Contingency planning for problem solving

1. ContingencyPlanning
ProjectTitle:Claire toMe
Pot. Problem Effecton Production Solution/Control PersonResponsible
Workingon location
with natural light that
is unpredictable
Can leave final shots
lookingbadquality,
blurry,leave the
subjects features
lookingunflattering,
and givinganoverall
harsh looktothe
shots.
Aimto shootduring
“goldenhour”the hour
before the sunstarts
setting,asit castssoft
lightoverwhatyou are
filmingandprovides
solutiontoimages
lookingbadqualityand
not aesthetically
pleasing.
Director- will
considerthiswhen
creatingfilm
schedule.
Short window of an
hour – hour and half
to shoot during
goldenhour.
Do not have lotsof
time,meaningyou
don’thave many
chancesto film
multiple shotsof
thingsandhave to
workquicklytocatch
the bestlight.
Make sure to have a
specificschedule and
listto planall yourtime
inthisshort window so
youare not wastingit.
Alternatively,filmafew
hoursbefore including
goldenhour,butuse a
bounce boardor light
reflectortoreduce the
harsh light.
Director- I will be
makingthe home-
made reflectorboard
and will ensure itis
keptsafe and ready
for shootdays.It will
be a crew members
responsibilityonthe
day to place the
reflectorwhereveris
needed.
AudioIssues
regarding wind,
background noise
such as traffic,
passers by etc.
If the sound isnot
goodand you can’t
hearwhat the
subjectsare saying
clearly,thenitwill be
lessengagingforthe
audience,andoverall
effectthe qualityof
the projectas a
whole.
Shieldmicfrom
directionof the wind/
trafficnoise usingyour
hand,a piece of foam
or a fabriclike fleece or
cotton.Alsopossibly
use a soundreducing
mic suchas a deadcat,
foammics or a
directional mic.
My responsibilityto
pickup and ensure
the kit isreadyfor
use and used
professionallyand
keptsafe.Onthe day
it will be acrew
members
responsibilitytowork
withme and monitor
the mic. Alsogoto
differentlocations
you’dthinkabout
filminginand
monitorthe
backgroundand
soundlevelsof the
area before shoot
day.It will be
differentfilmingat
the side of a road,to
filmingdownthe
bottomof a
shelteredhill.

2. Weatherrestrictions
disrupt shooting
outdoors
If the dayyou are
shootingonisrainy,
windy,andwet,itwill
make it muchmore
difficulttofilm.Itwill
be uncomfortable to
be in the coldall day,
not comfortable for
the cast and crew,and
it meansthatyou
have to be aware of
the safetyandwell
beingof yourkit.
Look at the weather
forecastthe week/a
few daysbefore the
shootand keep
checkingitup until the
shootday. British
weatheris
unpredictablehowever,
a day that was saidto
be bone dry and sunny
may become foggyand
drizzly,soitwouldalso
be a goodideato set
aside time foranother
few shootdayif it
needstobe
rescheduled.Make cast
and crew aware of this
so theyunderstandif
the weatheristoo
extreme toexpectto
reschedule toanother
day inthe future.If the
shootmust go ahead,
make sure to take
precautionssuchas
askingcrew to come in
suitable clothing,
multiple layersand
waterproof clothes.To
ensure the safetyof the
kitalsomake sure to
bringsome waterproof
bags/binbags to cover
kitwhennotbeing
used,andwhenkitis
beingplacedonthe
floor.Thiskeepsthe
moisture outof the kit
and reducedriskof
damage.
It will be my
responsibilityas
directorto ensure all
kitis readyand
prepared, andto
bringthe binbags/
waterproof bagto
make sure that kitis
safe.Itis cast and
crewsresponsibility
to come in
comfortable clothing
that theywill be able
to filmoutside infor
at leasta few hours.
Only have chance to
shoot on specificday
howeverit is raining.
Can affectthe moral
of crew/cast,and
endangerthe kit,and
a lot more difficultto
filmin,the rain
makingthe camera
buttonsslippery,the
lenscollectingwater
dropletsetc.
To reduce riskto the
kit,make sure to bring
somethingthatcan act
as a cover on the
camera.Before handin
a safe warm and dry
environment,use a
plasticsheetorbag to
create a sleevethatcan
be placedoverthe
It ismy responsibility
to ensure kitisn’t
damagedbyany kind
of weatherwhilston
shootand to ensure
it iskeptsafe.I also
needtosupplythe
umbrella,butonthe
day a crew member
will mostlikelybe

