My ears were ringing after the second kick-back. You must have been stuck with a newly promoted junior VP with their first high-budget project trying to make a name for themselves. Your patience, and the whole team’s patience, is admirable. The southern American in me would have flipped a lid several times over.
God clients are their own worst enemies aren't they. Like a documentary by its very nature is about capturing reality and then sculpting a narrative. The amount of micromanaging you had to endure is insane, kudos on being so patient
As creatives it seems like we don’t appreciate that the “suck” of each job is what gives us experience and ultimately is what differentiates a pro from a neophyte.
This feels all too real as I’m in this boat, but I have a team of one - me. 🤦🏾♂️ This video sparked feelings of anxiety while clearly conveying the tension during pre-production. I look forward to the next episode.
As a producer working in LA, your channel remains one of the absolute greats in explaining the process of getting any real commercial project off the ground. I commend your transparency and hope to see you continue to grow your channel as a resource for those of us who are just starting out. Thanks for another great piece of insight, Scott!
Agree.. making the pretty picture part of it, althought VERY important.. it's only 5-10% of the gig.. planning is the KEYKEYKEY foundation! It's always a scramble.. 5:00 getting PTSD.. lols.. it's 100% managing humans, communication & managing expecations.. the art of the game!
Definitely needed to see a video like this today. Been trying to secure a job for nearly a month now and I’m constantly trying to avoid scope creep / keep us aligned to the original brief. Somehow comforting to know that at any stage of my career I’ll be dealing with this headache for the rest of my life
Makes me happy to hear that it’s of comfort James! I have friends in much higher career positions than myself and I honestly don’t think it ever gets easy :/
Holy shit man, I can totally relate on this and this is a master class that every producer and director should see. This is amazing knowledge. I wish I knew this 10 years ago.
Freaking amazing! I'm doing pre-production right now with an IT client for a commercial. I thought I was stressed out. Cant wait to be as stressed as your crew in this video haha. Great Problems!
Great video....stressful....but great! I can relate to tough client interactions, but the back and forth on this one sounds next level. Can't wait to see how it all works out!
Epic content as always Scott! Your ability to paint a picture of the process so openly without being overly negative is so refreshing. Any project, regardless of scale is at the mercy of the people paying for your services. It's always a fun conversation with any new project when the question of budget comes up! I'm constantly working on refining my process and enjoy your content as it's certainly helping me as my own productions have started to grow! Keep up the fantastic, informative content!
This is great! Exactly what fellow filmmakers need. Thank you for taking the time to document your process of working with these clients. Looking forward to the next episode!!
I love your videos! I'm in my first year of being a freelance filmmaker, and these insights are tremendously helpful in the way that I approach my process. Thank you so much!
Having direct access to the client can sometimes be helpful, but at others it can be a serious hinderance. As you say, having an agency in the mix might have helped to work through the idiosyncrasies of the client feedback process, but tbh I think it’s better sometimes to hear it from the horse’s mouth - especially with such maddening changes week on week. Being at the table throughout the process definitely makes you invested in the project - for good and bad reasons! Great insights though. Looking forward to the fun of production and post-production!
That is my greatest fear about working for clients on big projects. Today I teach lighting and can basically do anything I want in regards to content. Maybe the extra money wont be worth the headaches in my personal case. But I want to try it so damn much tho! Thank you for the great content as always
Awesome video! I can’t imagine the stress with the client - all that back and forth would have driven me nuts, haha. Agencies are a real lifesaver in situations like that. Pre-production is always too rushed on my end. I usually have a rough concept, but things are often too vague, whether it’s the shot list or locations. Still too much of that run-and-gun approach, haha. Maybe it’s a habit from photography, where switching locations is simpler, and there’s no need to worry about everything flowing together seamlessly.
Oh man oh man..... Let's just say the edit of this definitely reflected the feeling of what you went thru. That back and forthing is far too familiar. Wohazas
I’m genuinely quite honest with clients that I become friendly with and want to continue working with about the experience often during and after, I want work to be enjoyable when I can make it so. But after THIS particular job I would not be in a hurry to work with this client again. There are plenty more fish in the sea.
