How To Use Logical Iterations To Keep Momentum When Creative Stalls Production

You've got deadlines. Non-negotiables and delivery expectations. Good creative is critical, but it's subjective. So what if it keeps you waiting?

We moved right through this Ark Studios production with creative sign off at every stage. The director loved the ‘electric’ look of the VFX. In the final days, the agency raised legal concerns. They could not be sure ‘electrical’ was going to pass with broadcast standards. They needed a new creative right before delivery. Fair enough. Most Flame ops build shots with revisions in mind; nothing is baked in and nothing is discarded. Just back up a few renders, home in on which assets are ‘electrical’ → remake them as ‘puffs' & re-output. Now the same creative is certified safe. Play-out is back on track, no difficult calls.

Before ‘Electrical’

After ‘Puff’

Creativity isn't linear. It goes in circles, zig-zags, loops and U-turns

If you're not getting sign-off quickly, production feels harder. Tiredness creeps in, ops get frazzled, that weirdness from earlier is back, but now it's 6pm. How do you deliver that to a deadline?

Work on one thing at a time

When I look at a shot, I am scanning for hero elements, timings, impact, hit points, composition & spatial relationships, colours, as well as what’s fluff, what’s expendable & what gets in the way. That list becomes the brief. Work through it at speed. When it’s ticked off, the pass is complete. Each shot is resolved to its natural best. No second-guessing → Send to client.

All progress is compromise

A typical hero shot might need 3 or 4 passes, the first of which is universally shit, or it should be if you make it fast enough. Production can’t start till there’s something to talk about, so I aim to get you the first rough comp in a couple of hours. Then just iterate everything. Beautiful shots in increments.

Creativity is logical; each step reveals the next.

Forget final outcomes & get to work v001, v002, v003. Internal versions are fast and loose. Ideas, opinions - a quick chat usually reveals the consensus; combine this from v001, and that from v003. The client pass is V1-004, continues V1-005, V2-006, V2-007 - two independent number streams, client & internal, make for very easy tracking. Client calls are much easier. When they need to know why something is the way it is, they are pretty much satisfied when they hear our short collective decision list.

A ticked-off list builds creative confidence

This is perfect for fast production - good choices can be iterated quickly. Going fast doesn’t make it less right. You can deliver a whole batch of beautiful shots very quickly.