Ever felt 'The Fear'?

Have you ever felt 'The Fear'? Ever encountered that distinct rise in anxiety that occurs just before the shoot? I love it. It means that not only is 'D-Day' drawing mighty close but your performance has just been suddenly cranked up a notch.

I had the pleasure of working on 4 seasons of the rollercoaster engineering show Scrapheap Challenge with RDF Media for Channel 4 in the UK. The production team spent the weeks of the pre production period researching challenges, scouting locations, vetting competitors and building the set.

We merrily fitted the pieces of the jigsaw together to enable a stint of shooting that would produce the next momentous season for our eager viewers. After having dealt with everything from East London gangsters and secret MOD installations to planning for the unpredictable terrors of British summer weather, we felt pretty damn organised.

Then you wake up one morning a week or two before the shoot starts and you feel strange. The blood is pumping, your eyes are wide and you suddenly start making lists, prioritising tasks and worrying about all those contacts who haven't called you back yet. This is the moment when you start carrying pen & paper around in case that crucial thing pops into your head and then falls out the other side because the tube was late and your copy of METRO got wet.

This is called 'The Fear'. Or getting into 'The Zone'. Or maybe just 'Last Minute Nerves'. However you describe it, it's just what you need. That injection of adrenalin that will carry you through the last preparations and the get you into the rhythm of shooting. And beyond.

After all, those consecutive shoot days where you survive on 2-3 hours sleep. Well, those crates of Red Bull will only get you so far. You need a natural boost. 'The Fear' is it.

It's all good and all necessary but don't forget to have a decent sleep or seven once it's all over to let your body recover. Bring it on.