Top notch content as always, this was relatable in far too many ways. Well done, do you have any worries around your client ending up watching this series? Or do you think that relationship is fairly unlikely to rekindle so it's kind of safe to talk about openly lol
Thanks Austin 🙏 I’ve kept the client anonymous and they were involved in the process so are aware of how it went down. But I’m in no rush to work with them again no :)
What a nightmare. Looks like the client wasn’t either sure or clear about what they wanted. What do you guys recommend is the best approach to avoid a client giving you feedback like this after submitting project proposals? Other than pre production meetings I can’t think of anything else. Any thoughts?
They were not sadly. I wish I knew… strict contracts that dictate once creative is signed off… it’s signed off?!? Better lines of communication with in the organisation you’re working for… but clients don’t like to be told how to run a business / its non of our business how they operate internally… it’s a tough one.
@@ScottPetersFilms I made it to the end but boy it was a journey. Great series though. Best videos I’ve seen on an end to end experience. You should make it into a Netflix short documentary.
Im having PTSD by just watching this. Now imagine the kind of absurdly low budgets the mexican companies want to spend in projects like this. (I´m Mexican BTW) Awesome content mate! I´ve lerned a lot!
Mets lots of these new aspiring incompetent employees that manage their clients projects and assert lots of detailed demands. This means your working with an amateur that's most likely will waste your time because he doesn't have the competence to pitch and communicate well the ideas to upper management. More like secretary than a project manager. They always end up bad mouthing your crew to prop themselves up in front of their boss. It's always good to request to bypass these guys and connect directly with the head benefactor to cut down on ridiculous demands and waste of time. I feel your pain The money is good But then they might end up occupying more of your time than it's really worth. With that time you could take smaller gigs and still make good cash, maybe not the same amount. At least you won't be stressed for funds to be pulled because of an agitated and ignorant corporate ladder climber. Yeah I've been hurt before, 😂
Production company owner here. The bigger the budgets, the bigger the scrutiny, the bigger your problems.
Agreed sir.
Don’t you feel like cheap clients can be just as needy?
My blood pressure went through the roof with the feedback sections, good for you for getting through it and making something great.
It’s rarely an easy ride 😬😬
@@aaronthecameraguy as someone who suffers with low blood pressure I’ve booked marked this video.
My ears were ringing after the second kick-back. You must have been stuck with a newly promoted junior VP with their first high-budget project trying to make a name for themselves.
Your patience, and the whole team’s patience, is admirable. The southern American in me would have flipped a lid several times over.
There was a lot of factors, but they were def not junior or newly promoted.
@@ScottPetersFilms that makes it worse in so many ways. You’re a legend for not going full corporate passive aggressive.
God clients are their own worst enemies aren't they. Like a documentary by its very nature is about capturing reality and then sculpting a narrative. The amount of micromanaging you had to endure is insane, kudos on being so patient
As creatives it seems like we don’t appreciate that the “suck” of each job is what gives us experience and ultimately is what differentiates a pro from a neophyte.
This feels all too real as I’m in this boat, but I have a team of one - me. 🤦🏾♂️ This video sparked feelings of anxiety while clearly conveying the tension during pre-production. I look forward to the next episode.
You’ll be on the other side of it all at some point 😬😁
As a producer working in LA, your channel remains one of the absolute greats in explaining the process of getting any real commercial project off the ground. I commend your transparency and hope to see you continue to grow your channel as a resource for those of us who are just starting out. Thanks for another great piece of insight, Scott!
Thanks so much Nathan, that makes me happy to hear.
9:41 pre interviewing is key.. chef kiss! 👌
Thanks Jamie
Most underrated UA-cam filmmaker channel. Riveting episode!
Thanks Richard 🙏
Agree.. making the pretty picture part of it, althought VERY important.. it's only 5-10% of the gig.. planning is the KEYKEYKEY foundation! It's always a scramble.. 5:00 getting PTSD.. lols.. it's 100% managing humans, communication & managing expecations.. the art of the game!
So much planning 💀💀💀
Definitely needed to see a video like this today. Been trying to secure a job for nearly a month now and I’m constantly trying to avoid scope creep / keep us aligned to the original brief. Somehow comforting to know that at any stage of my career I’ll be dealing with this headache for the rest of my life
Makes me happy to hear that it’s of comfort James! I have friends in much higher career positions than myself and I honestly don’t think it ever gets easy :/
KILLER video Scott - huge props, love the final result, but the journey was even better :D
Thanks Josh :)
As someone with no clue of your industry, it seems from this that the customers desired result would need a 4x budget.
