The Production Trinity

   

Quick relay note after David Armano's very nice post : "The Producers". First of all, thinking about this is quite rare and full of empathy (thank you David). Producers are indeed the very last step of the chain between ideas and reality. Their role is very important and definitely deserves consideration. Commenting on David's post, made me think about the "production trinity".

So here is a little vision of a producer's brain. If you think carefully about these 3 elements, you'll understand why a producer is often pulling his/her hair out. Decent timing and appropriate budgets are the 2 electrons of quality. Ever heard about timing pressure and budget cuts? (haha!). As simple and obvious as it is, here is a little reminder.

 

TIME : is the first precious pearl.
Without time you have to rush things.
Rushing things costs money or quality.

MONEY :  is the second precious pearl.
Now money is not all, but it does help.
Without money, you need time to find solutions.

QUALITY : is the producer's ultimate goal.
...to make the original idea look/be sublime (be a hit).

 

It is fine to talk about ROI... but let's not forget this : in communications, quality (form) of the message counts as much as the message itself (content). Quality matters!
From this perspective, it is important to consider production. Don't always think about what it costs (...whether time or money), think about what it will bring back to you... IF it's a hit!

 

Comments

[Gavin Heaton]

A ha! The old triple constraint ... draw a triangle with each of these along each edge. Then, to illustrate what happens to a project when things change, re-draw the triangle. For example, reduce money and at least one of the other two have to change.

Nice way to visualise this challenge. And sometimes, just sometimes, clients understand it.

[mindblob]

Gavin,
Agree... great when clients take it into account. : )

[Roger von Oech]

Are you suggesting that most producers have the mentality of Homer Simpson?

[mindblob]

Doh!
Roger... Let me think...
- Working in a nuclear plant : Yes, in a way.
- Eating sandwitches for lunch : definitely.
- Watching TV : TV producer, of course!
- Finding "creative" solutions : Yep!
Well, you must be right then!

[Valeria Maltoni]

Luc,

Love the concept of production 'trinity'. One always gets what they pay for in the end. There are many ways of doing something, only a few rare ones will really matter. There is also an intangible issue behind your message: trust. Maybe there isn't a lot of money, but all the money there is, is yours. That is very different from a company bidding you down. Who would you work hardest for?

[mindblob]

Valeria,
Thank you for your comment. Yes, you're right... Trust is an essential link towards quality. Although money can't buy it, sometimes time helps building it.