How to set-up camera lighting for glass products (Part 2)
Following part 1 of our Kitchen Series, part 2 is all about lighting on glass under the camera lens. Read on to find out tips and tricks about getting the perfect shot when filming glass bottles, jars for your food & drink products.
Why is lighting important for filming glass products?
Have you ever tried to film a glass bottled beverage with studio lighting? The result does not always look great, does it? That’s why, we are looking at ways of getting the right lighting for glass bottles (or jars). More specifically, we’ll use a beer bottle as an example.
Due to the reflective nature of glass, lighting can be challenging. It can look flat and boring - certainly not the look we are after! What we want is that Budweiser Super Bowl commercial look - a glistening glass bottle with condensation running down it.
Credits: Budweiser Super Bowl commercial capture image (2015)
DIY lighting set-up for glass products
This series is all about utilising things that might be lying around in your house. Aside from the lights, we can do this relatively cheaply and easily.
What you will need:
Lights - I use a mixture of Godox and Aputure lighting as they produce a great light quality and are relatively affordable compared to other brands. Quick tip, ensure the CRI value on the lights is above 90.
An old shower curtain (or type of diffusive material) - whatever you choose to use, make sure that light can shine through it
Godox SL200III Video Light
Aputure 300d II Video Light
Frosted Shower Curtain
How to angle the light for the camera
Grab your glass bottle, the diffusion material, and a pen and trace around the shape of your bottle on the material. You want to make sure that there is no excess material sticking out from the back of the bottle if you were to stick it on and look at it from the front (in your camera lens). Click on the image for a video showing you how ➡
It’s highly recommended that you set up your camera first, as what you see through the lens versus what you see through your eyes can be quite different, it's what looks good on camera that is important.
Stick the material to the back of the bottle with either water or spray adhesive. Personally I prefer to use spray adhesive as I know that once the material is in place, it will stay attached to the bottle all day while you get the shots you require.
Take a small light (doesn’t have to be a professional one, i.e. it could be your phone or a flashlight) and shine it from behind the bottle towards the camera. You may find that there is some light sticking out either side of the bottle. If this is the case, move the light source backwards, away from the bottle and this should disappear.
Depending on the look you are going for, we can add a few more lights to really help the bottle shine. I like to add an overhead source, a light to the side and also some reflective material on the other side to help fill in those shadows. Based on your personal preference, you can do some trial and error with the lights and positioning of them to ensure you get the outcome you want when filming.
Top Light (Overhead Light)
Key Light (Fill Light)
Bounce Light
Stay tuned for the Backlit Film’s Kitchen Series
This was part 2 of our Backlit Films’ Kitchen series where we share our secrets to making products pop through the screen. We talk about all things related to product cinematography and try to use things likely to be in your home so that you can create the videos you want for your business.
For more tips and trick, watch the full series on LinkedIn or look out for our next blog.
Can’t face trying it yourself? We can take care of the cinematography for you. We create bespoke and professional videos for food & drink and retail products to help you make them pop on and off screen. Get in touch with us to create eye-catching videos.