Shops and Directors Have Much in Common

The cliché things we imagine film directors doing—barking curt orders and shouting, “Places everyone!”—include an element of truth. Francois Driessen, director of The Edge Factor, is a soft-spoken man. But on the days when footage is actually being shot, his role is to manage this work through definite and concise instructions conveyed clearly. The reason is simple: He has to keep things moving. All of the crew will be present only for a fixed amount of time, the location will be available for a fixed amount of time, and there is a list of scenes and subjects that have to be filmed before that time ends.

After working with a director for the first time, I observed to Francois that a large part of his role seems to come down to time management. He readily agreed that this is true. In a way, the challenge he faces—getting the most value out of the finite availability of high-value resources—is the same challenge a manufacturing facility faces.