"Prior planning pays dividends," my Grandfather would say.
He learned that as the Commander of a sub-chaser in WWII. But his wisdom has served me again and again in other arenas, be it as a husband, father, or professional.
When Dane Elcar and I scheduled BRIGHTWOOD, shot in May 2021, we knew we wouldn't have a lot of time on set. The budget was tight, COVID was real, and the change of seasons meant the environment would vastly change over the course of shooting if we didn't keep the days down.
To combat this, we did all the normal stuff:
--batch locations
--match for time of day
--run rehearsals prior to principle (unfortunately, this one isn't always that normal... but that's another post).
We also did some less normal stuff, like schedule every single lens change: 3 minutes to go from a 35mm to a 70mm, 4 minutes for a 70mm to 24mm, etc. Dane and his AC actually ran lens change drills before we shot.
Needless to say, we didn't exactly hold to that schedule. Because a plan is a blueprint; a means to be prepared enough so you can roll with the punches. And punches there were. When push came to shove, Dane and the team deviated from the plan both creatively and logistically because those changes were appropriate, necessary, or sometimes just plain better.
But the time we took in the weeds before we started is what let us make those changes without endangering our days, or the final product. I never think of planning as locking myself into decisions. It's about having such a high enough level of preparedness that we can take the inevitable punches and road bumps as they come without losing our step.
So... plan prior, and get those dividends!