The Blog

Every nonprofit has a story worth telling. The challenge isn’t finding one. It’s telling that story in a way that makes someone stop, pay attention, and genuinely care. Here in San Francisco and across the Bay Area, we’ve had the privilege of creating nonprofit videos for organizations that are changing lives in meaningful ways. From […]

In today’s fast-paced digital world, learning how to repurpose event footage is one of the most effective ways to create engaging content at scale. Content is the heartbeat of online marketing, but producing fresh material consistently is no small feat. That’s where the magic of learning how to repurpose event footage comes into play. Think […]

Hey there, fellow marketers! Let’s talk about a content strategy that doesn’t always get the spotlight but can make a big impact: behind-the-scenes content. Showing your audience how your team works, how projects come together, and the stories behind your brand helps create a more personal, authentic connection. BTS content isn’t just fun; it can […]

Quick answer Start with the property owner, not a generic permit form Film SF handles many City streets and public spaces, but parks, the Presidio, federal land, Port property, the Golden Gate Bridge and SFO can follow different rules. For a commercial shoot on covered City property, submit to Film SF at least five business […]

Managing freelancers effectively is truly an art, much like painting or playing music. It requires a delicate balance between giving clear guidance to align them with project goals and allowing enough freedom for their creativity to shine. At Luma Creative, we carefully select specialized freelancers tailored to each project, whether it is a commercial shoot, […]

In today’s fast-paced marketing world, it’s all about standing out, right? With so many strategies out there, one really shines when it comes to grabbing people’s attention across platforms like social media, animation in marketing! Digital marketers are always on the lookout for fresh and exciting ways to connect with their audience, and animation in […]

How to Get a Job in Videography (Even Without Experience) If you love storytelling through video and want to turn your passion into a career, you’re not alone. At Luma Creative, we get weekly calls from aspiring videographers looking for advice on breaking into the industry. Whether you’re a beginner or have some experience struggling […]

Storyboarding is the backbone of video production, providing a visual blueprint that transforms creative ideas into polished projects. While traditional storyboarding has long been a manual, time-intensive process, we can now use AI storyboarding to revolutionize how creators approach this crucial stage. From indie filmmakers to corporate video teams, AI storyboarding offers a mix of […]

Diving into videography can be a blast, whether you’re doing it for fun, for a job, or just exploring a new hobby. For beginners, figuring out how to film, edit, and tell a story might feel overwhelming. No worries! Here are 5 essential videography tips for beginners to help you get your videography journey started. […]

Outside of Hollywood or other major film production hubs, many production companies’ projects fall under the corporate video production category. The San Francisco Bay Area, where Luma Creative is located, is home to many companies in tech, consumer goods, and real estate that have video production needs in today’s digital age. These companies aren’t looking […]

There are many people involved in any given video production. We have all heard of Producers, Directors, Actors, Directors of Photography, etc. However, there is a crucial behind-the-scenes role most people have not heard of: the film fixer. Film fixers are the unsung heroes who ensure everything runs smoothly throughout the filming process. So, what […]

Introduction Storage comes up on nearly every video production job, and RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is usually the first thing suggested. With Dropbox eliminating their “unlimited” plans, many video production companies are looking for alternatives. This guide explores the benefits and considerations of building a RAID for video production. Should you build a […]

At Luma Creative, we had the privilege of producing keystone content for Cellares, a San Franscico Bay Area gene therapy startup valued at an impressive $3.2 billion. It was a highly technical corporate video production project with multiple stand-alone outputs. We worked with them over several times on set as well as countless post production […]

The Big Picture – Determining The Purpose Of The Interview If you want to know how to prepare for an on-camera interview as an interviewee, you came to the right place. Let’s face it – gearing up for an on-camera interview might feel like a daunting task. But if you have ever represented your company face-to-face […]

In the realm of video creation, two primary options await those seeking to create content. You have the option to hire a videographer or contract a video production company. While both can produce quality results, their processes, scope, resources, and costs can differ significantly. In this article, we’ll break down the core differences to help […]

Picture this. You’ve just finished up editing your 30 second commercial masterpiece. Your pacing is spot on. The foley sounds great and your sound mix is finally locked. To your surprise the client only had a few minor changes and loves it. Your deadline is in two days but you are wondering if you should […]

As a production company in San Francisco, we make all types of videos. We shoot events, explainers, interviews, commercials, and everything in between. Every job is different. We often work directly with clients or under an agency. The main difference is oftentimes who takes care of the initial creative. Has the agency been working with […]

