ENDA Episode 136→ The time when ENDA knew the power of an intelligence network

Years ago, back in my home country, I heard a production story that taught me a lesson I didn’t fully grasp at the time: how fast and how surgically, the producers can trace where a costly mistake came from.

This was about a shooting for a big commercial done outside of the capital, very far in the south. So it was usual: travel expenses, crew lodging, full kit rental: the kind of budget where every take is money on fire.

The shooting wrapped, drives reached post, everyone exhaled… until they didn’t.

Half the material was at 25 fps.

For anyone outside the bubble: this job was supposed to be 24 fps. The first suspicion fell on post (“bad conversion maybe?”). But a quick check of original footage killed that theory. This wasn’t a transcode issue. Someone had rolled the day at the wrong setting.

And here’s where the lesson hit.

You’d think finding the culprit would take days. It took hours. By lunchtime, the producers knew who set the camera, which jobs he’d done before, name, phone, address, etc. The industry’s quiet network did the rest. 

The outcome? It was unknown, but good luck booking another commercial gig without that conversation following you into the room.

Takeaway: in production, trust is currency. Talent and experience matter, but trust is what buys you the next day on set. Protect it with boring, unglamorous habits that save entire shoots:

➡️ Confirm critical settings at call and before roll: fps, shutter angle, resolution, ISO, WB, codec, TC.

➡️ Slate the settings on the first take of each setup; snap a menu still after changes.

➡️ Own mistakes early, on location. If you catch it there, you can fix it there. If post catches it later, it’s already expensive—and memorable.

We all love the creative part. But the invisible discipline is what keeps you on the call sheet.

The journey continues…