1) In a way we’ve become scrappier; more about the work and getting it done. Cutting to the chase and not being overly obsessive. There’s an urgency now to express a message in record time. The world’s state of affairs warrants immediate and timely messaging or you risk being lost, or worse off, left behind or considered slow to respond.
4) I love the film “Still Going Strong” for Facebook by Maceo Frost at Knucklehead. Its an impressive piece of work, COVID or not. But the fact that they were able to pull together so many interesting, creative people doing inventive things in such a short period of time under these conditions makes it so much more impressive: https://wdrv.it/27f023000 Our Reebok work for Pride Month also strikes a chord with me. It was one of those projects on a limited budget where everyone chipped in, invested more of their own time and partnered strongly with the community to bring to life.
source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54amsYfi43Y
5) Biggest takeaway from this pandemic is move fast. Build on momentum and produce fast. If you don’t you’ll lose your window. Assess risk, protect and align with clients and production partners by clearly outlining all the scenarios at play. Then all hold hands and jump in together. We’ve had several shoots planned and then postponed and/or moved to a different location around the world. Insurance companies are not covering losses due to COVID delays and cancellations. So picking a location on the COVID-decline, where a local director or photographer doesn’t have to quarantine, keeping locations to exteriors and talent and crew to a minimum, all plays into the decision. Spending money in phases has helped limit exposure as well.
6) I believe we’ll see more and more shoots with smaller crews, simpler messaging, and more remote shooting. More of an emphasis on ‘what, when AND how’ can we make it (all weighed evenly). Rather than a primary focus on just ‘what’ can we make. 7) We implemented a policy in production where 1 of 3 bidders will be a person of color, a member of the LGBTQ community or a woman. We will be evaluating these options on a quarterly basis to make sure our minority options are being hired, not just bid. So we’ll be holding everyone in the agency accountable for carrying this out. We’ve extended this policy to minority-owned production companies and broadened it to include photographers, editors, illustrators, and freelancers we hire in Steelhead, not just directors.
