How to do it at The Gallery

The bookshelf wall. The signature two-shot, with shelves falling soft behind you.

The salon lounge. Rugs and upholstery soften echo for a three person talk.

Lamps and props. Practical lamps and a record player for warm, on-brand b-roll.

Turn off fans and AC during takes and record room tone at the start of each set.

Through November 1: shoots and meetings from $55 an hour, events from $60 an hour. Golden hour runs a little more. Peerspace shows the final price.

Several looks in one booking

The Gallery is a house on San Antonio's East Side at 701 Montana St. Instead of one backdrop, you get several sets under one roof and a yard outside. See every room on the space page.

• Salon: the main two-shot against the gallery wall.
• Studio Room: brick, a dark sofa and a lit cabinet for intros and pickups.
• Dining room: a long wood table and tall windows for a roundtable.
• Yard: mural fences for thumbnails and vertical clips.

The salon set

The salon, with its wall of gilded frames and mustard leather chairs, is the classic two or three person set. Rugs and upholstery soften the room, and close dynamic mics handle the rest.

• Angle the two chairs toward each other, about 3 to 4 feet apart.
• Pull the chairs forward so the frames fall soft behind each guest.
• Shoot the wide from across the room and singles from just off each shoulder.
• Keep a lamp on in frame for warmth, dimmed below the faces.

The Studio Room for pickups

The Studio Room has a brick column, a dark sofa, a lamp, a window, a round wood table and a lit cabinet. It reads as a completely different set, which makes it ideal for intros, outros, solo commentary and the second episode on a batch day.

• Use the sofa for a relaxed solo intro.
• Use the round table for a table mic setup with two guests.
• Watch the window: side light flatters, light behind a guest does not.

The dining room roundtable

The dining room has a long wood table, chairs, tall windows and framed art on the walls. It suits a roundtable episode with three or four voices, or a show where the host and guests work through notes or products on the table.

• Seat guests on one side and the ends so every face sees a camera.
• Use low table stands or short boom arms so mics stay below faces.
• Put a rug or soft cloth under the mics to keep table bumps out of the track.
• Light faces with soft LEDs so the tall windows do not set the exposure.

Props and b-roll in the house

The house is full of details that make quick cutaways: a bookshelf with a vintage radio and a clock, a record player between two amber lamps, and walls of framed art. Shoot 10 to 20 seconds of each between segments for your editor. Slow pushes in and gentle slides past a shelf cut well under a voice, and they cover any jump cut in the edit. Keep the lamps on for these shots; their warm glow is a big part of the look.

The yard for clips

The yard is an open lawn with mural-painted fences and a red pavilion. It is bright and colorful, which is exactly what a vertical clip or thumbnail needs. Sound is harder outside, so use it for short clips, stills and b-roll rather than the full episode. Use lavs here instead of desk mics, keep each clip short, and shoot with the sun to the side of your subject rather than straight overhead.

A sample batch day

1. Episode one in the salon.
2. Reset and record episode two in the Studio Room.
3. Pickups and solo intros on the Studio Room sofa.
4. Thumbnails and vertical clips by the yard murals.
5. Pack out and reset the house.

Tip: Move rooms between episodes. Batching episodes? Record one in the salon and the next in the Studio Room so each feels different.

Good to know and how to book

Turn off fans and AC during takes and record room tone at the start of each set. The house holds up to 40 people inside, so a small live audience can fit too. Plan your seating for the cameras first and the audience second.

• Bring your own gear, crew and food.
• The house does not cater; plan water and snacks for a long session.
• Video and podcast sessions book on the Peerspace shoots listing.
• Want to hear the rooms first? Book a tour with Nathan.

See more on the photo and video shoots page, or book a tour with Nathan to hear the rooms first.

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