Control freak? Me? Come on …
Someone recently called me a control freak again. Had to smile. Sure, I like to plan — but that has nothing to do with control. On the contrary: good planning is my key to creative freedom. When the basics are covered, your mind can focus on the truly exciting things. (You know that feeling of lying awake at night, wondering if you've forgotten something? That's exactly what I mean.)
Admittedly, I am quite structured. When a model lands at the airport, I'm there and on time. My reliability is practically legendary. What others might call pedantic is simply professionalism to me. After all, who likes waiting for others?
And now I'll reveal my surprising secret: I use paper. Yes, you heard right: real, analog paper! Sounds stone age, but works perfectly. For travels, I print out calendar sheets. Nice and clear, with generous boxes for scribbling. Everything goes in there: shooting appointments, locations, schedules. My personal method for keeping track.
To let you enjoy this analog efficiency too, I've developed a small digital tool. Just enter your trip — say "Ibiza" — plus the dates, and the computer will conjure up a custom calendar on an A4 sheet. Print it, fill it in by hand, done.
When I proudly presented my project calendar to my wife, she immediately asked, "Can you write in it with a computer?" I had to laugh. No, for this you need — attention, revolutionary concept! — a pen. And you know what? That's a good thing!
Now you might think I've missed the digital boat. Don't worry, my Google Calendar is running at full speed. But for project planning? Paper is simply unbeatable: Never needs charging, is democratically accessible: no passwords, no cloud synchronization, and you can still write on it while balancing a camera in your other hand.
The best part though is: When I get a spontaneous idea during a shoot (which happens surprisingly often when you're not checking push notifications every three seconds), I can write it down immediately. So yes, maybe I'm a bit oldschool. But sometimes being oldschool is also a bit smart.
If you're oldschool too, why not give it a try yourself.