Many things can get in the way of creatively directing a video shoot. The list is a long one: not having the right budget from the beginning, locations that underperform, talent that becomes unavailable, or the slow death by a thousand cuts of video scripts approved by too many stakeholders.
Some of these things can be avoided. Some can be softened. Others inevitably have to be worked through.
But one challenge I had never personally faced—or even thought much about—was how to creatively influence a project when you aren’t physically there. More specifically, how do you art direct from 1,548 miles away?
I learned the answer on Wednesday, June 12th, at 2:30 p.m. Central Time in Houston. At that exact moment, the crew I hired at Unhinged (amazing people) was finishing setup on set at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time in Los Angeles.
Thankfully, Ryan and the crew at Unhinged patched me into a live Zoom call so I could see what they saw. I could evaluate framing, lighting, pacing, cadence, and the delivery of scripted lines as they happened.
And there I sat, wondering how to make an impact.
I’ve been in the creative industry for many years, and one thing I’ve learned is to hire the best people you can find and then let them do the work. But that doesn’t mean disappearing. You still need a clear vision of what you’re trying to create. You need to understand the feeling, the rhythm, the cadence. You need to speak up when it matters and get out of the way when it doesn’t.
Too fast.
Too wide.
A little moodier.
Yes, green origami cranes are safe.
A spur-of-the-moment line: “Let's build it together.”
Because sometimes creative direction isn’t about controlling every detail. Sometimes it’s about knowing which small adjustments can change the entire feeling of the story.
#CreativeDirection #BrandStrategy #Storytelling #VideoProduction