How do you deal with feedback and revisions in lighting and compositing?

1 Understand the brief

Before you start working on your lighting and compositing shots, make sure you understand the brief and the creative vision of the director, supervisor, or client. Ask questions, clarify details, and request references or examples if needed. This will help you avoid unnecessary revisions later on and align your work with the overall style and mood of the project.

2 Communicate regularly

Communication is key to any successful collaboration, especially when dealing with feedback and revisions. Keep your supervisor, team, or client updated on your progress, challenges, and issues. Use clear and concise language, avoid jargon or ambiguity, and provide feedback on the feedback. Use tools like email, chat, video calls, or online review platforms to share your work, receive feedback, and track revisions.

3 Organize your files

One of the most important skills for a technical director is to organize your files and folders in a logical and consistent way. This will make your work easier to find, edit, and backup, as well as to share with others. Use naming conventions, version control, and metadata to label your files and folders. Keep your scenes clean, optimized, and documented. Use render layers, passes, and presets to speed up your workflow and flexibility.

4 Implement feedback carefully

When you receive feedback on your lighting and compositing shots, don't take it personally or defensively. Feedback is meant to improve your work and the project, not to criticize you or your skills. Listen carefully, ask for clarification if needed, and thank the person for their input. Then, implement the feedback in a careful and systematic way, making sure you don't break or overwrite anything. Test your changes before submitting them for review.

5 Manage revisions efficiently

Sometimes, feedback can lead to revisions, which are changes that require more time and effort than minor tweaks or fixes. Revisions can be frustrating and challenging, especially if they are frequent, unclear, or contradictory. To manage revisions efficiently, you need to set realistic expectations, prioritize your tasks, and negotiate your deadlines. You also need to keep track of the changes you make, document them, and communicate them to your supervisor, team, or client.

6 Learn from feedback and revisions

Feedback and revisions are not only necessary, but also valuable for your professional growth and development. They can help you improve your skills, learn new techniques, and discover new perspectives. They can also help you build your portfolio, reputation, and relationships in the industry. Therefore, you should always learn from feedback and revisions, appreciate them, and use them to enhance your lighting and compositing work.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?