You Can Only Pick Two

This one comes from my dearly missed mentor in grad school, Norman Hollyn, the author of the Film Editing Room Handbook and That Lean Forward Moment. It’s short and sweet…

…you have the good, the fast, and the cheap…you can only pick two.

Norm called it the “post-production pyramid,” however, I have found that it extends well beyond the editing room. I think about it anytime I’m starting a new project or endeavor. I’ve scribbled it on countless cocktail napkins. And I’ve refashioned it into the above Venn diagram for presentations. I’ve said it to my team so much that they now roll their eyes. It’s been incredibly helpful when project planning with staff, vendors, clients, and when “managing up” to supervisors and VP’s.

And here’s the thing, 99% of the time, people choose “good.” How can you not, really? Often you don’t have a choice about fast. You either have a rushed deadline or you don’t. And then we come to “cheap” that’s always the stated goal but if you’re trying to get fast and good then it won’t be cheap. And, if someone tells you they can give you all three, THEY ARE LYING TO YOU!! There will always be a hidden cost. It won’t be good or you’ll have delays or the price will go up – or – the classic double whammy, the schedule’s delayed so it costs more.

Pick one to sacrifice early, it will avoid a world of pain.

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Also published on Medium.