Making It Work
Topic:
Article
Year:
29 June 2025
On tight budgets, endless formats, and finding smarter ways to make great work.
Producing advertising today is a bit of a balancing act. There are more formats to deliver, more platforms to think about, tighter deadlines, and budgets that don't always match the ambition of the idea. The challenge is figuring out how to make everything work without losing what made the idea interesting in the first place.
It Starts Before the Shoot
A lot of the work happens before anyone steps on set. Understanding what the campaign needs, figuring out what really matters, and making the right decisions early on can save a lot of time, money, and headaches later.
Working with a tight budget doesn't automatically mean compromising on quality. It just means being smarter about where the money goes, what needs to be done on set, and what can be solved in post-production. Sometimes, a small change in the plan can make a big difference to the final result.
One Shoot, Many Deliverables
These days, producing a campaign rarely means making just one film. There are cutdowns, vertical versions, social assets, different aspect ratios, and plenty of other deliverables to think about.
If all of that comes up at the end, things can get complicated pretty quickly. Planning for different formats from the start makes it easier to get the most out of a shoot and avoid unnecessary reshoots or extra costs.
That might mean thinking differently about framing, getting the right coverage, planning extra product shots, or making sure the VFX workflow works across every version. The idea is to capture what you need from the beginning, rather than trying to fix everything later.
Spend Money Where It Counts
Optimizing a budget isn't about cutting corners everywhere. It's about knowing where to spend and where you can find a better solution.
Sometimes, building something physically on set is quicker and cheaper than creating it in post. Other times, VFX can save the cost of a location, a complex setup, or an entire shooting day. Reusing locations, combining setups, and planning several deliverables around the same shoot can also make a real difference.
There's no formula that works for every project. It comes down to understanding the idea, knowing what's possible, and finding the right balance between creative ambition and production reality.
Good Planning Makes Better Work
The best solutions usually come from getting everyone involved early. When creative, production, and post-production teams work together from the beginning, it's easier to spot problems, find alternatives, and make decisions that benefit the whole campaign.
For me, good production isn't just about making an idea fit the budget. It's about finding a way to make the idea work without losing what makes it special.
Because having less money doesn't necessarily mean making something less ambitious. Sometimes, it just forces you to think a little harder.
It's not about spending less on everything. It's about spending smarter on the things that matter.
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