Featured Note
Strategy
How to Write a Video Production Brief Your Nonprofit's Board Will Approve
A practical guide for nonprofit and public agency communications teams on writing a video production brief that gets board or leadership sign-off.
Field Notes
Notes From the Field.
Observations on documentary filmmaking, interviews, production, communication, ethics, and the work of helping people tell meaningful stories.
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13 notes shown.
Production
Before the Cannon Fires
· 4 min read
Planning photo and video coverage for a 12-hour adventure race with no fixed route — and the logistics puzzle of catching a cannon that only fires once.
Strategy
Nonprofit Video Production Budgeting & Pricing Tiers
· 6 min read
A transparent guide to how nonprofit video production is priced — the variables that move a budget, and the common tiers mission-driven organizations should plan around.
Strategy
How to Choose a Documentary Filmmaker in the Bay Area
· 7 min read
A practical guide for nonprofits on what to look for when hiring a Bay Area documentary filmmaker, and the questions to ask before signing.
Interviews
How I Help People Feel Comfortable on Camera
· 5 min read
Trust begins before the interview. A thoughtful production environment can help people feel prepared, respected, and able to speak naturally.
Strategy
Why Story Strategy Comes Before Production
· 5 min read
A camera can't fix an unclear message — why the strategy conversation has to happen before anyone books a shoot day.
Documentary
Building Trust Through Documentary Interviews
· 5 min read
Documentary interviews require more than questions. They require preparation, patience, active listening, and respect for what a subject chooses to share.
Public Communications
What Public-Agency Storytelling Requires
· 5 min read
Public communication must be clear, accessible, accurate, and grounded in the real people affected by the work.
Production
Lighting Interviews Without Losing Authenticity
· 5 min read
Good lighting should support the subject and environment without making an honest conversation feel overly staged.
Documentary
Lessons From Long-Form Documentary Production
· 5 min read
What changes when a project stretches across months instead of days — patience, continuity, and the urgency of getting a story before it's too late.
Campaigns
Creating Campaign Content That Still Feels Human
· 4 min read
Effective campaign communication can be clear and focused without losing emotional honesty or respect for the audience.
Ethics
The Responsibility of Filming Difficult Testimony
· 5 min read
Filming painful or historically significant testimony carries responsibilities before, during, and after the camera is on — some thoughts on what that looks like.
Documentary
What Ten Years of Filming Myself Taught Me Before I Ever Filmed Anyone Else
· 5 min read
Long before any client hired me, a decade of self-taught trial and error — filming my own Parkour training — quietly became the foundation for everything I do now.
Production
Beyond the Cut: Making "The Wildcards"
· 8 min read
A NorCal Premier Soccer Community Spotlight
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These notes grow out of real production work. If a topic here connects to a project you're planning, let's talk.