The Death of “Good, Fast, Cheap”

The saying goes, “Good, fast, cheap. Pick two.” Its a clever anachronism, and broadly applicable to a wide range of endeavors. I doubt that it was coined to describe working in TV and movie production, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard it used over the years. Trouble is, it makes less and less sense every day. In fact, In the revised landscape of media 2.0, its straight up nonsense.

Let’s break this saying down into its parts:

“Good” – The definition of “good” is entirely dependent on the expectations of the audience. In the fractured, niche driven mediascape of cable TV and web video, where most video professionals do their work, “good” content is that with an authentic voice and a unique point of view. If the production values are positioned to support authenticity, then the content will have value to the viewer. So “good” really means “good for what it is.” Or more accurately, “good for the market in which the content competes.”

“Fast” – Once you’ve figured out how to satisfy your market place, you need a system for the consistent release of timely content. The zeitgeist moves too quickly for us to spend two years producing a movie, TV series, or webisode, and releasing quality content at regular intervals is the only way to stay visible in the vast ether of niche media. If you miss a couple of release opportunities, the fan base generated by your debut will quickly forget that you exist.

“Cheap” – The price of HD prosumer equipment has fallen sharply over the years, so there’s less excuse for video production to be costly. Decide what kind of production value your marketplace demands and produce accordingly. If you drastically over produce, then you end up with a system that can’t sustain the consistent release of material, and your beautiful production values will disappear into the ether. You’re better off using modest resources to build a following, then expanding the production values as applicable.

So I guess the revised saying goes like this:

“Good, fast, cheap. Pick three.”

Its not funny anymore, but at least its useful.