. Another sequence needs attention, even when the final clip lasts only a few seconds.

The published length tells us very little about the work required to produce it.

Editing starts before the camera comes out

Imagine a half-day project designed to create a small set of coherent images. By the time everyone has added a favourite idea, the schedule includes several visual directions and very little time to develop any of them.

We may leave with more material and fewer convincing choices.

This is where I find editing useful before the camera comes out.

Which idea gives the project something it currently lacks? Which repeats a point we have already made? Which belongs to another day altogether?

A beautiful idea can deserve its own occasion rather than a rushed place inside this one.

And if we decide that something new is essential, we need to examine what happens to the rest.

Can we extend the time? Reduce another part? Change the intended result openly?

I prefer that discussion to the assumption that enthusiasm will somehow create another two hours.

Give the good ideas enough room

There is satisfaction in giving a good idea enough space to become good work.

We can still keep the others. Write them down. Return to them. Build the next project around the one that continues to interest us.

Choosing is part of creating.

Sometimes the most useful contribution to an exciting plan is:

“I love that. What are we taking out so we can do it properly?”

For a different kind of adjustment on location, explore the South of France story.

Silvia