Product video production is the process of planning, filming, and editing video that shows a product in use, explains how it works, or makes people want it. The main types are product commercials, explainers, demos, lifestyle videos, and detail or macro videos. The shooting technique depends on what the viewer needs to believe about the product, whether that's precision, ease of use, durability, or how it fits into everyday life.
Key Highlights
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- Product videos fall into five main types: commercials, explainers, demos, lifestyle videos, and detail or macro videos.
- Choose the shooting technique by what the viewer needs to believe. Motion control sells precision, lifestyle footage sells fit, and CG shows technology a camera can't see.
- Most of the work happens before the shoot, in the shot list, the hero product prep, and the lighting plan.
- Half of advertisers already use generative AI to build video ads, mostly to make versions for different audiences, and those versions are only as good as the footage they start from.
- A product video agency usually leads with strategy and concept, while a production company leads with the shoot, and some studios do both.
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What is product video production?
Product video production covers everything it takes to turn a product into a finished video:
- the concept and script
- the shoot
- post-production (editing, color, sound, and animation)
A product video production company handles all three stages, or partners with an agency that handles the concept.
A good product video starts by deciding what the viewer needs to believe about the product by the time it ends.
That decision shapes the type of video, the technique, the location, and the budget.
A lens maker selling to cinematographers has to prove optical detail, while a mattress brand needs you to picture the bed in your own bedroom, and a jacket brand launching a new membrane has to show something too small to film.
Every example below comes from a real shoot in our portfolio.
Types of product videos
The five main types of product videos are product commercials, explainers, demos, lifestyle videos, and detail or macro videos. Each type answers a different question for the viewer, so each one calls for a different shoot.
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Type |
The viewer's question |
Where it usually runs |
Typical approach |
Example from our work |
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Product commercial |
Why should I want this? |
TV, streaming, paid social |
Story, humor, or emotion built around the product |
Sleep Country adjustable bases, a 30-second comedic spot |
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Explainer |
How does this work? |
Website, product pages, launches |
Live action combined with CG or animation |
Arc'teryx GORE-TEX ePE, with CG showing each layer of the membrane |
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Demo |
What does it look like in use? |
Sales decks, product pages, trade shows |
Real use cases, precise camera moves |
Entrust Secure Customer Experience, shot with a motion control arm |
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Lifestyle |
Will this fit my life? |
Social, ecommerce, brand campaigns |
Real homes and natural light, many setups |
Tumble, more than 20 setups in one day |
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Detail or macro |
Is the quality real? |
Product pages, launches, enthusiast audiences |
Macro lenses, tabletop sets, controlled light |
DZOFilm macro lenses, a product film for cinematographers |
Many projects combine two types.
Our Arc'teryx film moves from a design studio to CG close-ups of the fabric and then to a climber on a mountain, so it works as an explainer and a lifestyle piece at once.
How to shoot a product video
To shoot a product video, start with what the viewer needs to believe, then pick the technique that proves it.
Gear lists and lighting tricks come second.
The right technique for a precision product would look wrong on a cozy home product, and the other way around.
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What the viewer needs to believe |
Technique that proves it |
How we used it |
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This product is precise and engineered |
Motion control, where a robotic camera arm repeats the exact same move on every take |
For Entrust, a Bolt robot arm moved fast and precisely between tight close-ups and wide shots |
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This product fits into real life |
Lifestyle shooting in real homes, with natural light and a fast shot list |
For Tumble, the crew moved through more than 20 setups in a single shoot day |
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The technology works, even where you can't see it |
CG and 3D animation layered into live action |
For Arc'teryx, CG showed the membrane layers, water beading off the surface, and fibers recovering after stress |
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The quality holds up close |
Macro lenses, tabletop sets, and controlled lighting |
For DZOFilm, a product film for macro lenses aimed at cinematographers who notice every detail |
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This product makes life more fun |
Comedy performance, custom rigs, and lots of takes |
For Sleep Country, custom rigs and creative lighting captured 240 takes in one day |
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This is a gift worth giving |
Emotional storytelling and custom camera rigs |
For Jewlr, a 30-second holiday spot shot in two days with custom-built rigs |
Pro Tip: Lock the shooting technique in pre-production. Motion control, macro lenses, and CG each change the crew, the gear, the schedule, and the post-production budget, so none of them can be added halfway through a shoot day.
