going the extra mile for the job

This has two variables for what I mean. As a freelancer in the Media, TV, Film world you have two go that Extra Mile to make the client happy or your boss if assisting happy, (of which i'm trying to get back into) but you also have to go the Extra Mile in a sense as you have to often travel to distant depths of the country or the further world we live in for the work.

For the extra mile meaning doing extra work or staying late or coming in slightly earlier incase things change and the unit has to do a different scene in a different location because of cast availability or weather dependant.

I was once booked, well a few times to supply 2 radios and a boom but then low and behold 3 or 4 people are talking so I have to decide... be nice and give them good audio with an extra radio, that will show I am dependable and potentially booked again or do I say... NO you've booked 2 radios and that's it Sorry. I often think why not if I can't get the audio and its sound crap then I won't be happy and the client will say hmm it sounds crap. I'd then be like well I couldn't get in because the shot was too wide, well you couldn't put a 3rd radio could you? I could but it'll costs more. Awkwardness. Sometime it's nice just go give them that little extra and make them happy.

I once got asked if I could mic 3 up, I got there and 6 were talking, I looked at the script days before to name the tracks. I was like I only have 4 radios... oh well, you are sound can you figure it out. So I did, Director asked for some adlib from none speaking cast. I went through the script and mic'd up 4 with the most lines, the other 2 got a boom on close ups.

I was speaking to a DOP from Yorkshire but lives in London and they said often productions want more for less these days. Yeah maybe i'll only turn up for 3 days of 5 then or i'll give you 10k of gear but you want 20k. Well sometimes you just have to go that extra mile to give them something to maybe get rebooked which often doesn't happen because someone might or will undercut you but undercutting often mean less professional work ship. of which they realise later on. (Which takes us to another blog about why we cost what we cost).

These days I get asked to mic 1 or 2 and i'm ready for a 3rd or 4rd if needed. But if the radio sounds good I dont bother with a boom over some stuff because its more energy I could use in other places like folly i.e. footsteps, moving items, atmos of which comes in for when they get tight on budget and well i've saved them a task.

Then you have to go the extra mile meaning travelling to wherever is needed. Most people do a job, they sit at a desk or cook in a kitchen or work from home. As a freelancer if the work is there be it London, Paris, Madrid, Manchester, Liverpool or Yorkshire, we go where the work is if the price is right. I live in Manchester but pretty close to Yorkshire and in recent months i've travelled to Leeds, Liverpool and even as far as Kent which was 5 hours away.

Often productions don't think a person will travel or they say we're booking locals but then they like a HOD so they book a Londoner to go to Scotland, not very local is it but it's what has to be done to get the results the producer, director, editor and production want and knows they like.

Money talks and returning clients make jobs nice to work on so we often will travel where ever the work is and sometime even stump up the cash to get there or stay over for a good project.

So, How would you define going the Extra Mile and have you done so or would you or say sorry NO?