Nobody likes sitting through a meeting when an email would suffice. That said, holding a daily “Morning Kickoff” meeting is a key time (and money) saver on any shoot. It gives you a chance to go over the day’s work, and to align everyone with your Vision. But there’s more to it than that.
Here’s why we believe that a daily Morning Kickoff practice is essential to any production:
There’s something for everyone.
In the hospital, teams of doctors get together at the start of each shift to collaborate on patient care. Morning Kickoff serves the same purpose on your production. When experts from all disciplines come together, they coordinate tasks, determine priorities, establish daily goals, and plan for potential problems. Sometimes specialists have never even been in the same room with each other before, so giving them a chance to communicate, helps everyone hit the ground running.
It’s Critical for Collaboration.
In an interdependent workplace like a production set, Morning Kickoff is a major opportunity that empowers everyone to fine-tune workflows, update plans based on current conditions and maximize the efficient use of time and resources—all of which will impact your bottom line. Taking 15 minutes at the start—or even 45 on the first day of a complex shoot—will save you hours at the backend by allowing departments to work and problem-solve, simultaneously, instead of sequentially.
Power to the People.
Our experience has been that people want to impress and do their best. Morning Kickoff is the ideal venue for sparking up everyone’s creative and strategic thinking for the day. Empowered with information, every department can chime in with suggestions and contributions—while they are still actionable! When they hear the updated plan, your Grips might suggest getting a scissor lift instead of ladders which might save a couple of hours of crew time. Then the Gaffer says, “If we do that, then we can also send back some equipment.” Morning Kickoff gives everyone the chance to optimize and coordinate, together, for everyone’s benefit.
The Takeaway.
Don’t skip Morning Kickoff! It’s a valuable forum where ideas are exchanged quickly to boost collaboration, accountability and efficiency across every department. It can be a game changer.