The product shoot day, step by step
A product shoot day runs in a fixed order: prep the product, light the set, shoot the wide and performance scenes, then move in for close-ups and inserts.
1. Prep the hero product
Send several units if you can. The crew picks the cleanest one as the hero for close-ups, and the others handle any scenes where talent uses the product.
2. Pre-light
The gaffer and director of photography light the set early, so the first take can happen as soon as the cast is ready.
3. Shoot the story scenes first
Wides and performance scenes need the most people, so the crew shoots them while everyone is fresh.
4. Move in for inserts
Buttons, textures, logos, and hands using the product come next, often on a tabletop set with the talent released.
5. Capture the technical passes
Motion control repeats, clean background plates, and reference footage for CG all happen in this block.
6. Shoot for every format
When the brief includes vertical versions, the crew frames for them on the day instead of cropping later.
The Sleep Country spot shows how far a tight plan stretches, with custom rigs and 240 takes in a single day.
For Jewlr's "Gifts", a 30-second broadcast spot, director Martin Marko shot with custom-built camera rigs on a two-day schedule.
After the shoot, our post-production and animation teams take over the edit, color, sound, and any CG the concept needs.
Where AI fits in product video in 2026
AI now plays a real role in product video, mostly after the shoot.
According to IAB's 2025 video ad report, half of advertisers already use generative AI to build video ads, and 86% use it or plan to.
The most common use in that research was making audience-specific versions of an ad, followed by changing visual style and adjusting ads for context.
AI works best on top of strong footage. It can swap a background, resize a frame, or build a regional version, but it CAN’T invent the texture of real fabric or the feel of a real product in someone's hands.
So shoot with versioning in mind:
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- Capture clean plates. A few seconds of each set without talent or product gives editors and AI tools a clean background to work from.
- Shoot the product from more angles than the edit needs. Extra angles give you material for new versions without a second shoot.
- Keep hero product shots simple. Clean, well-lit product footage is easier to adapt for new markets, formats, and platforms.
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Recommended reading: AI in Video Production
How to choose a product video agency or production company
A product video agency usually leads with strategy and the concept, then hires or manages the shoot.
A product video production company leads with the shoot itself, working from a concept you or your agency supply. A full-service studio handles both with one team.
Whichever model you pick, these questions separate a good partner from a risky one:
- Have they shot products like yours? A team that shoots beautiful lifestyle spots may not have run motion control or macro before. Ask for examples in your category.
- Which technique do they recommend, and why? A good partner ties the technique to what your buyer needs to believe.
- Who directs? Ask to see the director's reel. Our commercial directors each have one on the site.
- Is CG or animation in-house? If the concept needs it, handoffs between a shoot team and an outside animation studio add time and risk.
- What formats come with the delivery? Confirm the master length, cutdowns, and aspect ratios up front.
Red flags
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- A reel with no products in it
- One technique recommended for every product
- No plan for the hero product, like how many units to send
- Post-production handled by a vendor they can't name
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a product video?
A product video is a video that shows a product in use, explains how it works, or builds desire for it. Common types include product commercials, explainers, demos, lifestyle videos, and detail or macro videos.
What are the main types of product videos?
The main types of product videos are product commercials, explainers, demos, lifestyle videos, and detail or macro videos. Many projects combine two types, like an explainer that also shows the product in real life.
How do you shoot a product video?
Start by deciding what the viewer needs to believe about the product, then choose the technique that proves it. Motion control shows precision, lifestyle footage shows fit, macro lenses show detail, and CG shows technology a camera can't capture. Lock the technique, shot list, and lighting plan in pre-production.
Can AI make product videos?
AI tools can create simple product clips and are widely used to version existing ads for new audiences and formats. For product videos where texture, real use, and quality matter, a live-action shoot still provides the footage those tools work from.
What does a product video production company do?
A product video production company plans, shoots, and finishes product videos. That covers the concept and script, casting and locations, the shoot, and post-production like editing, color, sound, and animation.
Launching a product and need footage that proves it? Talk to our product video production company about your brief.