I'm going to be rewatching this everyday until the next episode comes out. This series is amazing!
Happy to hear it 😊
Huge props for the resilience and adaptability shown in pre-prod. Experience and professionalism coming through despite all the odds!
Thanks James 🙏
My PTSD is kicking in hard 😵Cool to see behind "Detail" 's work! Big admirer here. Hilarious to see client headaches too. Thanks for sharing!
You’re most welcome Alex :)
Holy shit man, I can totally relate on this and this is a master class that every producer and director should see. This is amazing knowledge. I wish I knew this 10 years ago.
I got stressed watching this, deadly video
Freaking amazing! I'm doing pre-production right now with an IT client for a commercial. I thought I was stressed out. Cant wait to be as stressed as your crew in this video haha. Great Problems!
You got this!
Great video....stressful....but great! I can relate to tough client interactions, but the back and forth on this one sounds next level. Can't wait to see how it all works out!
Documentary filmmaker from India here. The feedback sections felt painfully relatable. Thank you for these videos, this is gold.
Glad you could relate!
Epic content as always Scott! Your ability to paint a picture of the process so openly without being overly negative is so refreshing. Any project, regardless of scale is at the mercy of the people paying for your services. It's always a fun conversation with any new project when the question of budget comes up! I'm constantly working on refining my process and enjoy your content as it's certainly helping me as my own productions have started to grow! Keep up the fantastic, informative content!
Thanks Adam, appreciate the kind words :)
Great video man! Thank you for sharing! What you're doing in invaluable and so beneficial for all of us!!
My pleasure!
This is great! Exactly what fellow filmmakers need. Thank you for taking the time to document your process of working with these clients.
Looking forward to the next episode!!
You’re most welcome 🙏
Looking forward to the next episode!
Happy to hear it 👂
Nice to see part 2 ! Those client moments always make you reconsider your whole existence 😵💫😢😂
I love your work! This is a peak behind the blinds that I have not seen anywhere else. I am looking forward to see this journey develope.
Thank you so much!
I love your videos! I'm in my first year of being a freelance filmmaker, and these insights are tremendously helpful in the way that I approach my process. Thank you so much!
I'm so glad!
Having direct access to the client can sometimes be helpful, but at others it can be a serious hinderance.
As you say, having an agency in the mix might have helped to work through the idiosyncrasies of the client feedback process, but tbh I think it’s better sometimes to hear it from the horse’s mouth - especially with such maddening changes week on week.
Being at the table throughout the process definitely makes you invested in the project - for good and bad reasons!
Great insights though. Looking forward to the fun of production and post-production!
Like you say Tom, there’s pros and cons to both sides of it. This job certainly gave me more appreciation for agencies
Wow, just wow.
Cracking job, Scott. Something about hearing ridiculous client feedback in your high pitched, sped up voice really affects my blood pressure.
😂😂 sorry
Great and honest retelling of your client journey. Very relatable. Thanks for sharing.
You are so welcome!
This is incredibly valuable content thanks for doing and sharing your stories Scott. I can’t wait to watch the next one.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great insights - thank you, Scott! Looking forward to Part II!
Glad you enjoyed it!
The clips you show in the video look so nice! I assume they are from the final product? Can’t wait to see the results.
They are!
That is my greatest fear about working for clients on big projects. Today I teach lighting and can basically do anything I want in regards to content. Maybe the extra money wont be worth the headaches in my personal case. But I want to try it so damn much tho! Thank you for the great content as always
This is one incident out of tonnes of jobs I do every year, don’t let it out you off Douglas! Go for it and try for yourself :)
@@ScottPetersFilms Thank you! I will keep going for it and see how things work then.
Can't wait till the next episode!! Thanks again Scott you're the best :)
thanks for sharing the prepro process!
You’re most welcome Duncan 🙏
Pre-production will make or break your production. Great vid Scott! 🙌
Peek content! please keep up the great work
🙏🙏🙏
This is so much fun to watch ✌️
😊
12:38 PAIN
🥺
This is an incredible video man!
🙏🙏
Awesome video!
I can’t imagine the stress with the client - all that back and forth would have driven me nuts, haha. Agencies are a real lifesaver in situations like that.