3. camera if itrains,and
reduce the riskof water
gettingin.Alsobringan
umbrella,andif the first
solutionof the sleeve
doesnotwork,ask a
crew memberto place
an umbrellaoverthe
camera andthe camera
personwhilstfilming.
holdingitoverthe
camera.
Reducedcast and
crew due to covid-19
Reducedcastand
crew mean thatit will
be more difficultto
handle kitandwill
generallymake it
more difficulttofilm.
If it is allowedbythe
government,Iwill most
likelyneedatleastone
helperduringthe
filmingprocess. Tokeep
as safe as possible,Iwill
make sure that my
helperhastracked their
whereaboutsoverthe
lastweekbefore
filming,andpreferablyI
wouldlike themto
shieldforanextended
time if possible.If there
was somethingtogo
wrongwithmy crew,
weatherthatbe they
are toldto isolate or
show symptoms
themselves,Iwill make
sure to have at least2
back up crew members
whoare available and
on hand.It ishowever,
the crew membersown
choice to isolate in
efforttokeepme and
my subjectsafe,andif
theydo notdo this,I
will make sure touse a
crew memberthat has.
It iseveryone’s
personal
responsibilityto
make sure theyare
covidsafe,andthat
theyare being
mindful theyare
reducingthe spread
and notincreasingit
by beingpartof my
project.
Due to covid-19, we
must sociallydistance
as much as we can.
Filmingisavery
practical and physical
process,involving
movingclosertoget
the perfectshot,
multiple bitsof kitetc,
so distancingmayadd
a strain to thisor be
forgottenabout
duringfilming.
To combat thisand
reducedthe amountof
time I am close to
someone,inmy
planningIam goingto
try use a varietyof long
and wide shots,and
some mediumshots
that I can editinpost to
make looklike close ups
It isall our personal
responsibilityto
make sure we are
keepingasafe
distance fromeach
other,howeveritwill
be my responsibility
to cleandown the kit
as the endof the
shoot.

4. etc,and I can do that
where Idesire.Asof my
crew member,Iwill
wipe downall the kit
and the components
before theyarrive,and
keepitina secure and
preferably waterproof
bag until then,and
once we have finished
filming,Iwill askthem
to cleanthe kitand
place it ina new clean
water- proof bag so I
know there isno riskof
transmissionintoeither
of ourhomes,colleges,
and workplaces.
Due to covid 19, it
wouldbe unsafe to
conduct all my
interviewslive.
Interviewsare aform
of conversationand
tendto be in a face-
to-face format,but
due to covidit would
be unsafe.
I have decidedthe best
route forwardwouldbe
to conductinterviews
and conversationsover
zoomor facetime,and
ask participantsto
record theirown
responses,andtothen
sendthose overto me
viaemail,message or
one drive.Ithinkthat
thisisthe safestand
easiestwaytoconduct
interviews,andlotsof
industryprofessionals
have createdwhole
new showsinthis
format,for example
GroundedwithLouis
Theroux,whohas
conductedinterview
thisway forthe last
year.
It will be my
responsibilityto
organise andco-
ordinate the
interviewsmyself. It
will be the
participants
responsibilityto
record theirpieces
fromtheirhome and
it wouldalsobe a
goodideafor me to
maybe write a listof
instructions/tutorial
for the participantto
lookat when
recordingtheirpart.
There could be
problemson the
participants side
whenrecording the
interview.
If we don’trecordthe
interview,orthe
audioisstatic and bad
quality,itcan reduce
the qualityof the end
piece.
I am goingto write a
seriesof instructions
and tutorialsandsend
themto the
participants
beforehand.Iwill also
discusswiththemon
the zoom/facetime call
whatto do a final time
and make sure that
It ismy responsibility
to create the tutorial
and instructionsand
to ensure thatmy
participantsknow
whattheyare doing.

5. theyunderstandwhat
theyare doing.Inmy
experimentsIwill also
make sure to practice
doinginterviewsover
the phone,whichwill
helpme findholesin
the route I have
decidedtotake.
The intervieweesgive
minimal answers to
my questionsand do
not give me the
answers I want.
Thiscouldmeanthat
whenitgetsto the
editingprocessthatI
do nothave many
conversations/audio
clipsto choose from,
as the interviewees
didnot replyinthe
wayI wantedfor the
project.
Write and planmy
interview questions
carefully,makingsure
that I write themina
waythat meansthey
mustbe answeredina
specificway.Depending
on the informationI
want,keepeither
questionsIwantbroad
answerstoopenended
and lessfocussed,and
answersthatI want a
specificanswerto,keep
themmore literal with
lessoptiontomove
away fromthe subject.
It will be my
responsibilityto
ensure thatmy
questionsare
relevantandtowrite
themand have them
on handfor whenI
am readyto
interview.
I arrive at the
shootinglocation and
the battery has ran
out or isnot fully
charged.
I can not shootfor as
longas I want as the
time will be restricted
due to the batteryand
camera life,andif it
isn’tchargedat all
thenI will notbe able
to filmanything.This
can leadus to fall
behindschedule.
To avoidthisproblem
all together,Iwill make
sure to charge two
batteriesfullybefore
shoot,and before Iset
off or beginshootingon
location,Iwill double
checkthat the batteries
are chargedto avoid
issues.Byhavingtwo
batteriesmeansthatif
one doeshappentorun
out shooting,whichis
shouldn’tunlessfilming
for hoursat a time,I
have a fullycharged
back up.To ensure that
thiscan be carried out,I
will borrow abattery
charger fromcollege,
and before Itake it out,
testit to make sure that
it worksproperly.
It will be my
responsibilityto
ensure thatI have
made the correct
checksbefore and
duringthe shoot.

