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
Coming SoonBuilding Trust Through Documentary Interviews
Documentary interviews require more than questions. They require preparation, patience, active listening, and respect for what a subject chooses to share.
Full essay in preparation.
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
Coming SoonLighting Interviews Without Losing Authenticity
Good lighting should support the subject and environment without making an honest conversation feel overly staged.
Full essay in preparation.
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.