Videographer or Production Company?
The wrong question is which one is better. The right one is how many people your job actually needs.
A Luma Creative podcast
Straight answers about making video
Short episodes from a working San Francisco production company: what a corporate shoot costs, how to write a useful brief, what happens on set and when not to spend the money. Each episode is two to three minutes, made for the people who commission video and the crews who make it.
Season one
All episodes
Ten practical answers, with a full transcript for every episode.
The RFP That Gets You Good Bids
Most video RFPs are missing the one thing that would get you comparable quotes. Here’s what to put in.
Why Your Nonprofit Video Isn’t Raising Money
One story beats every story. The mistake almost every organization makes with its fundraising film.
Your Exec Is About to Freeze On Camera
How to prepare the person in front of the lens, and the one question that fixes most of it.
One Event Shoot, a Year of Content
You already paid to film the event. Most of what you paid for is still sitting on a drive.
The Footage Nobody Asked You to Shoot
Behind the scenes content is nearly free if you plan it, and impossible to fake afterwards.
Filming in San Francisco Without a Permit Problem
When you actually need a permit in SF, and why we stopped winging it.
The Unwritten Rules of a Film Set
Corporate sets aren’t film sets, and the crew who understand the difference keep getting called back.
Buy the Camera or Rent It?
We bought a Ronin 2 for shots we ended up needing twice in a year. Here’s the test we use now.
How People Actually Become Videographers
The route in, from someone who hires for it. Less about gear than anybody expects.
.luma-podcast{width:min(1180px,calc(100% – 40px));margin:0 auto;color:#e6dbb9}.pp-intro{display:grid;grid-template-columns:minmax(260px,390px) minmax(0,1fr);gap:clamp(32px,6vw,84px);align-items:center;padding:clamp(24px,4vw,52px);border:1px solid rgba(230,219,185,.18);background:linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(230,219,185,.06),rgba(212,178,74,.025));border-radius:4px}.pp-cover-wrap{position:relative}.pp-cover-wrap:after{content:””;position:absolute;inset:14px -14px -14px 14px;border:1px solid rgba(212,178,74,.45);z-index:0}.pp-cover{position:relative;z-index:1;display:block;width:100%;aspect-ratio:1;object-fit:cover;box-shadow:0 24px 70px rgba(0,0,0,.28)}.pp-kicker{margin:0 0 12px!important;color:#d4b24a;font-size:13px;font-weight:800;letter-spacing:2px;text-transform:uppercase}.luma-podcast .pp-intro h2,.luma-podcast .pp-section-head h2{margin:0;text-transform:none;letter-spacing:-.025em;line-height:1.04}.luma-podcast .pp-intro h2{font-size:clamp(34px,4.4vw,58px)}.pp-lede{max-width:690px;margin:24px 0 0!important;font-size:clamp(17px,1.5vw,20px);line-height:1.65;color:rgba(230,219,185,.82)}.pp-listen{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:13px;align-items:center;margin-top:30px}.pp-rss{font-size:15px;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:4px;opacity:.8}.pp-episodes{padding:clamp(58px,8vw,100px) 0 10px}.pp-section-head{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:end;gap:30px;margin-bottom:32px;padding-bottom:24px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(230,219,185,.18)}.luma-podcast .pp-section-head h2{font-size:clamp(32px,4vw,50px)}.pp-section-head>p{max-width:390px;margin:0!important;color:rgba(230,219,185,.68)}.pp-grid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2,minmax(0,1fr));gap:24px}.pp-card{display:flex;flex-direction:column;min-width:0;padding:clamp(24px,3vw,34px);border:1px solid rgba(230,219,185,.18);border-top:3px solid #d4b24a;background:#242431;border-radius:3px}.pp-card .pp-meta{margin:0 0 14px!important;color:#d4b24a;font-size:12px;font-weight:800;letter-spacing:1.8px;text-transform:uppercase}.luma-podcast .pp-card h3{margin:0;font-size:clamp(23px,2.3vw,31px);line-height:1.14;letter-spacing:-.015em;text-transform:none}.luma-podcast .pp-card h3 a{color:#e6dbb9}.luma-podcast .pp-card h3 a:hover{color:#d4b24a}.pp-card .pp-desc{margin:18px 0 24px!important;line-height:1.6;color:rgba(230,219,185,.74)}.pp-player{margin-top:auto}.pp-player audio{display:block;width:100%;height:54px}.pp-card-link{margin:22px 0 0!important;padding-top:18px;border-top:1px solid rgba(230,219,185,.15);font-size:14px;font-weight:700}.pp-card-link a{display:inline-flex;gap:8px;align-items:center}@media(max-width:760px){.luma-podcast{width:min(100% – 28px,620px)}.pp-intro{grid-template-columns:1fr;padding:22px;gap:34px}.pp-cover-wrap{max-width:390px;margin:0 auto}.pp-cover-wrap:after{inset:9px -9px -9px 9px}.pp-listen{align-items:flex-start}.pp-section-head{display:block}.pp-section-head>p{margin-top:14px!important}.pp-grid{grid-template-columns:1fr;gap:18px}.pp-card{padding:23px}}@media(max-width:390px){.pp-listen a:not(.pp-rss) img{height:40px!important}.pp-listen{gap:10px}}