“How Do You Plan a Video Series When You Don’t Know What’s Going to Happen?”

There’s a moment before every trip where the grand plan meets reality…

You sit there thinking:

• I don’t know what boat I’ll be on
• I don’t know what the weather will do
• I don’t even know what I’ll actually be doing

…and yet somehow, I want to produce a polished video series out of it.

Welcome to filming on the water.

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The Myth of the Perfect Plan

In a studio, you control everything.
On a boat… the boat controls you.

Wind changes
Plans change
People change
And occasionally… direction changes too (usually at the worst moment)

So instead of trying to plan everything, you need to plan something much smarter:

A flexible structure

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Step 1 – Plan the Story, Not the Shots

Don’t plan what you will film
Plan what story you want to tell

For example, my upcoming series isn’t about:

“Filming a yacht in Croatia”

It’s about:

“Learning to become a competent crew”

That gives you a backbone:

• Arrival and first impressions
• Getting on the boat
• Learning the ropes (literally)
• Mistakes and progress
• Final reflections

No matter what happens, the story still works

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Step 2 – Use Repeatable Shot Types

You don’t know where you’ll be… but you do know what types of shots you’ll need.

Build a simple mental checklist:

• Wide establishing shots (where are we?)
• Talking to camera (what’s happening?)
• Action shots (doing the task)
• Reaction shots (how did that go?)
• Cutaways (ropes, sails, instruments, feet slipping on deck…)

These can be filmed anywhere, in any conditions.

The location changes
The structure doesn’t

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Step 3 – Let the Weather Become the Content

Bad weather isn’t a problem…

It’s an episode.

• No wind? → “The frustration of calm sailing”
• Too much wind? → “Holding on for dear life”
• Rain? → “What it’s really like when it all goes wrong”

Some of the best footage comes from the days that don’t go to plan.

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Step 4 – Film in “Moments”, Not Episodes

Don’t try to film Episode 1, then Episode 2, then Episode 3.

Instead, collect moments:

• A tricky knot
• A bad manoeuvre
• A great view
• A conversation
• A mistake (always useful…)

Later, you build episodes from these.

Think LEGO bricks, not finished models

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Step 5 – Narrate Afterwards

When everything is unpredictable, your best friend is:

Voiceover

You can fix:

• Missing explanations
• Unclear sequences
• Even slightly embarrassing moments…

With a calm, reflective commentary afterwards.

(Preferably once you’ve recovered your dignity.)

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Step 6 – Always Film the Beginning and the End

No matter how chaotic things get, make sure you capture:

Start of the day:

• What’s the plan?
• What are you expecting?

End of the day:

• What actually happened?
• What went wrong (be honest…)
• What did you learn?

These two anchors hold the whole episode together.

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Final Thought

Planning a video series like this isn’t about control…

It’s about prepared flexibility.

You don’t control:

• The boat
• The weather
• The day

But you can control:

• The story
• The structure
• The way you tell it

And often, the best videos come from the bits you never planned.