I recently thought a lot about an experience from our last spec ad shoot. We didn’t do a lot of traditional pre-production. We mainly searched for some cool shots and visuals we liked but skipped detailed storyboarding. During the two shooting days, many ideas just came up on the spot. This made me wonder: does doing less pre-production open doors for more creativity?
Obviously, pre-production is a super important part of filmmaking because it helps avoid problems and makes sure everything runs smoothly. But too much planning can sometimes kill creativity. People tend to be more creative when they have the freedom to explore and take risks.
In our case, the loose structure helped a lot. We were flexible and open-minded, and new ideas just kept coming. Creativity often happens “in the moment,” especially when people are improvising together. Being able to adjust and try new things without being tied to a strict plan made a big difference.
Psychology studies show that people who are given fewer rules during a creative task often come up with more original ideas. So having just a rough plan for a film shoot might actually help new, better ideas happen on set.
A lot of the shots above just “happend” during our shoot and still tell our initial story but none of them were planned.
Of course, skipping pre-production completely can be dangerous, especially in commercial filmmaking where time and money are tight. So it’s about finding the right balance. Creativity tends to peak when there is enough structure to give clear goals but also enough freedom to experiment. In film, this means having a general idea of what you want but staying flexible.
Thinking back to our spec ad, the best shots came from moments we hadn’t planned. Maybe it was a sudden change in light or a spontaneous move by the talents. Random, lucky moments like these can really boost creativity — if you’re open to them.
Still, it wouldn’t have worked without pre-production. It gave us a direction, helped with logistics, and got everyone on the same page. But it didn’t have to be super detailed. Plans should be flexible and able to change quickly, especially in fast-moving environments like film sets.
From my still limited experience as a director, a “light” version of pre-production has two big advantages: it lets everyone on set bring in fresh ideas, and it helps the project adjust to new opportunities. But for this to work, you need to trust your crew and be ready to let go of some control, which is really hard for me sometimes but giving people space and trusting them is key for creative teamwork.
In the end, doing less pre-production doesn’t mean being unprepared. It can actually be a smart move to leave space for real creativity to happen. It completely depends on the project: are there a lot of locations? How many shooting days are there? How big is the crew? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before deciding to work with a smaller pre-production plan. The bigger the crew and the more locations, the harder it will be to not have a detailed storyboard. But still, our spec ad showed me that letting things evolve naturally on set can lead to surprising results. Finding the balance between preparation and flexibility seems to be a secret weapon, when used right, for creative success in commercial filmmaking.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. HarperCollins.
Mumford, M. D., Scott, G. M., Gaddis, B., & Strange, J. M. (2002). Leading creative people: Orchestrating expertise and relationships. The Leadership Quarterly, 13(6), 705-750.
Rabiger, M., & Hurbis-Cherrier, M. (2020). Directing: Film techniques and aesthetics (6th ed.). Routledge.
Sawyer, R. K. (2012). Explaining creativity: The science of human innovation (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
