You may not find clamps, stands, and frames as sexy a subject as camera or optics, but grip is the necessary and unsung hero in elevating a project’s production value, a hero you take for granted until you don’t have it.  

I’ve had the great fortune of working with fantastic grip teams and rental kits that allow us to shape light in all sorts of ways.  However, recently on a six-episode doc shoot, rental options were limited or non-existent in the remote areas where we were filming.  Every crew member had to pull weight outside his or her department. The frames had to be fast and easy to assemble.  We needed everything to be as mobile as possible. The largest van we could rent was a 16 passenger van, which also had to carry 7 crew and a fixer. This meant building a grip package that could be checked on planes and would take up as little space as possible in the cargo area.

C-Stands: 

We started with the question:  What can’t we live without.  Obviously, frames and lights need sturdy legs. The C-stand is a fixture on every set on the planet, but for whatever reason, on many a doc set, I’m limited to flimsy “travel” light stands.  The problem is that those don’t hold up to travel and don’t take weight beyond a simple 1×1 LED panel or an Arri 300 tungsten fixture, which is even pushing it a bit. 

Your typical century stand has an odd shape for packing, and tends toward a big no from the airline counter gatekeepers. We needed a turtle base — simply put, a base with a detachable riser element. Separating the C-stand base from the riser offers many portability options and gave us the ability to fit three C-stands in a single, flyable kit a little larger than a cine tripod hard case. This case is a stylish black and red and the interior is lined with a soft felt material that keeps all the metal pieces separate and scratch-free. The cases also rolls, which is quite necessary. 

There is one small drawback. If you are flying internationally without a media pass, the weight of the kit may get the red light from the check-in counter. For Switzerland, we were over by 3 kilos, so we threw the knuckles into one of our personal bags to drop the weight. You may also be able to just take two if that serves your shoot better, but we needed all three and were happy to have them. 

Articulating Arm: 

Maybe you haven’t given much thought to articulating arms in the grip world, but if you operate ENG or cinema cameras you know the frustration of having a bad one supporting your monitor or other camera accessories. While filming they can smack you in the face or tug on expensive cables at the worst possible time. 

Matthews’ answer to this frustration is the infinity arm.At first glance, the infinity arm is gigantic and seemingly a little expensive at just over $300.00. It also seems heavier and larger than other articulating arms, but once I put it on the camera I understood why. Sure, it’s big, but it is also bullet-proof and can hold anything. On the European project, I was shooting entirely with the RED DSMC 2 Monstro and RED Touch DSMC 2 7” monitor. To keep the kit small, I used the 7” monitor in both an EVF configuration (while shouldering the camera) and mounted to the top of the camera (while on sticks). In “EVF” mode, the infinity arm never swung around once, and the monitor felt rock solid. 

The infinity arm uses a geared locking system of sorts designed to give you peace of mind. If you accidentally loosen the arm just a little bit, a bunch of gears built into the joint slowly click out of place. It’s tricky to describe in print, but the locking system leaves lots of room for user error. Matthews claims it can hold up to 32 LBS. and I have no reason to doubt that number. Over the course of a month’s filming, I supported everything from flags to cameras on that arm and at one point even a light. 

A bunch of accessories (not included) gives you the freedom to turn the arm into the Frankenstein of your choosing. There are too many to list, but Matthews sells everything from a cheese plate kit to a baby pin adapter and 75mm or 100mm VESA monitor mount for the infinity arm.  

Rags: 

Rags are notoriously difficult to take on the road, but they are absolutely necessary for any kind of interview setup and enormously helpful outside. There’s no reason you can’t bounce, diffuse, and filter your instruments in a doc scenario. Light a room the way you’d light for fiction, and then let your subjects live truthfully in more dynamic/cinematic truth. We fit two 48”x 48” frames as well as a scrim, silk and flag into a handy exterior pocket inside the C-stand case. My partner was often longing for an 8 x 8 frame on a few occasions, but we were grateful to easily fit 2 4×4’s into a relatively tiny case, so the 48 inch square really was the perfect dimension for our needs  (Matthews also sells smaller rags for smaller operations.) 

These frames are sturdy, but Matthews warns that they are not designed for use in heavy wind. However, we did experience some intense alpine winds, and we never had a day in which I felt afraid the C-stand was in danger of toppling or that the frames would be compromised. (In those conditions, we had a member of the crew to hold the stand as a safety.)

Conclusion: 

This entire setup broke down into a single case which gave us the freedom to travel and build complicated lighting setups in a pinch. We also checked a MultiCart RockNRoller R12RT All-Terrain cart, which we absolutely used every day to transport the gear from the van to the shoot.  It’s not perfect, but we put that cart to the test on multiple terrains, and it never stuck, and its price point makes it a no-brainer.  I was pleasantly surprised that every single piece of gear survived the trip, holding up under the stress of baggage handlers, mountain filming and jostling in the back of the production van. I highly recommend renting G&E where possible, but not all projects allow for that, and with the right crew and equipment, bringing grip to remote locations can absolutely work. Lastly, if you are confined to budgetary restraints, you really can’t go wrong with the gear listed in this review.  

