My takeaways from writing, producing and directing my first major piece
“OK, but how does that push the boundaries?”
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t frustrated as all heck when our Creative Director, Graeme, said that to me for what felt like the umpteenth time during one of our brainstorming sessions. In retrospect, I’m incredibly grateful that he pushed me to think bigger and outside the box. Graeme helped me develop an idea into a full spot, we pitched it, and the client picked it!
Then Graeme came up with an even crazier idea— have me write, produce AND co-direct it.
This wasn’t an unreasonable ask; I had been asking for more experience directing, this piece was close to my heart and we had a modest budget. And it was also a challenge I was completely up for.
The project was for Plan International Canada, who had approached Q Media for the second year in a row to produce content for their new campaign, for International Day of the Girl. This year, they wanted to do something a little different and shake things up a bit — just like they were hoping to do with their #DefyNormal campaign. #DefyNormal’s messaging is to reject the ‘normal’ in society— a society that denies equality for girls and young women.
Being young and female myself, I knew the frustration this ‘normal’ can present and channelled that energy into my idea: tear down the patriarchy, smash negative connotations, demand to be heard, defy discrimination.
I wanted to literally tear down boundaries and let the light of young woman shine through, and literally crash the glass ceiling. However, working with a tight budget and tight timelines, I was sceptical about the idea’s feasibility… and to be honest, I briefly doubted my ability to lead my team through it.
I quickly learned that although I was ‘leading’ via producing and co-directing, at Q you are never working alone. I knew I would have to put on many hats to get this job done, and my team jumped in right along with me.
Graeme helped me work through each scenario and break down exactly what we wanted to show, in the simplest way. Designer and animator, Josh, creatively mapped out what props were needed; Mona Maher (who joined our team this summer to help out with production coordinating) sourced all the material and coordinated the locations and schedule; and on the day filming, DP Steven worked closely with Graeme and I to ensure every shot looked beautiful.
Working with Graeme and Steven on production day, I learned a lot about directing—specifically how to creatively problem solve. Here are some of the challenges we faced and solutions we brainstormed:
• CHALLENGE: No room in the budget to pay location fees for visually dynamic backdrops.
◦ Q-LUTION: Source what you can with who you know. Some of the Q team graciously offered their homes to have their fences re-painted (thanks Steve!), rooms redecorated (thanks Lucie!) and tarps thrown down to make a bit of a mess.
• CHALLENGE: Limited time to film multiple scenarios and locations, restricting the amount of set-up and lighting.
◦ Q-LUTION: Start early and use what mother nature gave you! As rewarding as it can be to perfectly light a scene, using natural light is quick, efficient and looks authentic.
• CHALLENGE: Directing your volunteer talent (with limited on-screen experience) in emotional content.
◦ Q-LUTION: Relate to real life experience. Just like I related to the real-world scenarios that inspired me to write this spot, chatting with the talent ahead of time about their own experiences helped inspired their performances to be based on authentic emotion.
Overall, this project had its learning curves, but with the Q-family support, we were able to deliver a final full-length video, along with 4 teasers designed for Snapchat and Instagram, in less than 4 weeks from conception. On Facebook alone, the video currently has over 3.7K views and has been shared with enthusiastic messages from inspired and empowered women.
From pitching, writing, producing and co-directing this spot I walked away with a lot more knowledge about how to successfully see a project through from start to finish. For those curious, my main takeaways have been:
• No idea is too large—challenge yourself to be more creative and don’t be afraid of thinking big. If the idea is great, then a good team will help you find a way.
• Be authentic – I believe this idea resonated with Plan International Canada and their audience because it stemmed from real emotion and experiences; an energy that was able to come across in the piece.
• Rely on your team – I had my doubts at the beginning of this project because the concept seemed too big to be able to produce so quickly. But I was soon reminded that at Q, we don’t do anything alone. Everyone in the office was eager and excited to jump in and that is a huge part of what made this spot so rewarding to bring to fruition.
