As a Director, You Are the Engine
When things aren't going well on set, you are the engine. Everyone is reading you to understand whether things are fine, and if you can't hold it, the whole set dives with you.
This is one of the least talked about parts of being a commercial photographer or director. So what do you actually do when something isn't working? When the vibe drops and you can tell the agency isn't happy, or the client isn't happy, or something just feels off?
First, I go to my photo team: my lighting tech, my assistant, my digital tech. I'll say, I think this location isn't working for the client. How long would it take to reset at that other spot, and what do you need? They'll tell me fifteen minutes, or thirty.
Then I take it to the producer. Hey, I think the client's not happy. My team says twenty-five minutes to reset over there, and I think it solves the exact problem they're having. What do we lose later in the day if we spend that half hour, and can we present it to the client?
Then you go together, to the client or the agency or agency then client, in whatever order fits that day. You lay it out: I'm sensing this location isn't working. My team can relight the other one in twenty-five minutes, and I think it solves the problem. Would you trade a shot later in the day to make this priority shot right now?
And then you get verbal about it. The producer reiterates the trade so everybody on set understands: we're moving to this location, and we're releasing the 3 p.m. shot. Everyone's on board, on the record, no surprises at wrap.
At the end of the day you're a problem solver. You think on your feet, you communicate constantly, you know who to ask and when to ask them. And you fix the problem with a really good attitude, because they're reading that too.