Focusing on price point alone, the Hasselblad X1D-50c would be considered entry level in the world of medium format. Still, it is not cheap. As of this printing, you’ll be dropping nearly $6,500 for the body alone and compatible Hasselblad XCD lenses will run you between $3,200 and $4,500. As an owner of Canon’s flagship 1DX MK II DSLR (body available for $5,500), I was initially skeptical that the Hasselblad’s extra pixels would make up for the added cost, but as you will see later in the article, my mind could be changed.

One of the first things you’ll notice about the Hasselblad is that the body is etched with the words: “Handmade in Sweden.” It certainly feels it. I love the robust form factor for photography and this camera is easy to hold — definitely not as heavy as other medium format offerings. The silver and black finish looks great, too — possibly serving to impress some clients along the way. The external button layout is well thought out, although occasionally I found myself accidentally bumping the auto focus button during the course of normal operation.

For me, the camera takes a while to power up (somewhere between 6-8 seconds), but the menu is absurdly easy to navigate. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but coming from the world of Iliad-length Sony and Canon menus, the X1D-50c touchscreen menu was an intuitive breeze to work.The external buttons are well-placed and all the icons make sense at a glance. Camera modes are selected by using the standard wheel we’ve become accustomed to on DSLR bodies, however, and this was a great idea: the wheel can be inset into the camera body to prevent inadvertently changing out of a shooting mode. There was the usual ramp up time, but after about ten minutes, I was off to the races.

Obviously, you’ll want to be shooting Raw images on a Hasselblad otherwise you can find cheaper alternatives by grabbing a solid .jpeg out there. When I started shooting Raw on the X1D-50c, I was immediately struck by the sheer file size of each individual image. On my Canon 1DX MK II I can expect roughly 21mb per raw image, but with this camera you’re looking at closer to 110.4mb images with dimensions of 8272 x 6200. This does add up to lots of drive space, but compatible SDXC cards are dropping in price all the time and with them, the camera will automatically switch to a second SDXC slot while shooting.

Shooting things

Don’t take my word for it — follow THIS link for a Raw X1D-50c image that you can manipulate to your heart’s content (use image of tree).

During a few off hours filming a TV show in summertime Washington, DC, I took the camera out into the humidity to casually put it through its paces. Four things are immediately clear after the first couple clips — 1) 50MP is a ton of detail, 2) The bokeh you get from wide angle medium format images is lovely, 3) this camera is not meant for fast action, 4) this is not necessarily a lowlight camera. Let’s break down those points:

First, the detail — I took a quick image of the ground (see above) and at the time didn’t notice a small fly in the center of the frame. Once I brought the image back into Lightroom and cropped in, I saw the fly and was thrilled to see the image was entirely useable. This is one of the reasons the Hasselblad name is ubiquitous in the fashion world — so much detail comes out in the printed image.

Longtime users of medium format may yawn at this, but getting lovely falloff on a wide angle lens is not something I’m used to seeing on super 35 or even full frame sensors and that falloff looks great with the X1D-50c.

I’m not sure it’s fair to compare medium format cameras to the A7 line of cameras from Sony (a bit like apples to oranges), but I’ve seen what those little A7’s can do and I find myself wanting better and better lowlight performance these days. The X1D-50c tops out at ISO 25,600 (3200 when using the electronic shutter) and the image, at 3200, is just too noisy for me. And there are no ISO increments between 1600 and 3200, so documentary photo work in less than predictable scenarios may be tricky with the Hasselblad. Again, this is coming from my time spent in the DSLR and pro cinema world, so it is quite possible this camera does well in lowlight when compared to its medium format brothers and sisters.

The full camera data sheet is available HERE.

A second feature making documentary photo work tricky is the auto focus performance. I tried sticking to manual focus and had the camera set to magnify whenever I touched the focus wheel (a favorite setting from shooting with my A7SII). With AF engaged I had trouble maintaining critical focus on moving targets. However, I had more luck with the auto focus when working with a model in controlled situations and this is where the camera truly excels.

Shooting people

Back in California, I asked three friends to spend an afternoon with me trying out the camera in a situation it was not really created for and I was blown away. Shooting faces, I found the detail in every single hair and eyelash was beyond gorgeous. For comparison, I brought my Canon 1DX MK II along and while I found myself preferring the colors I got straight out of the Canon on the back camera screen I knew that with just a little tinkering in post I could get the exact same or better results from the Raw X1D-50c file.

Though not a scientific test by any means, the dynamic range out of the X1D-50c also seemed to outperform my Canon from shot to shot.

Below on is a Canon 1DX MK II file with slight post work (converted from the raw format to a jpeg for the web).

Below here is a X1D-50c file cropped with a little post color tinkering (no sharpness post changes, again converted from the raw 3FR file to a jpeg).

And what about video?

Where video is concerned, the camera shoots full HD (1920×1080) in a JPEG Video H.264 compression. Not category leading (in terms of price point) video specs, but having the option of shooting video is always welcome. However, currently the camera only shoots in 25fps PAL and each clip is limited to five minutes in length for some reason.

