Put the Big Rocks in First

Managing your workflow in a pressure packed digital environment doesn’t have to be as difficult as herding cats in a windstorm. Most problems occur due to a lack of planning, failure to understand the process and keeping an eye on the “end game.”

Here are some very basic steps that work and can make the difference between meeting and failing to meet a deadline.

¬Prepare in advance. – Know your gear. Prepare your gear. Clear your computer workspace of anything that will get in the way or slow down your processor.

¬Name it and save it. – As soon as you open a project in your NLE, name it and save it somewhere you can easily find it.

¬Put the Big Rocks in First. – A Physics professor once made me fill a bucket with large stones. When he asked if it was full I said yes. So he gave me some sand and had me fill in the cracks. Again… same question and answer. So he gave me some water to add to the mix. HMMMMMM? What’s the point?

I would never have gotten the big rocks in had I filled the bucket with sand and water first.

Short story…. rough cut the main stuff first then worry about the fluff. Special effects, fancy transitions, sound effects, music and fancy edits won’t make your story better only prettier.

¬Save now and often.

¬Render frequently.

¬Export or cut to tape before you do a final polish. - You never know when a computer will crash, a processor will freeze, or someone will trip over your power cord. If you have a hard copy
that is mostly finished you can re-load and at least have a chance.

¬Save again.

¬Plan to finish well ahead of the deadline. You simply can’t control everything so plan for everything to go wrong. Anticipation and preparation will be your new best friends and managing your stress level will improve your production.