Handling Disagreements Away From the Client
Working together does not mean agreeing on everything. In Married To Production EP1, Jessica and I discuss the boundary around arguing in front of clients. I want the work to stay professional even when we need to resolve a disagreement.
Separate a necessary correction from an argument
If something affects the work, it may need attention immediately. A clear correction, a safety concern or a request for a decision should not be hidden just to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. The aim is to handle the issue constructively, without turning a client interaction into a personal dispute.
Where possible, identify who makes the immediate production decision and move a longer discussion to an appropriate private moment. That gives the team a way to keep working while preserving the issue for resolution.
Agree on a way to pause
Partners can decide in advance how to ask for a short conversation away from the group. Keep the language plain and respectful. A pause should make room for the discussion, rather than become a way to dismiss the other person.
Afterward, talk about the actual point of disagreement. Was the brief unclear? Did responsibilities overlap? Did a decision arrive too late? Those questions help prevent the same problem from resurfacing on the next job.
Review the process as well as the moment
A recurring disagreement may reveal a missing step before the shoot. Clear responsibilities, shared expectations and a realistic plan can remove some of the pressure that makes a disagreement harder to handle.
The episode presents our perspective as a couple working in production. It is not a claim that we never disagree or that every conflict has a simple answer. The principle is that a client should be able to rely on a professional working environment while the people doing the work take responsibility for their own communication.
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