What I Learned From Nearly Ruining a High-Stakes Video Shoot
How one mistake almost derailed a big-budget project—and the lessons it taught me.
The Mistake That Made My Heart Sink
I almost completely tanked my last project at my previous job by forgetting something crucial: the audio SD card.
It was one of the company’s largest video projects to date—working with a national brand and a decent-sized budget. I had done everything else right: prepared the shot list, rented the right gear, stayed up late to ensure it worked, and sweated through my wardrobe during the shoot. But on the way to the airport, it hit me like a ton of bricks—I had left the SD card in the rented audio recorder.
That sinking feeling? Yeah, I had it in spades.
Owning Up to the Mistake
This was the type of moment where you want to time-travel and fix everything. My initial reaction was panic. I envisioned the project being delayed, the company losing money, and all of it being my fault. But once the realization set in, I knew I had to own it.
I told my boss immediately. We pulled over to check if the equipment box had made it to UPS—it had. I called the rental company, but they were closed for the day. So, I sent an email that night and set an alarm to be their first customer call the next morning.
The Fix: A Race Against Time
The rental company confirmed they could overnight the SD card, but it would arrive just one day before the draft was due to the client. With the clock ticking, I adjusted my workflow. Normally, I sync audio before editing to keep everything clean and efficient, but this time, I had to edit with placeholder audio and prep for a last-minute sync.
The planned delivery day for the SD card came and went with no updates. When the tracking finally refreshed, it showed the card would arrive the morning of client delivery. That left me just a few hours to sync the audio, finalize the video, and pass it through internal reviews—all before a 3 PM deadline.
Delivering Against the Odds
I don’t think I’ve ever worked that fast in my life, but I got it done. The project was delivered to the client on time, with polished audio, and the final video ended up being used on the brand’s account. Seeing it posted on a national platform was a huge relief (and a little surreal).
What I Learned
This experience reinforced a vital lesson: own your mistakes quickly. While the shame and guilt hit hard at first, acknowledging the issue and working on a solution helped me move forward. Hearing the rental company tell me this happens all the time gave me additional perspective—mistakes aren’t uncommon; what matters is how you handle them.