Shooting product video on a phone

Start with the background

A single sheet of white or light grey paper, curved up the wall behind the product so there is no visible corner, is the entire background setup. It costs almost nothing and removes every distraction.

Avoid patterned cloth and wood grain unless the texture is part of what you are selling.

Get above the table

Products sit on surfaces, so the camera has to look down at them. This is the reason a 150cm tripod is not enough for product work — you need 180cm or more to place the phone above the table and angle it down.

For flat-lay shots specifically, a desk arm with a dovetail groove holds the phone directly overhead more conveniently than any tripod.

One light, then a second

Place your main light to one side at about 45 degrees and slightly above. That single change gives the product shape and shadow, which is what makes it look three-dimensional.

Then add a second, weaker light on the opposite side — or just a sheet of white paper reflecting the first light back — to lift the shadows enough to see detail.

Colour accuracy is not optional

When you are selling the item, the colour in the video is a promise. A light with poor colour rendering will shift reds and skin tones enough that customers receive something that does not match, and that becomes a return.

This is the one place where paying for Ra95+ instead of a generic panel pays for itself directly.

Lock everything down

• Turn off auto-exposure and auto-focus once you have framed the shot
• Set white balance manually to your light, not to auto
• Clean the lens — it is the most common cause of a soft product shot
• Shoot a few seconds longer than you need at each angle