You Pay Peanuts, You Get Monkeys.. Not Quite Right.

As the old adage goes - 'you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.' It probably should be bananas, or according to Primatologist Dr. Joseph Hawes;

'We found that different species vary widely in the amount and diversity of fruits that they eat.' ref1

Oddly enough - Dr. Hawes is closer to the truth than conventional wisdom. A favourable outcome i.e. Non-monkeylike, rely on the diet that is fed, which can vary greatly; so a more appropriate version of the saying would be;

'You pay peanuts, You get monkeys... in cages.'

Like most industries, business is governed by the rules of Economics. Quality is created in a number of ways; (a) focus on using quality tools or components, (b) selection of personnel expertise, (d) good planning and preparation and (e) time allotted to a project. As the business side of things, negotiating a win for your side becomes important and the give/take scenario can subtract from those areas and add to others.

it's at this point where this becomes an equation i.e.

a + b + c + d= e

With 'e' being the optimal quality of outcome.

Subtract from any or all of the ingredients i.e.

a-1 + b-1 + c-1 + d-1 = e-4

The resources allocated to a project, determine the ability for the contractor engaged to create good work. This isn't to say that really good people, with really good resources won't shit the bed - they often do, due to x. With x being the perilous and unpredicatable world of moving parts that we live in. It's to say that without the proper resources of time, budget (which can be argued as time/labour hours in many industries), tools and expertise, you are setting up otherwise perfectly good monkeys for failure, which is a result nobody wants.

In the world of filmmaking; we've had some incredible wins on low budgets and spectacular fails on high budgets; Blair Witch and Waterworld to name two. (What the hell, I loved Waterworld) but the equation holds up - subtracting money in production for the case of Blair Witch (and adding millions back-end in marketing and distribution) but adding to a) an really good idea, b) time to plan and prepare and c) well-executed (expertise)

I've often engaged a saying to clients in the video world; 'Good, Fast, Cheap, Pick Two.' It's a little abrupt and harsh to voice, but the law applies to all, tried and tested. Ever stepped on imitation Lego from China? E.D. straight away. You'd wish they had the sole-piercing quality controls of Lego. Gumtree mechanic? Exactly. Now you take that Gumtree mechanic - give him a workshop, with proper tools and a bit of time and a clear brief - he's getting that deathtrap across the pits no worries, and in our world of freelance filmmaking the result can be seen from a range Hollywood Box Office Blockbusters to Oscar-winning films to 'that horrible wedding video your friends got made by a mates dad who happened to have a camera and just filmed his own eyeball the whole time.'

I'll leave the final words to a faded sign on my own reliable mechanics door; he's always done a good job, which some times cost a lot - but has obeyed the fundamental rules of engaging a contractor; appropriate time (quoted) appropriate leeway (trusted to make expert decisions) and appropriate budget for quality components. This allowed him to work cheerfully, enthusiastically at a high-level and to maintain a good relationship with his client; me.