This camera is not meant for everyone and that’s fine. For me it checks off a ton of boxes in terms of usability and detail within the image and that makes it a great bet for shooting architecture, landscape, fashion, corporate, food and more. Do you have only 5 minutes to catch a moving subject out of your direct control during the dwindling light of sunset? There may be better options out there.

That being said, cameras like the Hasselblad X1D-50c are a great equalizer. They’ve brought medium format closer to the masses and that’s inarguably a good thing for everyone.

A distribution company is interested in meeting with you. They want to take your indie film and introduce it to the world. A dream come true, right? Maybe. But just to make sure, you owe it to yourself, your investors and your crew to make sure the

Over the past several years working as a producer I’ve been lucky enough to find a home for multiple doc projects as well as, most recently, two features. My latest feature, The Good Catholic, found theatrical and digital distribution in the larger markets in the United States and went on to be distributed internationally. Along the way I’ve made mistakes but I’ve also learned a lot about the delicate distributor/filmmaker balance and what can make that balance really work for both parties.

Similar to a job interview, your discussion with distribution providers may take many forms, but at the end of the day you are entering into a business partnership — one that may last five, seven or even ten years depending on the contract you sign. The questions you ask upfront can determine if you’ve found the right partner, or just a fast-talking VP bent on building a library of titles and playing the volume game to make a profit. Collecting hundreds of titles may work for the distributor, but doesn’t lead to much hands-on attention for a filmmaker.

Prep work: Before going into a meeting I like to know as much as possible about who I’m meeting with. Most of the time a few minutes on google will tell you if the person you’re meeting with comes from a creative or sales background and that usually helps inform how I tackle the meeting. I also suggest learning what types of titles they represent in their library. Do they cover domestic or international territories or both? Do they represent two dozen one-hour sports docs with only one narrative project? This isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, but it’s helpful information to know going in.

Whether you are pulled into a nondescript conference room at one of the fabled “market” festivals for a meeting, or your favorite coffee shop in one of this country’s film hubs, these are the five questions to ask of your potential distributor:

1. What did you like about my film and where do you see it finding an audience? This may seem obvious, but this question is a biggy. If you see your film as a feel- good summer indie in the vein of Little Miss Sunshine and your distributor thinks of your feature as Black Swan with laugh lines, you’re never going to be able to bridge the gap. Sharing the same vision of what your picture is all about will inform everything down the line from interviews to the Q&A during release week and beyond. From the beginning you’ll want to know you and the distributor are on the same page.

2. What do you see as a viable return for my film? I recommend asking this one primarily because it reveals the experience level of the distributor you’re meeting with. Seasoned indie distribution companies will never give you a number. First, because they know it could open them up to litigation if they don’t meet the mark and secondly, because they know that managing expectations is tricky in business as a whole, but especially so in entertainment. The seasoned distributor will work hard not to give you a solid projection as they don’t want to be seen as underperforming if profits don’t manifest. On the other hand, if they strike it rich with your title, that they will happily take credit for. Of course, every distributor has a figure in mind that they expect to make from your film. All distributors will tell you they love your film, but the first contract pass will reveal how much they love your film. Here are a few contract examples and what they could mean:

• • *Are they offering money guarantees (MG)? (They like your film)
  • Are they offering a higher amount of upfront print and advertising spend (P&A)? (They like your film.)
  • Are they offering to cover your E&O insurance? (They like your film, but this is rare in a first contract pass. More often you’ll need to ask for this in the course of negotiations.)
  • Are they offering all of the above? (They really, really, like your film. This puts you in a very strong negotiating position.)

3. What is your rollout strategy for my title? Does my film make the most sense as a 15-city or larger theatrical release? VOD? What about a day-and-date release, or straight to video? Do you have any first look deals with Netflix, Amazon or other large streaming platforms?  Many streaming platforms have an “in theaters now” category that means premium placement for your film on VOD and some distributors will leverage a small theatrical run as part of a day-and-date release to gain as much revenue as possible. While day-and-date is a popular model in the indie world your film, especially a genre horror film, may do very well going directly to VOD. In short, there is no right answer to question three, but at the very least, you’ll want to know a distributor’s rollout strategy.

4. What will you need from me? The best distribution relationships are a give and take that lasts years. Meaning you don’t hand over your film deliverables and walk away. There should be a press and marketing strategy that includes the filmmakers and the stars of your film. Now perhaps your actors won’t be discussing your project on Good Morning America right off the bat, but there are dozens of entertainment focused publications (digital or otherwise) that would love to learn more about your movie or be granted an exclusive clip of some kind. Make sure your distributor has a plan and their in-house or out-of-house PR department has prior relationships with the outlets that will get the word out about your movie. Your distributor may expect all sorts of things from you, or very little, but both sides being upfront about time expectations and commitment to the film film post launch is important.

5. Which territories do you handle and how will the rollout differ in each? (You’ll already know this from your prep work, but you’ll want to ask)  International film markets and domestic markets in the United States are not the same. A company that may excel at distributing titles in all 50 states may not have the relationships or understanding of international markets to take advantage of that revenue potential. Having a distributor focused on international rollout and a second distribution company aimed at the domestic markets is fine, but they’ll need to avoid stepping on each-others toes when it comes to release windows and even marketing materials. If you sign with a domestic only distributor, make sure you understand the implications of that decision as it relates to your international distributor. The last thing you want is the domestic and international distributor of your feature in conflict with one another. Usually steps can be taken in the contractual stage to avoid the potential for this type of dissension, but you’ll want to be prepared.

