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Blackjack: How to Cut the Deck the Right Way
A respected producer takes clients to task for stacking
the deck on commercial shoots, then crying about costs.
By Bob Samuel
 In the last few years, we've been struggling with smaller production budgets, both from the buyer and vendor sides. There is unprecedented pressure to bring the cost of content production down from advertisers, both from recessionary concerns and because they can. Supply and demand is the rule of the day.
Agencies and suppliers are not in the position to say no to the advertiser. They need cash flow. So do freelancers. I am not proud to have taken projects at well below my normal rate. I'd love to channel Crispin Porter and tell them to go away, but my family needs to eat.
Cost consultants are on the prowl, preaching consolidation deals and attacking every category from mark-up to day rates to travel costs. But they seem to be missing a key component of cost cutting and better efficiency.
There is an alarming trend I am seeing and hearing about. This is directed at additional non-essential costs the clients are incurring to oversee the production of content.
And a lot of it is galling.
I did a shoot this spring where we had: the creative team, me (producing), one account guy, and one client (in this case the CMO). It was a lean functioning team. Everyone was empowered to make two great, efficiently produced spots. The key decision makers were there. All parties could collectively make important decisions in real time. No postings, no overnight international couriers, no overnight work to make stuff happen on schedule. No overages.
I have been on some jobs recently where the number of clients attending has increased exponentially. A dozen people showing up is not unusual. The client sends three or four folks, and the agency feels compelled to "man-up" with a corresponding number of account people. An ACD and CD come to oversee the creative team—get the picture?
Not long ago, there were 10 people in a video village on a tabletop shoot in Hoboken. All were buried in their laptops and Blackberries. At one point, the
producer went over to ask a question and a junior account person asked if he could email the question to the group. (This really happened).
Another friend told me about a recent two-day location shoot in L.A. No less than 21 (Blackjack!) agency and clients showed up on the West Coast from other parts of the country to witness this epic event. Now if you add up all those airfares, ground transportation, four or five hotel nights for 21, food, catering and out-of-pocket costs of that big a group, the amount is well into five figures.
I know the production company, the editor and the post companies on that job were hammered on their budgets. I am sure almost everyone on that job dropped their day rates or made consolidation deals on equipment and facilities.
Where were the cost controllers on those jobs and the dozens like them? How many people does it take to supervise a TV shoot? Were the key decision makers even there? Couldnullt the money have been saved, or (better) used to fully compensate the real workers on the job?
Advertisers and agencies need only send the decision-makers. Anyone who canullt make one: stay home. Just pay everyone their due (shameless plug). And if one account guy canullt handle all the clients, send a different one. And if the CMO canullt go, or can’t empower someone to make choices on site, get rid of that CMO and his department. They suck. That'll save a lot of money.
I guarantee if the key players are on-site, it will cost less and come out better. There are a lot of ways to make what we do more efficient. This is just one of them.
I always get the same response when I question indiscriminate costs in the face of silly, cost-incurring decisions. The usual answer is: "You donullt understand, times are tough. The company is hurting."
Well, the freelancers, crew members and owners of small businesses on 120-day payments understand a lot better than the CEOs, CFOs, CMOs and stockholders.
Times are tough, and we are hurting too.
Bob Samuel is a producer and consultant who tries not to take himself, or the industry, too seriously. You can find him at www.bobsamuel.tv.
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