8 Tips for Handling Delays in Video Production
Delays are frustrating yet common in the world of video production. The reasons may vary, such as unforeseen circumstances like extreme weather conditions or mishaps in setting up the location that lead to minor accidents. Failure in coordination can also cause unexpected delays that disrupt the whole video production process.
Whether you’re creating video clips, animated videos, corporate videos, or working in film production, follow these tips to handle delays:
Outline
1. Plan Ahead of Time
2. Communicate Well
3. Determine the Cause of Delay
4. Adjust the Schedule
5. Provide Updates
6. Be Flexible
7. Keep It High-Quality
8. Learn from Experience
1. Plan Ahead of Time
Use highly functional project management tools to create a detailed project schedule. Include a built-in buffer in case of potential project delays. From pre-production to post-production, every detail should include what to do during delays, the contact person, and the people involved in a specific task.
2. Communicate Well
Tell your project manager, the entire video production team, your clients, and other stakeholders when you encounter any delays in the project. Open communication ensures that all of you are on the same page. Work with project managers and the whole team to come up with solutions.
3. Determine the Cause of Delay
Understand why the delay happened. Maybe it was due to equipment failure, scheduling conflicts, logistics problems, or technical issues like corrupted raw footage. When you know and address the root cause of delays, you can prevent similar causes from happening again.
4. Adjust the Schedule
Work on the delay by adjusting a part of the project schedule. For instance, you can:
- Rearrange the tasks to solve the delay
- Reallocate the resources for the time being
- Come up with a new project timeline, project details, and video production workflow
- Store the video footage in a safe storage device to avoid losing them
- Give yourselves enough time to solve the problem
- Ask for backup and additional resources when needed for certain areas of the project
Indeed, it’s challenging to work on another task that no one expected due to delays. However, the job gets done when everyone on the team works as one.
5. Provide Updates
Give continuous updates to your client about the progress of solving the delay. They deserve to know the new timeline now that the project has been delayed. Constant updating helps you build trust and loyalty with your clients.
6. Be Flexible
Prepare yourself to adapt to circumstances beyond your control. These delays are unavoidable, so you should be responsive and resourceful to make the project successful.
7. Keep It High-Quality
As delays can cause lost time, rushing the editing process to finish on time might be tempting. But that shouldn’t be the case. Even with lost time and a new schedule, you should prioritize quality above everything in your final product. Rushing video editing can lead to glaring mistakes in your video project and may cost your name and reputation.
8. Learn from Experience
Every delay can be a learning experience for the project management team. However, you can use it as an opportunity to improve your video projects and come up with better practices to prevent delays.
Why Delays Are Expensive
Creating video content involves money on top of planning and execution. Here are several reasons why a single and simple delay is costly and can affect the entire production process:
- Resource Reallocation: Resources like equipment and facilities are only scheduled for a certain period. Going beyond the schedule means additional payment, and delays can make you pay more to use them.
- More Labor Costs: Delays make people work overtime, meaning you have to pay them more to meet the deadlines. Every extra hour that employees give to finish the project should be paid promptly and accordingly.
- Missed Deadlines: Delays can make you miss deadlines and damage the relationships you have with your clients.
- Putting Projects on Hold: Delays in your current project can delay future ones, which leads to higher costs and missed opportunities to release the projects at the best time.
- Reputation and Image Damage: Consistent delays can make clients lose trust in your business, leading to financial loss and the public’s distrust of your brand.
- Legal Battles: Contracts with clients can include penalties for delays. It adds more strain to your budget as you pay for them.
While you can’t control when a delay happens, you can manage them carefully to reduce these costly effects on your business and resources.
When delays disrupt the entire production process, everyone should work together to solve the problem and adjust to the new timeline. Delays are also a learning experience for the whole team, as they develop backup plans with a project management tool to avoid them in the future. Maintaining a high quality of work is still important while keeping the clients in the loop and dealing with the real cause of delay.
Hiring a Video Production Team
While DIY can be an option for simple video projects, hiring a reputable video production team is a good investment for creating high-impact videos that will achieve your goals.
A competent video production team like Dream Engine can help you plan your video production process from start to finish. This team has the equipment, expertise, and experienced personnel to bring your ideas into a high-quality visual output. They’re also knowledgeable in dealing with delays and working around new schedules to give their deliverables on time.
