I was in the Cubs when I was a little boy. Not for long, and not very successfully. I think I got a merit badge for tying knots, or being clean – one of the two. Anyway, I seem to remember the motto was “Be Prepared”.
Those words have been in my head for the past couple of days as I’ve tried to marshal my thoughts and resources for the week ahead. It’s going to be some week.
If all goes well – fingers crossed – it will go like this:
Planning for four clients, five cities, six days. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Monday
Fire-walking seminar shoot for EMC here in Cork from about 5pm to 9pm, followed by post-production back at base for a couple of hours. Send print files to the lab, ready for collection/delivery on Wednesday evening.
Tuesday
Fly to London in the morning. Possible shoot for a catering company run by friends in the afternoon in Twickenham. Yet to be confirmed.
Wednesday
Annual report shoot for the London P&I Club from 8am to 5pm.
Then it gets interesting. I’m booked on a 9pm flight from Heathrow to Dublin and on a 10pm flight home to Cork.
If I’m on the Dublin flight, then on…
Thursday
…I’ll be shooting in Dublin for a client I can’t yet name from about 10am until the afternoon. Then I’ll be traveling to Galway for a second-day of shooting with this client on…
Friday
The shoot in Galway will have to be done by 5pm, as I’ll need to travel back to Cork by train for a wedding shoot in Bantry on…
Saturday
On Saturday evening, I’ve been invited to celebrate the birthday of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. I shall need a drink after that week.
As I write this on Sunday evening, it is still unclear what is going to happen on Thursday and Friday. That makes planning the week erm… interesting. There are a number of issues to resolve. Not least balancing the range of equipment I take to London with airline baggage restrictions and the requirements of possible shoots in Dublin and Galway. I won’t be able to pop home to Cork if I find I’ve forgotten something.
I also need to manage the EMC post-production and delivery of prints in my absence if I do end up in Dublin.
And don’t get me started on the management of the image files. I have – touch wood – never lost a file from a commercial shoot. But if it is ever going to happen, it’s going to be during a week like this.
***UPDATE*** The Dublin and Galway assignments were confirmed this morning. Additional flights and rail travel booked. Catch me if you can: Cork – London (air), London – Dublin (air), Dublin – Galway (air), Galway – Cork (rail), Cork – Bantry (car). That’s the full set: Trains, Planes and Automobiles.