Pre-production is always too rushed on my end. I usually have a rough concept, but things are often too vague, whether it’s the shot list or locations. Still too much of that run-and-gun approach, haha.
Maybe it’s a habit from photography, where switching locations is simpler, and there’s no need to worry about everything flowing together seamlessly.
You gotta plan!
Fantastic series Scott, keep it up
Thanks a ton!
Very insightful as always!
Great series. Thanks for doing these. Looking forward to the next.
Glad you like them!
Oh man oh man..... Let's just say the edit of this definitely reflected the feeling of what you went thru. That back and forthing is far too familiar. Wohazas
It’s a weird ride this career
Appreciate you being so candid. Do you worry that a video like this jeopardizes the relationship and future work with this client?
I’m genuinely quite honest with clients that I become friendly with and want to continue working with about the experience often during and after, I want work to be enjoyable when I can make it so. But after THIS particular job I would not be in a hurry to work with this client again. There are plenty more fish in the sea.
Everyone's face at 8:00 has got me dying haha
😂
The client feedback gave me second hand rage 😂 congrats on pushing through idk if I’d have the patience
Was in too deep 💀
Great episode and insights.
Awesomeeeeeeeeeeee
Top notch content as always, this was relatable in far too many ways.
Well done, do you have any worries around your client ending up watching this series? Or do you think that relationship is fairly unlikely to rekindle so it's kind of safe to talk about openly lol
Thanks Austin 🙏 I’ve kept the client anonymous and they were involved in the process so are aware of how it went down. But I’m in no rush to work with them again no :)
yeeeesh!
So good, just a bit of second hand anxiety
😩
Off topic, but what anamorphic lenses did you use on this project?
DZO Pavo Anamorphics :) - I break down all the kit we used in the episode after this one ☝️
Man, I was getting angry for you.
I probably would have fired the client during the first few minutes of this episode.
Fair 😂😂
Such a great video/insight into these sort of jobs, but holy moly hearing that client feedback is making me frustraighted and I'm not even involved
It was a rollercoaster of emotions
I fuckin love this series!!!
Happy to hear it :)
Watching this is causing stress.
All sounded way too familiar and I could feel my anxiety and heart palpitations creeping in!
Anxiety and heart palpitations are the name of the game it would seem!
Who does the Mograph for you?
What a nightmare. Looks like the client wasn’t either sure or clear about what they wanted.
What do you guys recommend is the best approach to avoid a client giving you feedback like this after submitting project proposals? Other than pre production meetings I can’t think of anything else. Any thoughts?
They were not sadly.
I wish I knew… strict contracts that dictate once creative is signed off… it’s signed off?!? Better lines of communication with in the organisation you’re working for… but clients don’t like to be told how to run a business / its non of our business how they operate internally… it’s a tough one.
I can't imagine any of this was worth it.
Is it ever?!
@@ScottPetersFilms I made it to the end but boy it was a journey. Great series though. Best videos I’ve seen on an end to end experience. You should make it into a Netflix short documentary.
That client issue is global. And it gets worse the higher they pay you 😅
Certainly seems that way. How anyone gets anything done is beyond me 🤷♂️
Im having PTSD by just watching this. Now imagine the kind of absurdly low budgets the mexican companies want to spend in projects like this. (I´m Mexican BTW)
Awesome content mate! I´ve lerned a lot!
Love Mexico 🇲🇽 thanks mate, I’m glad to hear it!
This gave me a freaking ulcer.
Preach
Great story. I'm at 13:00 still waiting for how. Just not much useful information except how clients jerk you around. Sorry.🤥
Mets lots of these new aspiring incompetent employees that manage their clients projects and assert lots of detailed demands.
This means your working with an amateur that's most likely will waste your time because he doesn't have the competence to pitch and communicate well the ideas to upper management.
More like secretary than a project manager.
They always end up bad mouthing your crew to prop themselves up in front of their boss.
It's always good to request to bypass these guys and connect directly with the head benefactor to cut down on ridiculous demands and waste of time.
I feel your pain
The money is good
But then they might end up occupying more of your time than it's really worth.
With that time you could take smaller gigs and still make good cash, maybe not the same amount.
At least you won't be stressed for funds to be pulled because of an agitated and ignorant corporate ladder climber.
Yeah I've been hurt before, 😂
The small and plenty argument vs the large and lesser certainly has it's perks!