Communication is KEY!

At the time I am writing this, it is 1:45am. Literally.

Why am I writing in the wee hours of the morning? I thought you would never ask, my faithful fan! I'll tell you.

The reason that I'm not resting is because I am supposed to work for a high profile client tomorrow.  They hired me for two days and told me they would send me a call sheet.  I have since emailed them three times requesting this call sheet. I was told that one would be sent to me tonight, hence I am still up waiting.

And this give me a perfect teaching moment for you.

COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CREW!!!!

By the production coordinator not having his ducks in a row, I can already predict how tomorrow will be. And THAT'S if I ever find out what time I'm to arrive!

For those of you who don't know what a call sheet is, it's a document that tells you the address of where you are supposed to be, the TIME you're supposed to be there, numbers to call if you can't make it, and other pertinent information like, where to park.  I'm headed to a municipal auditorium.  Do I park in the audiorium's parking or do I need to park across the street?  There will be thousands of people at this.  What is the dress code? Some companies don't care and merely state: dress comfortably, jeans okay, no open toed shoes.  Some require all black. Which is it for these guys? Who knows!!!

When you run a production, you are the leader.  Everyone looks to you. You may not realize that at the time, but it's true.   You need to have things handled, like, call sheets.  If you are too busy to do it, you know what? There are assistants that are great at it.  Don't mistreat your crew by keeping them in the dark.  And for goodness sake, DON'T lie to your crew!  I got an email stating that I would have my call sheet "tonight".  Well, it's tomorrow, and I'm losing sleep waiting on a call sheet that may or may not come.  And if they call me and my call time is 3am I will seriously be ticked off!

If you are feeling overwhelmed, the best thing you can do, is ask for help. Don't drag people through the mud because you feel it's your baby.  Maybe it is! But do you want a happy crew, or a confused, grumbling crew because now folks don't think you know what you're doing? 

Communication.   It's the key to happiness and a smooth running production.