I’ve recently been preparing a talk to deliver at the
upcoming TEDx U of M conference here on campus. “Inform: Transform” is the
theme of the conference, and I will be standing alongside my team of fellow
students informing 1500 people about our perspective on the rapidly
transforming function of independent cinema and media production in newly
arising applications. Supporting these themes is our value of structured
collaboration in a creative team setting.
In recent months we’ve been writing & producing a
narrative short film. We’ve gone from developing a script out of nothing to currently
being full swing in production. I’ve observed, though, that the collaborative
nature which sets our team apart from the rest has, at times, hindered productivity
and performance.
We have 7 individuals from various disciplines at the core
of our team, and we are all involved in one way or another in the decision
making along the process of making a film. The writer isn’t the sole person
writing the script; the editor isn’t the only one working to assemble the film.
Instead, we run most ideas through a system in which everyone can voice their
ideas about what works, what doesn’t work, what they absolutely hate, what they
love. What this builds is a strong dedication from each individual in the team,
as well as a feeling of personal investment since everyone is able to contribute
to shaping these ideas which eventually become realities.
This has recently presented us with troubles, though, when a
finite timeframe is set in which a project must be completed – in this case
over the course of a semester. We have spent time in pre-production nit-picking
over very minor issues in our script shortly before shooting, which should just
be deferred to the director. While we want everyone’s voice to be heard, we
must simultaneously trust that the people next to us (the department heads) are
doing what is best for the entire team.
While structured collaboration has its benefits, can you
think of an instance in which too
many conflicting opinions made a process you were involved with less efficient?
**Shameless plug for the film below
I think this is often seen in college, but for a reason. I think the concept of collaboration and large teams is being seen more frequently in the business world, so college curriculum is changing to try and help us develop this skill. Thus, running we will run into this issue often throughout undergrad.
ReplyDelete-Jen Joseph
I agree with Jen, but I would also have to say that this is something that certainly occurs past our undergrad ages. I grew up in a household at the core of Corporate America, and I have heard my fair share of stories where multiple company executives are confident that they know what's best for the company. This then results in conflicting opinions and ultimately, one team member who is supposed to be collaborating will pull his/her power-card to undermine the group and make a final decision. Is this the best decision that could have been made? Probably not. The fact is, instances of inefficiency when collaborating, I would say, are more profound in the work place because no one is hand-holding, or urging you to cooperate or train you for the "real world." That is the real world, and sometimes things can get ugly.
ReplyDelete-Sarah Szollar
You where in the film group? I went to TedX and your group was absolutely one of my favorite's that performed, and by far the most entertaining. Your group and Ralph Williams' speech was all that any of my friends could talk about. When I say friends, I also mean teammates because I went with fellow members of the mock trial team I am on. We thought your presentation perfectly illustrated how hard it can be to collaborate, but how as individuals we see why the payoff in the results are so much higher. On our team we have to collaborate to create, perfect and perform over 16 parts for our tournaments. Some individuals have multiple parts, some only one, but everyone is required to give feedback for every other part, and at every stage of "production". This comes with a host of problems, but even when I think I have a part nailed, that I can't make any better, somebody comes along and gives another comment to make it stronger.
ReplyDeleteGreat job and keep up the good work. Your group was very inspiring!