Use a Fresh Way to Triumph over Disaster

3 min readJul 20, 2020

Tom Marcoux lands a jet ski in a truck — a stunt for a feature film Tom Marcoux directed.

The stuntman on the jet ski attempted the “submarine trick” for a scene of a feature film I was directing. He wiped out amid a huge splash. He was unable to dive the jet ski underwater and then pop up like a dolphin.

We were running out of time to film the scene because we were “burning daylight.” That means the daylight was waning.

I had a choice: Send him back out to re-attempt the stunt or use an “editing trick.”

Using my mind’s eye, I edited the scene in my imagination. I had my answer. I said, “Go out there and make a huge splash like you’re recovering from the submarine stunt.” He did the motion.

In the final cut of the movie, the first shot is the stuntman causes his jet ski to dive underwater, and the second shot is a closeup of the lead actor emerging from the waves. The sequence ends with the big splash that simulates that the character successfully completed the submarine trick.

When the stuntman failed to complete the submarine trick, it felt like a disaster.

Fortunately, using my intuition and imagination, I solved the problem.

My point is: It may look like a disaster, but with imagination you can find your solution.

Here’s an example. Some time ago, I hired someone to edit a writing project for me. When I saw the mistakes left in the project, I was shocked. When you create a written work, the whole point is to serve the reader. This so-called editor did not watch my back.

I needed to find someone I could trust to help me.

Looking for a solution, I next talked with Daniel, a friend, who complained, “I don’t get relevant feedback from my writing group.”

I paused and let my imagination flow toward originating a new solution.

I innovated something I call “5 for 5.”

Later, I described “5 for 5” in this post I placed on Facebook:

#LeverageTip: Here’s a way to share kindness. I call it “5 for 5.” You read something you’re working on — for 5 minutes, and your friend gives helpful comments. Then, your friend reads something of their own for 5 minutes, and you provide supportive comments. (I just went through 800 pages with 15 friends in this manner … in 54 days). I helped people with LinkedIn profiles, sales emails, web pages, first novels and more. This deepens friendships and creates empowering energy, momentum and progress. many blessings

What difficulty are you facing?

Can you do something like “5 for 5,” in which you offer support and receive support, too?

Recently, I watched the series Into the Unknown: Making of Frozen 2. I noted that even on the highest levels of film production, team members face huge unknowns and problems. The solution requires caring people teaming up and supporting each other as they stretch and innovate solutions.