How to Record a Highlight Reel for a Product

In this video I demonstrate how I recorded a highlight reel for a product - a candle. This candle is in a metal container with a pretty white and blue repeating pattern on the outside.

When you click on the video and watch it on my YouTube channel, you’ll be able to see that I am set up with my camera, the candle, and my location. I chose to film on an end table in my living room. I picked that table because it has a marble top and I thought it would go well with the metal tin material that they candle is in.

I also have 1 prop with me. I have a wooden serving plate that I can use to block anything in the background if I can see it through my camera lens when I start recording.

I have a small light that I’m setting up as an overhead light over the candle. I’m interested in capturing video with some shadows and highlights that overhead lighting will give me.

I’m also ready with a piece of computer paper. I plan on using the paper as a reflector and moving it around the candle to simulate movement while recording.

While setting up I explain some challenges I had to overcome. For instance I had to play with the height of the overhead light. If the light was too high my camera didn’t have enough light to focus, so I had to bring it down a little bit lower than I initially planned. I also had to tape the plate to the lamp (omg) because the plate kept sliding down. BUT it’s ok! Because I’m filming so low to the table top, the camera never picked up the tape at the top of the plate.

I turned off the lamp and closed the blinds on the 2 windows that are right next the the table where I am filming. Sunlight and tungsten light are 2 different colors (blue & orange) and I didn’t want them competing while I was recording. I also didn’t want the sunlight to be too bright. Using the diffused sunlight as fill light is fine, but I wanted my key light to be the overhead light.