6. My SD card run out
whilstout on location
shooting.
Shootinglong
sequencescanmean
that the SD card fills
up quickly,andif this
happensonlyashort
time intothe shoot,or
evenbefore we finish,
meansthat filming
will have tobe halted
and resumedanother
day.
I currentlyhave one SD
card of my ownthat I
boughtindependently
fromcollege,soif I
bookan SD card out
that belongstocollege,
I can make sure I have
twocards to use on
shootingday.If one
becomesfull,Istill have
another16GB SD to
use.To make sure that I
have enoughstorage on
all of them, afterand
before eachshoot,Iwill
transferthe footage
ontomy laptopand
delete the footage off
my card so I know there
isplentyof free space.
The camera becomes
damaged and can’t
be usedon the shoot.
If the camera
becomesdamagedor
doesn’tworkwhen
we showup to shoot,
filmingwill most
certainlyhave tobe
halteredordelayed
until analternative is
found.
Like withall itemsof kit,
battery's,chargers,
mics,lightingkit,Iwill
make multiple checks
before shootday.I will
checkthat the camera
isin goodconditionand
not damagedbefore I
leave collegewithit,I
will make checksafew
daysbefore the shoot
to ensure thatit is
workingwell andtore-
familiarisemyself with
it,and I will check on
the shootday before
filming.Thisway
hopefullyif there are
any issueswiththe
camera itself Ihave
plentyof time tofinda
new solutionbefore
filmingbegins.If Ido
getto filmingand
duringsomething
happenswiththe
camera meaningitis
unusable,Iwill have
made sure before hand
that my phone isfully
charged,and use my

7. phone instead.The
camera onmy iPhone is
quite good,and
althoughIwill have less
control overaspects
such as aperture,focus,
ISOetc, itwill workwell
enoughtodo the job.It
isalso simple togetthe
footage ontomy laptop
by usingmyOne Drive
account.
USB filesare
corrupted, or footage
is lost.
If footage islostor the
external drive your
footage isstoredonis
damaged,thiscan
meanyouwill find
gaps whenitcomesto
your editing,andyou
mustgo back and
reshootfootage which
was perfectly
acceptable andtook
time to shoot.
To ensure thatall my
footage isn’tlost,Iwill
make sure to purchase
a new USB/ external
drive totransferall of
my footage ontofrom
the SD card, and to be
extrasafe,I will also
uploadmyfootage onto
my one drive,soif my
USB is corruptedor
lost,I forgettobring it
intocollege etc,Ican
still downloadthe files
ontomy computer.If
my file thathasthe first
draft of my
documentaryon,is
corruptedor lost,I will
make sure to have at
leasttwocopiesof it
saved.Iwill save a
versionontomy
desktopatcollege asa
final resource if my
previouswaysdon’t
work.The firstthingI
will doissave it to
anotherexternal drive,
and alsosave a piece
ontomy one drive
meaningIcan access
my piece from
anywhere if needsbe,
or if the othersaves
fail.Havingitsavedin3
differentplacesallows
me enoughinsurance if
anythingwere togo

8. wrongwithone of the
files,andavoidpossible
disaster.
The footage looks
bad and not to the
high standard that I
want.
Sometimeswhenyou
lookat footage you
have takenthat is
sizedup,youcan see
the mistakes,for
example itstoo
overexposed,its
blurryor the footage
isgrainy.This can
lowerthe qualityof
the piece.
Make a few extradays
inthe schedule atthe
endof shootingjustin
case I needtogo back
and reshootfootage.
Havinga few extradays
can be helpful anyways,
regardlessof if reshoots
needtobe done,asit
allowsyousome
insurance time if
anythingelse goes
wrongduringthe
production/post
productiontime. If
reshootsaren’t
possible,orIcome back
and findthatthe
seconddayof shooting
still producedfootage I
am unhappywith,Ican
alwaystry fix thingsin
post.Colourgrading
can helpmatch the first
shootsand second
shootstogethermore
naturally,andusingthe
toolsinpremierprocan
helpreduce issuessuch
as destabilisationand
shakyfootage,andI can
alsouse toolsto edit
audioand image
quality.Althoughitmay
not lookas goodas I
had like,sometimes
time isnot onour side,
and we have to work
withwhatwe've got.