While most of our video productions occur within the San Francisco Bay Area, we get the opportunity to travel for work a few times a year. Recently, we were sent to Austin, New Orleans, Vancouver and Maui for a Bay area tech company. With any travel job, we ask ourselves if and how much equipment […]

As live events are coming back to San Francisco, it’s obvious people are excited to get back together. From concerts, to museums and beyond, people are ready to get out there! Recently, we were hired to film an event sizzle video for Allraise at the Midway in the Dogpatch. We also captured the keynotes and […]

There are many different types of Bay Area video production that we offer at Luma Creative. From commercials to explainer videos and everything in between, we shoot nearly everything. Some of our videos require interviews, so we feel we’ve gotten pretty good at capturing the content we need to make the video a success. One […]

Video Production in San Francisco presents many challenges. For starters, it’s a logistical nightmare. Busy streets. Extremely limited parking. Not to mention challenging weather. To make matters worse, security has been a big concern over the last several years. Too many stories of camera’s being stolen on film sets or people being followed home to […]

As video production technology has advanced time and time again, the bar has been raised on how fast and at what quality videos can be delivered! There was film that turned into tapes and then eventually turned into digital and now there is instantaneous offload. We were part of a shoot recently where only minutes […]

As work gets back to pre-pandemic levels, digital content is more important than ever before. Events need sizzle videos, brand-name products need commercials, and non-profits need informational content. Video production is critically important to a brand’s success. In this article, we’ll breakdown a few ways to budget for video production to ensure maximum budget utilization […]

When people think of non profit video production, they usually think of low budgets. They wouldn’t be wrong in that thinking, as most don’t have big budgets. But that said, there is still money to be made. Over the past 10 years, we’ve had the privilege to work with several nonprofits including the Boys and […]

One of the many factors that go into the final quality of a video is Its color. Maybe you are shooting your video production on a Sony Venice or an Alexa Mini LF. High-end cameras that produce high-end looks. That’s awesome! But if you are just going to put a standard LUT and not tweak […]

As things slowly go back to normal, many video production companies are returning to the pre-pandemic workflow. A huge part of producing top-quality video content is choosing the best location for your story. Location scouting can be both fun and hectic at times. There’s a lot of elements to be checked before you can start […]

If you are looking for actors for your video production process, it’s important to follow the right steps involved so you can get the right talent and skill. The process of finding actors for a film pre-production process is called casting. The person in charge of the casting is referred to as the casting director. […]

As video shoots get larger and the budgets increase, it’s pretty natural to look at what would increase your production value and reduce your stress. For most companies, bringing less equipment of their own and relying on more talented production professionals to help get the job done. Perhaps this is hiring an assistant camera with […]

In much of the video production world, a lot of the success of both companies and contractors is who you know. Whether that’s a friend of a friend who’s a marketing executive of a big company. Or a local grip house that has a roster of talented gaffers. Being courteous and networking with other talented […]

Are you ready to start getting quotes for your video production? Perhaps you’ve just decided you’d like to make a video but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you are just trying to figure out how to budget your video marketing budget for the year? Whatever the case, learning how to write a great […]

As the budgets on your video production shoots increase, one of the top tips we have is to hire a 1st Assistant camera or 1st AC. These men and women play a huge role on set and their necessity cannot be overlooked. Sure, it’s more money out of the production companies pocket, but on big […]

You just booked a video production job out of town and are wondering how to travel with your video production equipment? Traveling can be unsettling and comes along with its fair share of issues. Video shooting excursions may require you to carry most of your shooting gear, if not all. Depending on your client’s needs, […]

Video production insurance is one of those things that you don’t need until you really do. Then you wish you had it all along. While we’ve never had a major incident on set, it’s better safe than sorry. As your crew and rental budget increases, it’s likely that you’ll need to get video production insurance […]

When starting in the video production business, the best way to get experience is to be a production assistant. Production assistants or PA’s for short are one of the critical positions to make any job go smoothly! These jobs, although at the bottom of the totem pole, are some of the easiest jobs to get […]

As new video production equipment seems to come out almost weekly, there is always something desired to be bought. Whether it’s more light output from a smaller light or a camera with better image resolution, the choices never stop! However, even though there is a plethora of new equipment, it does not always make sense […]

Introduction Corporate video production is becoming more and more important each year. Video has quickly become one of the main ways consumers get their information and is growing faster by the year. Creating a high-quality corporate video is one of the best ways you can reach your target audience and introduce them to your company. […]