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Thoughts on things
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I think a lot of what is thought about - is overthinking, and sometimes we need to remember there are basic rules which can be used to run our lives.

That is not to say that complication is unnecessary rather that when thoughts are broken down to their components, these small pieces reveal unique ideas; some of which are easily implemented.

Sound (television, and to be honest - most things in general) work exactly this way. Simpler is in many ways better. Even the most complex of setups can be broken down into smaller constituents and treated as individual projects.

This is the way to achieve an easy to run operation that by design is better; leading to less confusion, minimal mistakes and no unnecessary time overruns.
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Any project needs to be fully documented. This way everyone involved is on an even footing and there are no surprises.

It is easier to provide a full specification for the work and setup required than to not have enough equipment or have people unsure as to what they need to be setting up or doing.

Preproduction should be about creating specifications and plans that are passed on as soon as practical. Communication of changes needs to be as soon as possible and quite often ideas from other crew members are easily implemented. Listen, adapt, implement.

Some aspects of a plan will change and sometimes the whole plan will need to be turned on it's head. That is the nature of things. However by having a plan to work from - everyone will know what they need to do to achieve the end result. Nothing is left to chance.
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There will always be people who are more suitable to a task than others. Careful selection is necessary to get the best from a group of people.

Do we need four mics or five? A common question that should have been answered prior to the day of production. Time is wasted when equipment is set that is not required and an untold amount of stress is created when equipment that should have been setup is not or is in the wrong place all because there isn't a plan to follow.

If someone who is knowledgeable suggests to use a handmic for an interview, then there is a reason for that. Overriding them to satisfy your own desires to control things has little benefit when the product suffers.

There needs to be enough time to setup before the job as well as enough time to pack down after. There is little point in allowing say two hours for setup when it will take three. Scheduling production records two hours after start when you're not ready is pointless. Once again plan ahead and take advice from those who know.

He who has a Why? in life can tolerate almost any How?

Friedrich Nietzsche

But it is the same with man as with the tree. The more he seeks to rise into the height and light, the more vigorously do his roots struggle earthword, downword, into the dark, the deep - into evil.

Friedrich Nietzsche

When Zarathustra had spoken these words, he again looked at the people, and was silent. “There they stand”, said he to his heart; “there they laugh: they do not understand me; I am not the mouth for these ears.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

Everyone who enjoys thinks that the principal thing to the tree is the fruit, but in point of fact the principal thing to it is the seed. - Herein lies the difference between them that create and them that enjoy.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.

Carl Sagan

We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.

Carl Sagan

But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.

Carl Sagan

That kind of skeptical, questioning, “don't accept what authority tells you” attitude of science - is also nearly identical to the attitude of mind necessary for a functioning democracy. Science and democracy have very consonant values and approaches, and I don't think you can have one without the other.

Carl Sagan

The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion and politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no place in the endeavor of science.

Carl Sagan

If we can't think for ourselves, if we're unwilling to question authority, then we're just putty in the hands of those in power. But if the citizens are educated and form their own opinions, then those in power work for us. In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility and community spirit. In the demon-haunted world that we inhabit by virtue of being human, this may be all that stands between us and the enveloping darkness.

Carl Sagan

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Leonardo da Vinci

If you’re willing to restrict the flexibility of your approach, you can almost always do something better.

John Carmack

I'm sorry, if you were right, I'd agree with you.

Robin Williams

Increasingly, people seem to misinterpret complexity as sophistication, which is baffling—the incomprehensible should cause suspicion rather than admiration. Possibly this trend results from a mistaken belief that using a somewhat mysterious device confers an aura of power on the user.

Niklaus Wirth

You've baked a really lovely cake, but then you've used dog shit for frosting.

Steve Jobs