What we need from you
- The business goal and intended audience
- Where the finished work will be used
- Target launch timing and a working budget range
- The people who need to review or approve the work
What Working With LumaCreative Looks Like
From the first brief through final delivery, we define ownership early and scale the production around the work.
Luma Creative is a San Francisco-based video production company creating corporate, commercial, brand and product video for brands, nonprofits and technology companies across the Bay Area, with full-service production from concept through post-production and delivery.
The process at a glance
Eight parts keep the commercial decisions, creative work and production logistics in the right order.
We define the job before the production
Luma Creative starts by defining what the video needs to accomplish before deciding what the production needs to look like. We talk through the audience, where the work will live, the deliverables, timing, budget, stakeholders and known constraints.
What Luma handles
- Turning those inputs into a practical production approach
- Identifying the choices that affect scope, schedule and budget
- Recommending the production scale the brief calls for
- Keeping the plan tied to the intended deliverables
Scope makes the trade-offs visible
Once the priorities are clear, we build scope around the deliverables, shoot days, locations, crew, creative development and post-production needs. Those decisions determine what appears in the proposal and what drives the budget.
The goal is a production plan that matches the job. A single interview and a multi-city campaign should not carry the same crew or logistics. Our video production cost guide explains how those choices affect the investment.
The team is clear from kickoff
The people responsible for scope and communication stay close to the work. The wider crew is assembled around the creative and technical demands of the project.
Meet the full team on our About page.
William Cook
Founder & Executive ProducerWilliam oversees production strategy, scope and senior decisions from the first brief through delivery.
Jaret Conlee
Project & Account ManagerJaret stays close to communication, scheduling, deliverables and the day-to-day decisions that keep the project moving.
From brief to shoot plan
Creative development connects the business goal to what will happen on screen. Depending on the scope, that work can include concepts, treatments, scripts, interview questions, storyboards, shot lists and visual references.
The result is a shoot plan the client can approve and the crew can execute. Everyone works from the same reference for the story, the required shots and what must be captured for post-production.
1
Align the idea
Set the message, audience and visual direction before logistics take over.
2
Make it approvable
Give stakeholders something concrete enough to review before shoot day.
3
Make it producible
Translate the creative direction into shots, locations, talent and post needs.
Pre-production protects shoot day
Once the creative direction is approved, pre-production turns it into a schedule, crew and logistics plan. Luma handles the planning included in scope and keeps the client close to decisions that affect brand, access, talent and approvals.
Shoot day is when every earlier decision has to hold. Questions about access, talent, timing and approvals should be settled before the crew arrives, so the day stays focused on the work in front of the camera.
Casting and contributors
On-camera talent, interview subjects and the people who need to be present.Locations and access
Scouting, availability, practical constraints and location requirements.Crew and equipment
The specialists and technical package the planned shots require.Schedule and logistics
The order of work, travel and coordination needed to keep the day moving.Design and styling
Production design, props, wardrobe or other visual needs included in scope.Approvals
The creative and logistical decisions that must be settled before filming.Explore Luma’s casting, location scouting and film crew capabilities.
Production follows one plan
On shoot day, the approved creative, shot plan, schedule and crew come together. Luma runs the set with a calm, prepared and respectful approach.
Scale changes with the job. Both of these productions were built around what the work required rather than a default crew size.
Post-production builds the finished story
Post-production starts with the material captured on set and the deliverables defined in scope. The work can include editing, color, sound, titles, motion graphics, animation or VFX, depending on what the film requires.
This is why deliverable planning happens early. A hero film, a short cutdown and a product animation place different demands on creative, framing and post.
Review stays tied to the agreed scope
Luma establishes the review and approval process at kickoff so feedback can be collected from the right stakeholders and applied against the agreed scope.
The final handoff follows the deliverables defined for the project.
Exact review rounds, file formats, source-file access and archive terms depend on the agreed project scope.
One production can create more than one asset
PACT is a useful example. One two-city production created a 60-second hero film, 30-second and 15-second cutdowns, and photography. The VFX team also used the client’s CAD file to build a product-explosion sequence.
That asset set was planned around the campaign. It is not a fixed package, but it shows why the intended uses should be clear before production begins.
60 secHero film
30 + 15Second cutdowns
PhotoCampaign photography
See the process in practice
Cellares has worked with Luma across a multi-year series of projects. Luma has produced product launches, walkthroughs, software demos and recruitment videos for the cell therapy manufacturing company.
Each brief called for a different mix of creative support, filming, VFX, CAD integration, motion graphics and post-production. Luma first defined what the audience needed to understand, then planned the production and deliverables around that job.
Have a project in mind?
Tell us what you are making, who it is for and when it needs to launch. We will help scope the production around the brief.