All Hands on Deck!

We can ideate all we want, but the true experience of working in advertising comes on shoot days.
A script can look perfect on paper. The schedule is ready, the shots have been planned, and everyone knows what needs to happen. Then the shoot begins. And suddenly, there are a dozen things to keep track of.

The shoot day actually starts much earlier than the call time on the schedule.

There are locations to finalise, props to check, talent to confirm, and a production team to sync with. Someone is checking if the models are locked. Someone else is making sure the right product has arrived. 

The prep can be hectic, but it’s also where a lot of the work gets done. The more we figure out beforehand, the more time we have to focus on what’s happening in front of the camera.

But of course, no amount of planning can account for everything.

Once we’re on set, the job becomes making sure the idea works in real life.

A line that reads beautifully on paper might feel awkward when someone says it out loud. A shot we were sure would work might look completely different on camera. Sometimes the talent has a better way of saying something. Sometimes the director suggests a change that makes the whole scene work better. And sometimes, a line we were very attached to has to go.

That’s part of the process. You have to be open to changes, listen to what the people around you are seeing, and find a middle ground that works for the idea and the film.

There’s a funny irony to shooting short-form content. A reel that lasts ten seconds on Instagram can take hours to get right.

A product needs to sit at just the right angle. A line needs to land naturally. The talent has to get the timing right. The camera needs to move just so. And then, after all that, someone asks, “Can we do one more take?”

Of course, we can.

Shoot days are full of this kind of on-the-feet thinking. A prop goes missing, the light changes, a shot takes longer than expected, or an idea comes up that’s worth trying. You learn to improvise, make quick decisions, and keep things moving without losing sight of what you came there to make.

For all the coordination, last-minute changes, and trying to get everyone on the same page, shoot days have their own little rewards. At Maharaja Bhog, it is free thalis. At Timezone, it is arcade games after the shoot (Tbh, not a bad deal for a day’s work)

Then there are outtakes that turn out to be funnier than the actual takes. The laughter behind the camera when someone completely loses it just as the director calls cut. Those moments when everyone is trying so hard to keep a straight face that it only makes things worse. And of course, nothing beats the sheer relief of hearing the director yell, “Pack up.”

By the time the reel goes live, most people will see only ten seconds of content. But we’ll remember the hours, chaos, and teamwork behind it, because when it comes to making the magic happen, it’s always all hands on deck.