If everything goes well and you like both the offer and “vibe” of the distribution company, go ahead and move forward, but I strongly recommend having an entertainment lawyer take a look at any contracts. This is business and distributors will try to build a deal that is the most favorable for them. Don’t blame them for this, but work with your legal to gently swing the contractual pendulum back in your direction whenever possible.

These days you have more options than ever when it comes to finding a home for your feature. Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are trailblazers for other smaller streaming outlets popping up every single day, but making a profit on a film, especially an indie title, can still be elusive. Work hard to find the right distributor and you are building a great platform to launch of your film. Good luck! 

*A word on money guarantees (MG) — While it is always great to make money before anyone has seen your indie film, you should keep in mind that money upfront from a distributor is nearly always a recoupable cost, i.e. they will get their upfront payment back before you see a cent.

Earlier this year I spent a month in and around Utah filming drone coverage on a show for Discovery. On that project I had access to both the Inspire 1 and  the Phantom 4 Pro. Time and again I found myself flying the Phantom 4 Pro simply because I found it much easier to maneuver (both in terms of camera and mid-flight). The Inspire 1 just didn’t give me the kind of fine motor control I was looking for and the obstacle avoidance on the Phantom Pro made for safer flying.

What a difference a few months makes.  The Inspire 2 feels like the Phantom 4 Pro in the air, accompanied by a superior image in the form of the X5 camera gimbal and now the X7.

The X7/Inspire 2 combo occupies an interesting place in the drone market. Does it provide the same image as flying an Alexa Mini or RED Weapon? Well obviously not, but do all of your projects need the image from an Alexa Mini or RED Weapon? Probably not. The image out of the X7 is gorgeous, and I would argue that it could cut into your projects shot on large cinema cameras. 

The big sell for me on this  is that it takes five minutes from box open to takeoff.  Unbuckle the drone and lens case  and in minutes grabbing shots with your favorite two or single person team. I still wouldn’t call the Inspire 2/X7 combo a cheap option necessarily, but in terms of bang for your buck, you can’t do much better than this.

Once you’re jonesing to get this tool in your prouduction’s  arsenal, you’ll need to look at how many days you’ll want to be flying to see if you can justify a purchase or need to stick to renting…so let’s talk about cost

The DJI Zenmuse X7 Camera and 3-Axis Gimbal Costs $2,699.00 and as of the time this article is being written, there are four available lenses for the X7.  Each F2.8 DL mount carbon fiber lens costs about $1,300 and is available from your favorite retailer in 16mm, 24mm, 35mm and 50mm variants. If you purchase all the lenses you’ll land somewhere a little above $4000, but for the budget conscious purchasing the 16mm and 50mm provides you with a good start and you can build toward the whole kit over a few projects. Now, if you’ve been doing the math, a DJI Inspire 2 will set you back $3,000 without the camera or travel case and when you start adding on camera, lenses, media, pro res/cinemaDNG licensing and extra batteries things start to get well north of $10,000 for a really useful kit.

Once you factor in liability insurance you will definitely need to make sure you’re shooting enough drone footage to make this kit financially worthwhile. For owner/op/sometime drone pilots, you may find yourself perfectly happy with a Phantom 4 Pro package, now available in obsidian HERE.

If money is no object, you will also want to fork over the extra $500 for pro res or $1,300 for the CinemaDNG/Pro Res license combo. If you don’t, you’ll be limited to H.264 and H.265 — which begs the question why you didn’t purchase the DJI Phantom 4 Pro in the first place as it allows  recording in both of those codecs. For this review, I was working on a project that was finishing in Premiere to 1920×1080 with limited post time, so I found ProRes 422HQ 16:9 3840×2160 to be the right format for me. However, with license purchases you’ll open up a whole host of tip top options that record to the drone’s onboard SSD:

Note: Once the SD card fills up the SSD no longer records. When recording in the Inspire 2’s superior codecs (RAW CinemaDNG, 422HQ and ProRes 4444XQ), you’ll find yourself only pulling out the SSD and forgetting to re-format the SD card. This is not a surprise you want to have mid-flight with a client looking over your shoulder. Don’t forget to format the SD Card between each flight — even when only using the footage captured to SSD. You can record H264 ,H265 and stills to the SD card only. It’s worth noting that the SSD stick is much easier to take out once the batteries are removed.

Now, let’s get to the operation.

As aforementioned, setup is lightening fast. Where I would have difficulty locking the camera alignment with the inspire 1, the X7 easily locks into place on the Inspire 2 with little to no fiddling. Batteries slide quickly into place and the SSD stick slides into its slot easily. One button ejects the batteries and another button turns the Inspire 2 on and off. Pairing to a new controller is easy and I found the pilot/cam op controller relationship to be intuitive, though I did have to turn the app on and off once or twice before my older iPad mini detected the Inspire. In short, if you’ve spent any time with an Inspire 1 you’ll find setup is easy and if you are a Phantom user looking to make an upgrade, you’ll be up to speed with a five minute youtube video.

