Contingency Plans - Top Ten Project Killers

What could go wrong during production	How are you going to avoid this issue? What’s your back up plan?
Models turning up without costume, or not in the right costume that is required.	To avoid this happening I will contact all of my models and send them call sheets that will include instructions on what to do with their hair and make-up and what clothes to wear. I will explain this as clearly, and in as much detail as possible to ensure they have the right idea, provide a telephone number so that they can contact me if they have any queries about what is required, and ensure that I hear back from them before the actual photo shoot so I can ensure they have received the call sheet and are okay with it. If they still turn up wearing the wrong type of clothes, or with inappropriate hair or make-up, I will provide clothes in their size which will be suitable. Also I will have a make-up assistant on hand that can adjust their hair or make-up if it is not appropriate. I will also allow time for this to happen so that I don’t run out of time to take my pictures.
Not enough time for difficult or complex shoots	I will thoroughly plan my photo shoots in lots of detail to ensure I can control as many aspects it as possible e.g. costumes, make-up, hair, pose, expression, mood, setting, use of tilt, lighting etc. This way less is likely to go wrong. However, because there is risks that these ideas may not work as well as I expect I will have different back-up plans for what to do which are different in terms of pose, lighting, setting costume, number of models. After the shoot I can review all of these variations to work out which will work best in my article. Also I will book fairly long photo shoot slots to allow lots of time for things to go wrong, and to change things around, so that I won’t run out of time by doing this.
Memory Sticks getting lost	In order to avoid losing important files stored on memory sticks which are lost not only will I take extra good care of the memory stick but also I will create multiple back-ups of all files that I gather on all systems that I use, whether it be my home computer or the college system. This most reliable of these is the college system because even if I delete it, another back-up will be stored higher up in the system, and a back-up that is stored in a fire-proof box, away from the college, to avoid any physical damage.
Equipment Failure	To ensure that equipment failure doesn’t cause me any major problems I will check that the equipment works when I first book it out, and additionally that I understand how to use all the equipment in every way that I may intend to use it so that when it comes to the photoshoot I don’t have any problems working the equipment, and don’t waste time working out how to do something. Also for more complicated equipment like lighting I will have a lighitng assistant on hand to help me achieve the effects I would like and fix any equipment that is broken or programmed differently to normal. If equipment breaks, and I’m not able to use it at all, I need to allow time to replace the equipment, whether it be within the photoshoot time, e.g. replacing a broken camera, or if needs be re-booking the photo shoot when the equipment has been replaced.
Fonts not being installed on C drives	If the font that I want to use aren’t installed on the C drive of the computer I want to use, this could potentially hinder the production stage because I won’t have a real idea of what my work is going to look like. So that I avoid this happening I will save copies of the fonts that I intend to use in a seperate folder on my network area at college, at home, and also on my memory stick, so that they are as available as possible and I can install them onto the C drive of any machines that don’t have them that I want to work on. Also in some cases, I think that it would be useful to save fonts as part of the document, which can be altered through save options, so they are embedded in the file, and therefore don’t need to be installed on the C drive. However if this fails to work or I find that it is not needed I will have the back-up copies of my fonts on my memory stick and my network area to use instead.
Running out of network space	I must avoid the problems that running out of network space could cause for my production – not being able to import pictures onto the system, or saving documents, especially large InDesign or Photoshop documents that I create. To do this I will make sure that I delete any uneccesary files that I have stored on my network that may be taking up space. Also if I am notified that I am running out  of network space and I don’t feel that there is anything on my system that I can delete that I don’t need, I will make sure to get my network space increase before my production stage starts so that it doesn’t become a problem during the middle of production.
Personnel not turning up because of examination commitments	In the case that this should happen I will make sure that I have my personnel booked in to work quite a while before my deadline so that there is time for them to come in at a later date instead to work before the hand-in date. Also I will make sure they are completely sure that they are free to work when we make the agreement, and they are aware of their exam timetable and that it won’t clash with when I want them to work. This should avoid the problem cropping up in the first place.
Cameras running out of battery	To avoid this causing problems for me I will check that the battery is full and therefore not likely to run out during the time that I need to use it. Also I will be aware of how much battery I am using when I have the camera just to be on the safe side, and so I won’t use the camera to take unneccesary pictures, or leave the camera on inbetween taking pictures, or whilst waiting to take pictures. I will also make sure that if the battery does run out I can either go and get it replace within the photoshoot time slot and still have time to take all the pictures I need, or otherwise get the battery placed in time to rebook the photoshoot slot and still have time to dothe rest of my prodcution work. I think it is also important that I check the SD card when I first book out the camera to check that it is not full and preferably has no pictures on at all so that I can use as much space as I like. If it does, I will need to check that I can delete these pictures, and the person who they belong to does not need them, prior to the shoot.
Computers crashing after spending a long time perfecting a certain piece of work.	So that I do not lose copies of work that I have made large amounts of progress on and then have to redo what I have just done, I will save my work at regular intervals, probably every 5 minuites, so that I always have a fairly recent version of each piece of work if the computer does end up crashing, or logging my off the system etc.
Creating work at home and then not being able to access it at college because they don’t have the right software or other software compatibilities	To avoid this causing me problems, in general I will avoid working on software that I don’t know is installed on the college computers, or working on complex software that has lots of tools and features that may not be available on the college’s version of this software like InDesign or Photoshop. Instead I will stick to simple software like Microsoft Word where the features don’t change a great deal between different versions of the software to work on at home, so that when I bring my work to college, it is unlikely that the version I have is incompatible with the version on the college computers. Also, even if I do end up having to work on Photoshop or Indesign at home, I will always save my files in a low, oldest version possible format so that they will probably be able to open at college, I will check this for all my documents, even simple files like word documents. I will take care to make note of what version of each type of software the college use so that I can be more certain. I will even try and make sure that other files like pictures or possibly even audio are in the simplest, most recognisable format, to make it most likely that I can use them on the college computers.