Film & Photo Processes

To be successful when producing content in an agency and/or corporate environment, whether it's as a freelancer or staff member, you often need to figure out the lay of the land quickly. The checklist below is what I use to guide me in a new environment.

Sign-off & stakeholders: it's important to communicate to different types of stakeholders and build briefs with them in different ways; no two people are the same, and managing upwards towards a head of department (a Creative Director for example) will be different than working directly with a commissionner (CEO, or VP Marketing), as they will have different agendas, opinions and concerns, as well as preferences in terms of how content is presented. Typically, non-creative agents will want conciseness, emphasis on results and practical execution, whereas creative types will expect depth of thought, exploration, and aesthetic attention to detail.

Budget allocation: this is a tricky one, as you won't always be privy to this information, but understanding who is paying for your project can also help you manage them as a stakeholder. Someone in a start-up environment for example might be more budget-conscious, whereas a multi-department head might be more open to additional spend and ideas if they can see it driving results. This can also help you tailor your offering.

Project management and archiving: this is something to figure out at the beginning of a project, i.e. what will deliverables look like, does the client want all the raw footage, or just a selection? What does data retention look like? How long for? Going into a project with a clear strategy for future storage is essential.
 
IT support: filming and photohgraphy are very technically-demanding, and it's important to figure out whether you will be dealing with any IT/kit issues yourself or whether you can ask for support. You need to have some kind of resilience in place if your kit fails, your laptop, etc. and be able to escalate quickly to resolve issues.

Creative supply & guidance: equally important to stakeholder management is looking at whether you can lean on internal team members, especially for guidance on brand but also resource.

Content calendar & past examples: looking at previous examples of similar work to that being briefed, as well as understand the lifecycle of a company and its projects, will also help you anticipate deadlines, stakeholders and creative expectations.

Privacy & legal: lastly, a short but important question - who is handling the legal side of your creative work when working with talent? Figuring out whether you are responsible/liable for release forms and other aspects is important, especially when considering your own insurance policy.