Production Guide by Product Type: Step-by-Step Planning

What Production Actually Means (And What It Doesn't)

You're planning a video shoot. Equipment list ready, crew assembled, location scouted. But here's the question nobody asks early enough: what's your product type? Those who skip this end up backtracking halfway through production. A set arrangement designed for cosmetics becomes completely useless for electronics. I've seen this happen more times than I'd like to admit.

Most people think production simply means "shooting footage." Technically, that's wrong. Production encompasses the entire creation process—from initial prep to final delivery. Let's pause here: without understanding how this process changes based on product type, you cannot create effective content. It's that straightforward.

How Product Categories Dictate Your Production Approach

Food, textiles, technology, cosmetics... each category has its own shooting dynamics. In food production, you're racing against time—that ice cream will melt, that sauce will congeal. With tech products, detail shots and screen reflections become your worst enemy.

Food and Beverage

This is the most stressful category in studio work. Heat, humidity, light—everything affects the product. Food stylists typically prepare separate "stunt" items for shooting. Photographing real food sounds romantic, but in practice it rarely works.

Textiles and Fashion

Fabric texture, drape, color transitions... To capture these properly, soft box lighting is non-negotiable. Textile photography shot with hard light looks cheap. Period.

Electronics and Technology

Reflection control is everything here. Without polarizing filters and black cards, professional tech photography is nearly impossible. Screen content is usually added in post-production because live screen capture creates too many problems—color banding, refresh rate conflicts, you name it.

The Most Common Production Planning Mistake

Establishing a concept before calculating budget. This sounds logical, right? First we figure out what we're doing, then we calculate the cost. But in the real world, this approach kills projects.

From what we've observed, you need to clarify the budget range first. Why? Because with unlimited budget, you can generate unlimited concepts. But if you have $5,000, you must eliminate certain ideas from the start. This keeps you focused. Some creative directors hate hearing this, but it's true.

The details around what to know when getting product video services is a separate topic, but establishing the budget-concept balance during planning is critical.

Different Approaches for Physical vs. Digital Products

With physical products, you want to create a sense of tangibility. With digital products, conveying the user experience takes priority. These two speak completely different languages.

For physical product shoots, you need to pay attention to current broadcast format standards. Especially for television commercials or broadcast content, PAL format technical requirements still apply in many regions. 25 fps, specific color spaces... Ignoring these means problems at the broadcast stage.

For digital products, screen recordings and animations take center stage. Should a mobile app demo use real hand movements or animation? I think real hands feel more authentic, but animations offer more control. Your choice depends on your target audience—B2B tends to prefer polished animations, while consumer apps often benefit from that human touch.

Production for Social Media: Platform Differences

Square format still performs well on Instagram. TikTok demands vertical video. YouTube prefers horizontal. Same product, three different formats—does that mean three different shooting plans? Most agencies don't do this, but they should.

For content targeting specific regional audiences, attention span is particularly short. If you don't show the product in the first 2 seconds, you're getting scrolled past. Accepting this reality fundamentally changes production planning.

• Instagram Reels: Vertical, 9-15 seconds, hook in first frame
• TikTok: Vertical, organic feel matters, over-produced content flops
• YouTube: Horizontal, detailed storytelling possible, opening sequence critical
• Twitter/X: Short, text-supported, must work with sound off

When creating attention-grabbing ad content, these platform differences need to be factored in from the beginning.

Production Scenarios Based on Budget

Everyone says they want A-class production. But budgets are usually C-class. This isn't criticism—it's realism.

What can you do on a low budget? Single location, minimal crew, natural light. Experienced production teams can turn these constraints into advantages. Because limitations trigger creativity—at least sometimes.

Mid-budget options? Studio use, professional lighting, basic post-production. For most e-commerce brands, this level is sufficient.

High budget territory? Multiple locations, cast, advanced post-production, sound design. Whether expensive production is necessary for high views is a separate debate, but for quality perception, it's sometimes essential.

Technical Details: Resolution, Format, Codec

Is 4K the standard now? Yes and no. For social media content, 4K often means unnecessary file size. But considering archive value, shooting in 4K and delivering in 1080p makes sense.

In filmmaking, the technical and the creative are not enemies—they are partners. The more you understand the rules, the better you know when to break them.- Francis Ford Coppola, MasterClass

Codec selection should change based on delivery channel. H.264 remains the most common, but H.265 cuts file size in half. ProRes continues to be the gold standard for post-production workflows. If you're delivering to broadcast, ask about their specs before you start—nothing worse than re-encoding everything at the last minute.

How to Build a Production Timeline

Plan backwards. The release date is fixed—work from there. How long does post-production take? How many hours on shoot day? How many days for prep?

The mistake we see in most projects: not allocating enough time for pre-production. For everything to be ready on shoot day, serious preparation is mandatory beforehand. Set design, product cleaning, crew briefing—all of it takes longer than you'd think.

Considering the impact of professional product photography on e-commerce sales, cutting this preparation time is a risky decision.

Production planning isn't a straight line. Revision rounds, approval processes, unexpected problems... Building buffer time for these is a sign of professionalism. We typically include minimum two revision rounds in the plan; this is critical for avoiding surprises at final delivery.

One final thought: the perfect plan doesn't exist. But a good plan lets you see problems early. A bad plan means panic on shoot day. Which would you rather have?