Article contributed by CPM videographer Brad Jackson
The key to taking quality videos of your jewellery products and pieces is utilising what you have at your disposal to its full potential. Camera equipment can be rather costly, and although I am lucky to use some nifty gear these days, I still make my own fittings and camera components if the need is there. Most phone cameras are in serious competition with entry/mid range DSLR cameras. As long as you have some form of video-recording device, basic content creation is possible!
Jewellery for the most part is relatively small, which works to your advantage. Most of the high-end shoots I have completed of smaller products could be done in the comfort of my own room. This method saves everyone additional expenses such as travel, studio rent and most importantly, time.
About a year ago I was asked to do a product shoot that required the clean white cube effect of a studio space. Under lockdown I didn’t have a studio, nor did I have the lighting required to do such a shoot. Luckily the products I was shooting were quite small, which meant I didn’t need lots of space. My solution was to create a custom light box for the products to capture clean studio imagery. This link gives you an idea of what is possible. This is the first shoot I completed using just a light box: https://vimeo.com/587728727
A light box is a flat, boxed area in which light is evenly distributed to illuminate an object. It allows you to create an undisturbed focal point on a product, making for a crisp and clean shot of an item. There are many different ways of creating your own light box and for the most part they are extremely cheap to make! (See this link to a DIY light box CPM published in a previous article)
Let me take you through some important aspects of my light box so you can create one of your own:
1. CONSTRUCTED LIGHT.
A light box is really about filtering as much quality light as possible so you can get the cleanest image. I have three main openings for light: one light source on top and two on the left and right hand sides of the box. I use simple desk lamps for a really bright light, but you can use any light you want. LED lights are also really effective. It’s very important however that all your lights are the same colour. I use three standard desk lamps with neutral white bulbs. Having a warm bulb and cold bulb will disrupt the tint of your image. Stick to a neutral white (in between warm and cold). However, if you’re looking to create some jazzed up effects to your image, multi-coloured lights such as blue and red bulbs make for exciting content!
2. SPACE.
Once you’ve got your light box set up, you’re ready for the fun part: taking videos of your content. Allow yourself breathing room to move your camera around the area of the box opening.
3. CAPTURING CONTENT.
What’s great about a light box is that it’s extremely simple to use. Place your item in the middle of the box and film away. All the hard work is done for you already. When you start out, try to be as simple as possible: press record on your device and do a few simple left/right and up/down movements. For the most part, less is more! Get creative with your content and add props in and around your box – plants and driftwood work really well.
4. EDITING YOUR FOOTAGE.
There are many free video editing software solutions out there. Unfortunately you have to pay for the best ones, but not to worry; there are lots of really great free software options – just Google and choose the one that best suits your level of comfort with technology. Select your best footage and open that in your editing programme. To start off, create a short video no longer than 10 seconds. Be strict with choosing the best footage to show off your content. You can add some music to your clip that matches the theme of your video. YouTube has a wide selection of royalty free music under the creator studio. Structure the edit so that it fits with the music used. Video editing has a few basic guidelines, but you can really be as creative and free as you like.
So for a simple, cost effective solution to taking high quality content for your jewellery pieces, make yourself a light box and let the magic happen!
Brad Jackson
2021 Design Indaba Emerging Creative
bradjacksonstudio.com
studiobradjackson@gmail.com
Vimeo: bradvisualartist
Instagram: brad jackson.studio