After flying with the Inspire 2/X7 over a dozen times I found the Inspire 2 a dream to fly and the X7 image to be significantly better when compared to the Inspire 1/X5 combo. Where I found the highlights to be blown out on an X5 camera, I was pleasantly surprised to see different shades of white and gray in the sky on an overcast day on the X7. In low light situations the level of noise was acceptable into 1600 ISO for my taste, but it’s worth noting that when shooting RAW you are limited to 1600 ISO with the X7.

Shoot in CinemaDNG and you’ll unlock the real grading potential of the X7, but handling the files can be a little daunting at first glance. Fear not. Once you plug your Inspire SSD into your computer using the DJI reader you’ll see your files displayed as individual stills (see left pic).

To view these stills as video you’ll need to pull them into Premiere using the Media Browser window. You can then drag a clip onto your timeline and enjoy working with RAW 6016×3200 X7 video at up to 30fps. Or, you could work with ProRes proxies and deal with the RAW files at the latter color stages of your edit process (recommended).

Want to give grading a raw 6K still from the X7 a shot? Download a .dng image HERE and pull into Lightroom or your favorite RAW stills editor.

All the DL lenses have a uniform 46mm front diameter making filter purchasing (lots of 46mm threaded filters available) and threading easy. ND’s are essentially required if you’d like to shoot in and around F4-F8 during the day, which tends to also be the sharpest F-stop range for your lens. All four lenses are light, each weighing about 180 grams and click into place quickly on the X7.

Just as with the Inspire 1, focus has always been a little tricky for me to judge on mobile devices, so I often found myself tapping the screen in auto focus mode just to give myself ample opportunity to retrieve a sharp image. For this field review I used the Apple iPhone 7+ for one controller and an iPad Mini 3 for the other.

The inspire 2 hardened foam case that comes with the purchase of the UAV does a good job keeping the inspire 2 secure, but there isn’t room for the X7 or any of the lenses, so keep that in mind when purchasing. A pelican 1400 with pluck foam will hold all four DL lenses and the X7.

Obstacle avoidance with the Inspire 2 is a brand-new feature not included in the first inspire and I’ve come to rely on GPS mode + obstacle avoidance for peace of mind. Nothing replaces good ole fashioned common sense and hawkeye observaction when it comes to flying, but it is helpful having the Inspire remind me I’m too close to a tree. Many commercial drone pilots fly with obstacle avoidance off to get closer to foreground for dynamic shots, but I find with 90% of my shots that obstacle avoidance makes sense.

At this point it’s hard to find true competitors to DJI. They’ve led the field for a while now with their Phantom series, and now the Inspire continues to deliver professional results on realistic  production budgets. The Inspire 2/X7 combo doesn’t require an electrical engineering degree to master, and if you’ve spent any time playing video games you’ll be right at home with the controller in your hands. It’s never been easier to pull up your production vehicle and grab RAW aerials in minutes, so get that FAA commercial certification and start flying.

DJI Inspire 2 Body Only: $3,000.00

X7 Camera Cost: $2,669.00

Availability: Shipping late November

Special thanks to Rin Ehlers Sheldon, Haley Hays and Rick Smith for their help on this field review.

Holly Wofford is an Emmy nominated Executive Producer with doc/reality credits that include Survivor and American Ninja Warrior. She has travelled the globe working in difficult climates while navigating everything from Tsunami warnings to cast members on the verge of quitting the project.

Having worked with Holly in the past I knew she would have vital tips to share with the Pro Video Coalition community. I spoke with Holly to discuss life as an EP and lessons learned from her years in the business of telling the heartfelt stories of real people.

The full interview is below:

How did you get started in doc/reality?

From the age of 10 I knew I wanted to work in television. Growing up in small town Georgia, opportunities to learn about television production were non-existent. I constantly begged and pushed my parents to take me to movie sets around Georgia where I would watch and soak it all in. Eventually, I went to the University of Alabama where I graduated with honors with a TV and Film Production degree. From there I moved to Washington, DC intent on working for National Geographic. To my great disappointment, they weren’t hiring. This fateful moment sent me in another direction: from documentary to reality tv. I applied for a logging position on America’s Most Wanted. When asked if I proficiently knew the logging software I said, “…absolutely!” I got the job! But I’d never heard of the software and had never done any logging. On my first day I sat at my desk and tried to look busy. To my great luck I found a software manual in the desk drawer and once everyone left for the evening, I stayed until the sun rose the next morning and taught myself to log. Within 6 months I was producing reenactments. After almost 3 years in Washington I moved to Los Angeles where I landed a job on a brand new reality show, Survivor. From that point on, I didn’t look back.

You have had a long and varied career jumping between very different types of subject matter. What type of stories/content appeals most to you and why?

