Re: Workflow Problem with Client

clients who do not know exactly what they want are frustrating and quite common.
Start with an informal meeting, conference call or one on one interviews with the key players. You need to learn all about what they want to say, although they may not know what they want to say.
Once you have educated yourself, write a treatment, a 1-3 page outline of the key messages and selling points of the project. Then send this to them for review and revision.

They may ask "What did you mean by x,y and z. We don't want that." This is part of getting them to focus on what they want - don't take offense since you are basically guessing at what they want. With their comments, make a new leaner treatment. If they like that, then either make a rough storyboard (beware using specific images in a storyboard - we have had people say "why do you show a picture of a person wearing such and such outfit - that's not what we wear." they tend to focus on minor things that they find not right, rather than looking at the big picture. Again, your job is to help them focus and narrow down their ideas.

Now you need to spell out the process for them:
First we will write a draft of the script for review.
Next a 2nd draft of the script with suggested visuals, for approval.
Next we will line up the participants.
Monday - we will shoot interviews with Bob and Jim and ask them these questions.
Tuesday we will shoot Jim in his office and Bob out on the campus doing his thing.
Wednesday we will review the footage with you the client and decide what else we want to shoot on Thursday.
After that we will log all the footage and produce a rough cut.
Client will view rough cut with editor, and editor will make revisions until approved.

So you are getting them to tell you what they want, even if they don't know what they want. Then you figure out what you think they want and tell them that. Then they tell you what they really think they want, until you are on the same page. Then you tell them how you will do it, before you actually do it. This way everyone knows their roles ahead of time.

I am going through such a process currently and it is a challenge, but potentially a rewarding challenge.

Good luck and let us know how things progress.

Mike Cohen