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Do you often find yourself working just ahead of deadlines, or have you just missed one for your company’s upcoming video production? Perhaps you were in charge of finalizing the script, consulting with the marketing department, or creating the first draft of the call sheet. Whether your mishap was the result of a mistake, poor planning, or factors outside of your control, there are several dos and don’ts for handling missed deadlines. Here is what to do to help keep your Orlando video production on track:
Keep Your Team Informed
If you realize that you may miss or barely make an upcoming deadline, let your colleagues and video production crew know as early as possible. Depending on which stage of pre-production you are in, your particular deadline may or may not be a big deal. With video productions, some missed deadlines can be catastrophic and costly for the company. If your goal is an important cog in the production wheel, it could impact the deadlines of countless others. However, your team will be better able to help you find solutions and workarounds for missed deadlines if they know about them in advance.
Be Honest about Your Mistakes
What makes a missed deadline worse is all of the excuses and cover-ups that come with it. If you failed to finish a script, avoid blaming it on a lack of creativity or resources. Instead, admit that you started researching too late and lost track of time. If you simply forgot to set up a consultation or interview, apologize and offer to handle it that day.
Keep in mind that your employer may choose to reassign your task to someone else. Try to avoid taking this personally or harboring ill will toward your co-worker. Instead, chalk it up to experience and work to regain your team’s trust in the future.
Offer a Solution
Even as you miss a deadline, keep working. If the material is still needed, then the work has to be done regardless of its delay. Set a new goal for yourself and make sure the timeline is realistic. For example, saying that the work will be done by Monday even though you will be traveling all weekend is likely setting yourself up for failure. If you need a lengthy extension, your team deserves to know why. Some delays could be important, such as redefining your target audience or needing to rewrite the script completely. In these situations, the cost of delaying filming may be worth it to avoid winding up with a production that doesn’t meet the company’s needs.
Ask for and Accept Help
Procrastination is the obvious cause of many missed deadlines. Most individuals mean well but start working on a project later than intended without taking into account the time needed to find and digest resources. Admitting that you need help before a daunting deadline is one of the best ways to make sure you meet your goal. If you forgot to invite actors to a casting call, for example, ask your Orlando video production company if they have any connections or leads. Trying to finish a script or create a storyboard can be time-consuming, reach out to co-workers for help divvying up the remaining tasks. Try to be accommodating if you need to reschedule missed meetings, reminding yourself that the other party is the one doing you a favor.
Your team is more likely to be helpful and supportive if your assignments are generally on time. Still, most employees will pitch in at the last minute for the good of the company. If this happens, be sure to thank everyone liberally for his or her time, dedication, and involvement. Together, you should be able to help put your production back on track.
Our Orlando video production company, NG Production Films, works closely with companies throughout every step of the filmmaking process. Our close collaboration can help make sure that your company’s production doesn’t fall behind schedule or swell over budget. For more information or a free consultation, call us at (877) 203-2895 or fill out our online contact form for a prompt reply.