Personal and real stories with heart and depth appeal to me. I’m not interested in fake/scripted docuseries or other series that are produced with a heavy hand. I am most attracted to shows that put real people in extreme circumstances. I work hard to ensure my shows have genuine heart and redeeming value. American Ninja Warrior, for example, could strictly be a sporting competition, but by diving into the competitor’s personal stories, their families, their sacrifices, etc, it takes the sporting experience to a whole new level. Digging into the real people involved in any series whether it’s a hair competition like Shear Genius or an adventure survival series like The Island, it’s never just about the physical experience. It’s about what’s happening, how it’s affecting the participants and why.

Switching gears here. What types of mistakes do you see younger producers making early on in their careers?

We all make mistakes when were are just starting off in our careers. One mistake I frequently see across all departments is people wanting success, promotions or titles handed to them.   People walk in the door and want to be the DP, editor, director or producer. But they don’t know the bites or shots they need to tell the story in the bay. That said, for those that want to work hard and put in the time to learn your craft, I absolutely encourage you to ask for what you are worth, push for promotions and aim for the grandest success. And women especially need to do this. I constantly see women being paid less for the same job. Whether male or female, we should all receive equal pay for equal work.

Couldn’t agree more. What should new producers be working towards? Clearly not a title bump.

Get experience under your belt! Work hard and learn everything you can about your craft. Not only is it rewarding, but it will ensure promotions and title bumps as your knowledge base demands it.   For new producers interview skills are generally thin. They forget to ask the subject to incorporate the question in their answer. They interrupt or talk over the subject. They don’t take strong enough field notes. These are things that are learned and honed over time with experience. So get some! Also, I have to say one of my biggest pet peeves is when a producing team gets cocky about being on the producing team. Don’t do it. Remember, it takes every single department to create a successful show.

What advice do you have for doc/reality producers trying to make the jump to the Co-EP/EP level? How do the skill requirements as an EP differ from those of a producer in the field? 

Being a Co-EP or EP means you are no longer just a producer of story. You are responsible for logistical, legal, safety and so much more. You are now a manager. You are also a problem solver. Everyday. All day. You gotta be the one with answers and to know the answers, you need experience.

If you are ready to make the jump to Supervising Producer or Co-EP, ask your superior if you can take on some of those duties. When you are being interviewed for a job, let them know you want to take on more responsibility with the understanding you are doing so with the hope and goal of being considered for that position on the next season or next series. Another option is to apply for higher level positions on smaller shows. If you are a show producer for a big cable network series, look for a smaller cable network series to push for the bump up.

How have you seen the doc/reality segment change over the years? Are networks still interested in telling the same type of stories?

The reality/doc world is constantly evolving and will continue to do so because it must. The old fashioned story telling model is tired. Luckily, we’re definitely seeing networks willing to take more and more creative risks as the world of entertainment viewing is growing and developing on online. Unfortunately, as this is happening, we are also universally seeing budgets coming down. Even major networks are asking for shows to be produced for much, much less.

Do you have a few rules of thumb when it comes to collaborating with creatives on your team? ie. rules you have when giving or receiving notes, or the like?

In post, not every note is going to make the show better. Our job as producers is to determine which notes make the show better and which don’t. If someone above you is giving a note you disagree with, you are going to have to figure out how to get them to think your great idea is theirs. On the flip side, be prepared to put your ego aside and work with the best idea even when it’s not yours.

What about in the field?

During the shoot, notes and ideas come in from all directions and the same rules apply. Some will work and some won’t. When in doubt, keep rolling and looking for the story and consult your supervisor for direction.

You’ve worked for most of the major networks in a production leadership capacity. Do you have any advice for dealing with network executives when it comes to creative questions?

Networks are so different and their involvement is equally as varied. You have to work with their personalities and style. Across all networks, fight for what you believe is best for the series. But as financiers, you have to recognize the network’s importance and right to input. The bottom line is the network executives want what is best for the show just as much as you do. Sometimes those opinions are in line with one another and sometimes they aren’t. It’s a balance.

What do you look for when it comes to hiring your team, either on the production or camera team side? Certain attributes or technical skills?

Experience. Period. Whether technical or a producer, I want the person who can best execute. And the best have experience under their belt. Specifically, experience in that genre or setting (i.e. competition elimination editor/underwater shooter/sports producer, etc) is a must. If someone has worked multiple seasons on a show, that says a lot. If someone has worked for the same company on multiple projects, that says a lot. Those are the people I will hire in a second. Equally as important, I want people who take initiative. These are people who know their jobs, come in, take the reins and do their jobs to the best of their ability. This rings true for all departments. I also look for references – both references provided by the potential crew member and others who are not on their list.

At the same time, I love bringing in new people who want their break into the business. For these folks I want to see a stellar attitude, a eagerness to work hard and a willingness to do whatever it takes to help out a production, even if it isn’t what you initially signed up for. If someone is willing to be a team player, I’ll do everything I can to help them advance.

What note do you hear given most often over headset to the camera team when covering a scene?

My control rooms are run very efficiently. They have to be. There is always so much going on. On Ninja there are over 50 cameras rolling on each run. On Strong there were almost 40. So chatter on the camera channel is held to a minimum. Frankly, that’s true for even the smallest shoots. On Supernanny we had 2 to 3 cameras rolling at a time. Shooters are focused and should only be interrupted when necessary. The most common notes: battery warnings, re-balance notes, check your focus, framing notes, technical notes and notes to follow story.

