Author: kerri

One Time I Lost A Car

The job of a Production Facilitation company is to ensure that the client gets all that is needed for their shoot to be a success. This could be crew, food, props, hotel accommodation, equipment, cars, you name it. The point is to create a stress-free environment for your client. You know what they need before they even tell you because that’s the service you offer; the service of peace of mind. So imagine if you are given a task to complete and your efforts somehow fall short. Your client shouldn’t have to deal with that bother because it’s your job to fix it, so you do just that… 

 

One time I lost a car. Twice. The same car. Losing a car is a big deal especially if you’re on a tight budget and schedule and you’ve already filmed said car before and need it again for continuing shots. But hold on, I’m getting ahead of myself because of course before we had even shot the car I had lost it; that was the first time. I had made arrangements with a car owner to use his car for an advertisement. I gave him the time and date of the shoot and all was well of course until that day arrived. 

 

On the shoot day with three hours before the schedule shoot start, I get a call from the car owner informing me that he has meetings all day and can’t do it. Basically he was telling me that though we had an agreement he had a job to go to and duties to fulfill and could care less of the agreement I made with my client and whether or not he was preventing me from fulfilling my own duties. Great, I was going to be fired from the production and as they say in the movies “Never work in this town again.” 

 

I’m being overly dramatic really. Though I was annoyed and frustrated I had to figure something out because that’s part of why they pay me. My client doesn’t care where the car comes from, if the owner is unavailable to deliver the car, whether I had breakfast that morning…all they care about is that the car is on location at the time it is scheduled to be there with a tank full of gas and ready to go. It took 30 minutes, eating into the time that the vehicle should be on route to set, but I got a mutual friend who the car owner trusted to deliver the car. 

 

After that fiasco though I lost that car for good. The owner thought it was too much hassle and refused to let us have the car for another day to finish up the shots that were yet to be done. I had four days to find an identical car all while prepping for another job. So I took to calling every car dealership for new and used cars as well as all single rental company in the phonebook. Finally I got it and at a reasonable price. Once more my client didn’t care if the car was lost because it was a hassle to the owner or whether I had to work in between breaks on the other job to find a new car or what time I got to bed at night. All they cared about was that the car was on location at the time it was scheduled to be there with a full tank of gas, ready to go. 

 

My client never found out about the first time I lost the car. It’s not their problem and it’s my duty to keep them as worry-free and calm as possible. And the second time I lost it I told them immediately and assured them that I was on the job getting a replacement. When you lose a car for good that’s a big deal and it’s best to be upfront about those kind of changes. This is the reasoning behind Production Facilitation to handle your stress and give you peace of mind because you already have enough to think about. 

 

Now you should hear about the time I lost a helicopter… 

 

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We Can Do Better (Attitude)

Why limit yourself? 
Why follow the trend? 
Why not go outside the norm? 
Think outside the box! 
Go one step further! 

 

If you do not believe you can do it, then you have no chance at all. The mind is the limit, and we all know there is no limit to the power of the mind. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it. 

 

With that said, to do better you must start thinking of doing better and it will be applied in your everyday movements. 

When we hear or use the phrase, “We can do better” or “You can do better”, it is usually in reference to people not giving of their best or achieving the highest standard possible. In this instance, however we are referring to service, the quality of your product and an all round attitude. 

 

How can we do better as a part of a Caribbean Film or Video Production Team? 

 

Here are a few simple ways: 

 

When you receive an email respond as quickly as possible. No more “I’ll get to that later.” 

If you are asked to do a task and have committed yourself to it, DO IT. 

Service to the client is of utmost importance. No is not an option, within reason, “I’ll see what I can do” is a much more positive response. 

Time management is important. Time is money! Manage all aspects of time properly. Budget over runs can be very costly. 

The all round experience for the client is important. Remember that they may be visitors too and although here for work experiencing the culture and hospitality of the island goes a long way. 

 

Service vs. Servitude 

 

In production we provide a service and the job has to be done, bottom line. 

If a hole needs to be dug then you dig it not because you are being subservient but because it increases production value and make a better looking shot. 

Garbage needs picking up, then pick it up. A clean set lends to a happier working environment. 

Doing the above mentioned does not make you a slave or put you in a position of servitude. It makes being a part of a production team more valuable and the clients experience unforgettable. These Values are some of the stepping-stones in Doing Better according to 13º North Standards. 

We set out to raise the bar in Caribbean Productions. 

