The job of producing really comes down to waiting for something to go wrong and reacting to the situation accordingly. It combines a series of highs and lows, one moment you seem to be getting everything done and sorted, signed off, stamped and sealed. Then the next you are running around like a headless chicken trying to fix something that has suddenly ruptured.
Although its this exactly what makes producing so much fun, its the constant having your finger on the pulse that makes each day a constant learning experience. Each day wether I was leaving in panic melt down mode or walking on air, I still felt I had learned something new from that day.
It was jumping into the deep end for me, having only produced the PMB scenes which really just involved ordering taxi's - producing 'Breathing Room' really was on the other end of the spectrum.
I'm not saying it was a difficult job to produce it but it factored in so many equations that the PMB scenes didn't have nor need. You really do feel on the first few days of producing that you have to act like you know what you are doing. After all its your sole responsibly to get the film going, thats enough to scare anyone.
Looking back in hindsight I can really see how far I have come, looking back on the rookie mistakes I was making and the silly little things that could have been done better it makes me cringe somewhat. But this is a good thing, being able to see the learning process from start to finish in a manner in which you can see the difference in your working methods is what learning is all about.
Yes we are far from finished with this film. Having a series of shots in a hard drive is far from having a film, we have climbed the mountain now starts the decent. I'm sure the coming weeks and months will hold another vast array of learning experiences for me, and I can say in total confidence 'I can't wait'.
Having been locked in the production office for nine hours days for two weeks before shooting, its amazing to see what all the hard work was really for. Although I can say I was surprised how little I had to do on set in contrast to pre-production. I found myself giving myself silly little jobs to go and do to make it seem look as if I was still this busy little bee. This is only down to one factor, the crew working as a perfect team and just getting on with the job in hand. They created no problems for me to deal with on set. Its amazing to see the difference from how far we have come as a unit from first year.
Each day I spent on set I can also say in honesty that it's the first time I have enjoyed being on set. Usually I just like to hide myself away in a dark edit suite where nothing can really go wrong and there is no stress. This shoot was calm and relaxed but still with a strong working drive to it all.
As I said before this was down to the crew working as a team. The shoot never hit any ice bergs on its way from start to finish. It was such a learning curve seeing how we all worked as a team to get things done. Yes the dog wrangler turned out to be more difficult to work with than the actual dog, but we can't say we weren't warned.
So now I have a folder full of receipts and a budget that needs drafting - again. So what can I say other than I have really enjoyed myself on this shoot. I could sit here and try to explain what I have learned and such. But this would be like a dad telling his son various tips for riding a bike, you can't explain it, its really one of those things that you learn by doing.
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