Has technology made your job easier over the years? Or, at the end of the day, is it simply storytelling with different tools?

Technology has made our jobs easier and more fun on so many levels. It’s generously allowed us to be more creative in our storytelling and in shot gathering. That’s what it’s all about – telling entertaining and moving stories. GoPros, drones, cable cams, advanced audio collecting have made tremendous impacts on my shows from American Ninja Warrior to The Island. Budgets are down, but we still need the coverage so we lean heavily on new devices. On the post side, from digitizing and retaining image quality all the way down to color correction, audio mixes and network delivery, the digital movement has brought post production into the modern era. Everything looks and sounds better than ever before and it’s achieved much more efficiently.

Can you recall one instance specifically in which you were especially proud of a mid-production pivot that solved a particular problem?

If I didn’t have a MIDDAY pivot, it wouldn’t be production! Production is a series of constant challenges.

Midday it is!

On Survivor we received a tsunami warning following a nearby earthquake. There wasn’t time to remove the cast from the beaches so a safe solution had to be figured out, fast! On Ninja during the testing phase, obstacles would prove to be disappointing or impossible to complete so we had to shift gears or throw it out all together.   On The Island we had a cast member fall and injure his back. He was medically evacuated from the island. But we didn’t have the fall on camera! So we had to figure out how to tell that critical story in post despite the lack of coverage. On numerous shows I’ve had to talk cast members off the ‘I quit’ ledge. This one is probably what I’m most proud of because it’s personal. The cast member is struggling with a deep personal desire that is usually based on fear. I work hard to help them realize that if they can tough it out they will come out the other side a stronger, more confident, or more loving human being. No pain, no gain as they say. And for me, that is worth fighting for.

Do you have one tip for a new producer starting off his or her career?

Get field and bay experience. Write. Learn and study your craft so you know the ins and outs of storytelling. Strive to have a good attitude, a strong work ethic and be persistent. Let your passion lead you. We spend most of our lives working. So if you do nothing else, make sure you carve a path in the direction that feeds your soul.

As a freelance producer I’m often put in a place where I am giving notes to any number of departments on a documentary or narrative production. I’m not alone in this. A big part of the entertainment machine is the giving and receiving of notes. In fact, nearly every industry depends on different departments being able to give feedback to one another. Giving notes is a vital mechanism for improving performance and its very tricky to get it right.

From a management perspective, the goal is always to make the production run smoothly, ideally on-time and on-budget. This is easier said than done when you are surrounded by passionate, creative people who rightly put their heart and soul into their work. Yet, the creation of film, commercials, and TV is also a business and so the potential for conflict is great. When notes are given poorly they can create additional confusion and even be more damaging than if they had never been given. When notes are given well they can help clarify goals, empower teams and improve the final product.

Here are seven tips for giving notes in a creative environment:

    1. Limit Conflicting Notes

I see this all the time. Three producers on a film decide they each have the “fix” for a scene half way through the second act and they each independently email the director, who is spending hours in a dark editing bay, a fix that is in direct conflict with the other producers ideas. The director is then pushed in multiple directions (not to mention stay true to what she or he had envisioned for the film) trying to please different competing viewpoints and the scene ends up as a bland unmotivated shell of what was originally intended. The key here is to get on the same page with your peers before you hit send on that email. A united front, whenever possible, limits confusion and helps keep the road ahead clear. If a consensus cannot be reached, make sure to support your notes thoroughly. Cite how the change could affect the overall narrative, whether or not there is a glaring technical error, or honestly admit the note is sourced in personal preference.

    2. Collaborate Amiably

A collaboration can deteriorate quickly when notes come off like orders. The military can strip recruits of individuality and have them depend on their training to accomplish the mission. Entertainment, on the other hand, only exists because of individual points of view. Guide the filmmakers toward their best work, while also collaborating with yours. If you do not respond to an element of what your watching, ask about the intention. Then, give notes supporting that intention. Then, repeat the intention in your feedback. For example, “If your goal is X, then I think it is necessary to Y.”

If you disagree with the intention, you are likely on a project that doesn’t fit you, or you are faced with a really big problem that is going to take a great many questions to fix.

If you present questions or general notes about a scene or commercial, often the filmmaker can come up with something even better to solve the problem you are looking to fix. If you have a thought on the solution, try priming your note with “What if…” A little cushion can go a long way.

    3. Avoid Comparison

There are only so many ideas out there. Okay, I get that, but even a flattering comparison is an insult to an artist striving to be an original…and guess what? The likely response you’ll get from a filmmaker with strong vision is “I don’t care how they edited the iceberg scene in Titanic, this is a different movie.”

    4. Don’t Nitpick

Choose your battles. Look at your notes before passing them off and consider which are truly the most important to you. Which will have the largest impact on the project? Fighting over small details that don’t truly change the story one way or another is a waste of everyone’s time and most often comes off as some type of power play.

    5. Act Quickly

When a creative decision is made and all departments begin to act on that decision, it can be harder and harder (ie. more expensive) to reverse or change course as time goes on. Stay informed on all aspects of the production so you can see the warning signs and provide input before things go too far astray from the original vision.

