Fall is here, which means it’s time for the baseball postseason — and a great time to reflect on teamwork.
As a fan of this sport, I know that baseball and teamwork go hand-in-hand and have taught me these important lessons as a content producer:
Define and understand everyone’s role
What makes an effective team is everyone knowing their role and how they work together to reach a common goal. On a baseball team, the pitcher, catcher, outfielders, and infielders are stronger when they understand their role and how it impacts the rest of the team. The catcher and pitcher need to be in sync with one another to strategize and you’ll see outfielders signal each other when getting ready to catch a fly ball. Strong communication comes from players knowing who is doing what and how they support one another.
The same is true for production. As a producer, I don’t have to know every detail of being a stylist, DP, or AD, but understanding what each role does and how they contribute to the production matters. During a shoot that required the DP to capture visitors at an art exhibition in a dimly lit gallery, he expressed his concerns about low lighting and the pros and cons of using certain settings for ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. From my experience taking photography workshops, I understood the limitations of each and began collaborating with him on possible solutions. Together, we figured out a flexible setup for additional lighting and a process for asking visitors to pose for certain shots.
I’m not trying to be a photographer or DP, but knowing their processes helps me figure out how I can support each role and what they need in order to be successful. When someone gets stuck, I can brainstorm with them and problem-solve because I understand their goals and what they need to be successful.
Have a game plan
Like any sport, baseball requires skill and strength. You also need a strong team strategy. Winning the game is always the end goal, but do you know how you’ll get there? The unexpected can happen and change the course of the game, which means your team’s game plan has to change too.
Working in production, it can be easy to get caught up in the final results, but you have to know where you’re going and the steps you’ll take to get there. I like to work my way backwards to help me figure out exactly what my team needs; what needs to be addressed before, after, and during the shoot; and the milestones that mark important deadlines.
To celebrate a major program, I was tasked with producing a recap video featuring interviews with special guests as well as moments that highlighted visitors’ experiences. In order to make sure we covered all of our bases, I began putting together a timeline of due dates, researched and contacted vendors, and worked closely with our events and production teams to understand what kinds of union regulations we would need to follow.
From all of this information, I put together a plan that included pre-production meetings with the vendor and our events team, an on-site walk-through before filming, and a run-of-show for the vendors to refer to when capturing the event. Like any shoot, we encountered some last-minute adjustments, but having a game plan made the unforeseen circumstances manageable.
Focus on strengths and problem-solving
When things go wrong, it’s easy to fall into the trap of blame and frustration. Having played softball as a kid and attended many baseball games, I’ve seen teams fall apart when players or managers lose their cool. The ones who play well and enjoy the game are those who focus on each person’s strength and what they bring to the table.
I’ve worked with videographers, photographers, and directors who let their frustration get the best of them during a shoot. They get angry and impatient, leading to a feeling of unease and uncertainty on set. Production always has ups and downs, but it’s more rewarding when you work with others to figure out how to solve a problem.
For a shoot that required capturing interviews with 30 artists in the studios throughout the Bay Area, the DP and I encountered many unexpected scenarios. Before the shoot, we prepared ourselves by asking the artists about their spaces to set ourselves up for success. That doesn’t mean we didn’t experience setbacks. An occasional BART train passing by or outdoor noise in the background made us both take a step back and think through solutions. By focusing on what we could do instead of what we couldn’t do made each scenario more manageable and enjoyable.
Trust your team
Believing your team can do what they set out to accomplish is important, on or off the baseball field. Micromanaging often comes from leaders worrying their team will make them look bad and that they will have to take the fall for everything. Mistakes are inevitable, but how your team works together to resolve and learn from them is more important than doing something perfect every time. A leader who questions their team on everything they do instead of taking the time to understand how they can support and address issues sends the message that team members are inept or weak.
While filming a project that required multiple videos for marketing and educational purposes, I found the environment was more collaborative and effective when I gave the production team room to determine the best setup to reach ideal outcomes. Instead of looking over their shoulder at every moment, I spent time connecting them with other staff members to get answers on creative and help the production crew address things that might cause interruptions during the shoot. Trusting the crew to make the best decisions and share their expertise when challenges arose ended with polished videos everyone appreciated.
Victory is better when you share it
In any sport, there’s often a star athlete that gets the majority of the spotlight. Even though there have been many on my favorite baseball team, it takes more than a star to make the winning game happen.
In production, certain roles stand out such as DP or Creative Director, but giving one person all of the credit takes away the hard-earned work everyone contributed. For me, it’s not as rewarding. Sharing credit with everyone involved is more fulfilling. Knowing that we accomplished something together is empowering and gives everyone the confidence to know we can do it again.
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Image by Gillian Callison from Pixabay