I have been involved and overhead many process discussions in the last few days. It is always easy to get a chortle at some business folks speaking the dogma.
I started to day dream when hearing one conversation in particular, and super imposed on my ear drums was the conversation of actors speaking of the method.
This got me thinking. It is so interesting that we often look to process as a holy grail, as The One True Path.
Much has been made of Daniel Day Lewis’ process in Lincoln. It took me 30 minutes to take in his performance. He was brilliant. But that’s the thing… he is brilliant. His process is a tool that helps him, but it is his genius that is the key. If I went through the same dogma as he, I wouldn’t be able to put in that performance.
Therein lies the rub. It is fantastic to understand the various tools and processes, but casting is so much more the key.
People over process.
Focus on the people. On the troop. I would choose a great team forced to use waterfall vs. an average team using agile. The make up of the team, and how they work together is also key (vs. looking at the individuals).
There is no perfect process that works for all. Method acting may work for some, but the Meisner method may work for others. Diversity is good. Don’t get stuck in the dogma!
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