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The Importance of Being Earlier

We have a horrible habit in the Caribbean and it is called tardiness. We like to be nonchalant about it, joking about running on island time. Let’s be clear “island time” is not an official time zone like Eastern Standard time or Greenwich Mean time. What it means is that everything goes slow and no one is in a hurry so being late becomes the custom but it’s okay because you’re on the island. 

 

Well I am in a hurry. Not a New York hurry but a “I got x-amount of time to get this job done and to get it right and time is money so losing time means losing money, and that’s not an option when you’re trying to be wealthy and successful so chop chop” hurry. 

 

But it appears that I am the only one. I am the only one on this “island planet” that wants success because I am the only one who gets that punctuality speaks volumes about you and your work ethic, and the fact that the old early bird adage makes sense. You get more done and you get the pick of the lot. Well me and about five other people (a small colony) get this. 

 

We then we look like the weird ones showing up early to the party except it’s not a party; IT’S WORK! So we are right and you late birds are wrong…oh so wrong. 

 

On the island it’s shoot day and I have my day scheduled out, well not just my day but the day of the whole crew and the talent which includes children. 

 

I show up early like it’s my job (it is) and so do two other people (colour me impressed maybe there is life out there) then we wait for about an hour/hour and a half until the crew arrives including the makeup artist (who actually gave notice of being late so she’s somewhat exempt), camera man and director. They each have varying times of arrival. So essentially everyone is there at the time we should have been shooting the first scene. The day is gone and we are going to have to crunch it. 

 

The worst thing about this is that I have kids coming and I have staggered their arrivals and they are only supposed to be on set for a previously agreed amount of time. So what happens is the kids come and they have to wait. In the USA and Britain there are laws governing the use of children in productions and I feel like that would not have flown as easily were this production being shot there. 

 

And herein lies the major problem. On the island “we” assume that we are in a bubble so the rules of work don’t apply to us. We do want we want, when we want it. But the island does not exist alone and I cannot stress enough that what happens here is not the real “world”. In the real world you show up late you get fired. In the real world you cause the production to lose money you get fired. In the real world you have kids on set for longer than the stipulated time you get sued and you lose the talent which means more money is spent so you lose the production money and get fired. 

 

Punctuality is key. The time you show up is a part of your first impression and you never know who is watching you. I have been told once by an actor that he showed up late because he figured the production would run on “Bajan time” which is Barbados’ “island time”. He may have thought that he was being funny or refreshingly honest at pointing out the problem of tardiness. What he doesn’t know is that his comments made my ears prick up and sent red flags waving everywhere. Would he be the person I hire on the next big job I have where people understand the importance of time and therefore the importance of being early? NOPE. NOT A CHANCE. 

 

International crews do not understand “island time”. And frankly neither does 13 Degrees North Productions Inc. We work by international standards as should we all. Our clients expect the best and so we give our best and we expect the best from those we work with. 

 

Here’s a test to figure out if you are working at an International or 13 Degrees Standard as it relates to time. 

 

Question: You have a meeting at 1:00pm. You show up at 1:00pm. Are you early? 

 

If you answered yes, you have failed the test, because on time really is before time. Know the importance of being early and if you have a warped sense of what early means then know the importance of being earlier. 

 

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If It’s Locations That You Want…

This could be your office! 

 

The Caribbean, to most, is the ideal destination for rest and relaxation with its beautiful beaches and warm tropical breezes. However, for the Producer or Creative Director, the Caribbean is much more as it can become the perfect setting for a film, television production or photo shoot. 

 

13° North Productions Inc. offers a variety of locations in Barbados to use as the backdrop for your next production. While we can offer full Production Facilitation for your project, if it’s just locations you need we can also work with you to find the perfect location. 

 

We want to ensure that we find the best location for your production so we ask that you provide us with as much information as possible when making a location request. This includes: 

 

– The type of project/production (film, TV, commercial, photo shoot) 
– The scope of the project. 
– Producer/ Production Company 
– Proposed shoot dates and number of hours per shoot day 
– Crew size (including talent) and number of vehicles (if you know this) 
– Location budget (including location fees, scouting budget and location management budget where necessary) 
– Your contact information 

  

N.B. Location scouting and management are services offered by 13° Degrees North Productions Inc. 

 

With this information we can then send to you the most suitable locations from our files. If you don’t find what you are looking for in our library have no fear because we are location scouts too and additional scouting will be done to find you the perfect place. 

 

We do charge a nominal fee for a file pull. Please contact us for rates. 

 

Can’t you see yourself in Barbados? 

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