    6. Give Positive Feedback

If you deliver nine notes that are all overwhelmingly negative about a project, it will damage morale. Guaranteed. Before you say, there is no time and no career to be had for the ultra sensitive, I say to you the best of us put our whole selves into this work, and we care deeply. If you want to work with someone again, try to give them some affirmation to live off of, while they lick their wounds, making changes that each feel like a loss in the short term. Offset the negative, “This doesn’t work,” with positive notes about what is working.

    7. Don’t call it broken if it can’t be fixed

Never deliver a note without suggesting a possible solution or a direction to take, and never damn an entire facet of a production that cannot be fixed. Nothing is worse than receiving a note like: “The first 15 minutes don’t work,” or something irredeemable like: “You should have had a different mixer.” If there’s no way you could reshoot a scene, don’t make suggestions that would require pickups. Be specific; find problems with attainable solutions.

The entertainment industry is insulated and hard to break into because filmmakers like working within a network of artists that can deliver results on a deadline, and most importantly, collaborate in a positive way. A select few tyrants can deliver a film and be successful. The stories of these individuals are more the exception, not the rule. Any time you might think it makes you look like a bigger deal to be a bigger burden on a team, you are actually showing everyone how green you are. Never forget that you are in the business of delivering entertainment. If a project is made in an environment of mutual respect and trust – it will often come through onto the screen.

Different guilds offer different benefits, so if you are a multi-talented individual, you’ll need to weigh your perspective unions against one another or decide if the benefits are complimentary enough (or singular enough) to warrant joining both.

I am a member of the Producers Guild of America, which despite the word “guild” in the title, is not a union but an association. Then there are also societies for many different types of professions such as casting (CSA) and cinematography (ASC). For this article, I am purely focused on the labor unions – defined broadly as organizations that represent groups of workers in collective bargaining, disputes and will even lobby federal and state governments on behalf of their membership. Beyond that, being in a union can allow you to work union jobs – which tend to pay more and provide benefits related to safety and workplace improvement.

For example, union productions must feed you, give you breaks, and will face financial penalties if you receive late meals or work significant overtime. On a non union production, anything goes. That is not to say that on all non-union projects producers will take advantage of their crew, but there have been instances where crew members have been hurt or even killed because producers didn’t follow union mandated safety rules.

“Well, that’s a no brainer,” you might think, “Time to go union!”

Not necessarily. There are many cities in the United States where local or state tax incentives may have brought large numbers of union productions to their region, forcing non-union projects to the back-burner. It’s possible that the only jobs available in your town may all be union. That’s a case in which joining a union is a no brainer. However, in general, you want to leave yourself open to as many job opportunities as possible for as long as possible, until the works comes looking for you more than you go looking for it– this goes for any freelance profession.

Different unions have different rules on this, but after a certain amount of time working a union job as a non-union crew member, you are often forced to join the union to continue work on that project or any union project. This is a best case scenario as you have several months or even longer of union work in front of you reducing the risk of joining. However, if you have only worked a few union commercials and just barely passed the threshold for membership, the decision is a tougher one. It gets tricky when there is no guarantee you will continue acquiring union work, because having to turn down non-union jobs when you aren’t making any money is not an attractive route. For example, the Screen Actors Guild rarely allow members to work non-union projects once they have joined the guild and that is a regulation they enforce. Actors belong to a pool of workers that is highly oversaturated, and to make it even tougher of a decision, unlike other onset jobs, they typically need to be union to even be considered. But back to the crew!

The cost of joining unions is also not cheap, so the projects you are getting better justify the joining fee.

The international cinematographers union (Local 600) can cost as much as $10,000 to join depending on your job classification. This is a lot of money, but access to steady higher paying union work can increase your income dramatically to help cover the initial dues. You may book 5 days of work that cover that fee after joining as a commercial Director of Photography.

The million dollar question: when is the right time to join a union? The right time to join is when you have access to union work and you are a part of a crew network that can help sustain that momentum during the year. The wrong time to join a union is after one or two union gigs that were one-off projects with no potential for future employment in a town where it is rare to see a film or network TV show come by.

Joining a union can be a difficult and expensive proposition, but it also lends legitimacy to you as a professional. Having a union membership means you have been through hundreds of hours of work in your field and that you have specialized skills and other training that makes you a rare commodity. (There are exceptions, such as SAG, where an actor can be Taft-Hartley’d after one spoken line in a New Media Project.) If your union association is not hard won, joining is likely less worth the cost of joining and the cost of dues. There are approximately 7,500 members of the cinematographers union and compared with the industry at large, that makes those members an elite and exclusive bunch. If I hire a Local 600 cam op, I have certain expectations for their caliber of work.

For producers, union members are more expensive, but they also come with that proven skill set, which is worth shelling out those extra dollars to ensure a well-conditioned production. At the end of the day, the only litmus test you need is determining whether membership will mean more work or less work, because no matter how cool you want to seem to your fellow alums, or how badly you want an acronym to appear after your name in the credits, you need to be able to feed yourself first.

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