Product video from a photo: what to ask for

A product-page clip has one job: show the thing a still cannot. Here are three made from single photos, with the exact request for each, because the request is most of the craft.

The candle

Light it. Slow pull-back from the flame, evening warmth, 8 seconds, vertical.

The doubt a candle buyer has is atmosphere. One continuous shot — a match, the wick catching, the camera easing back to show the jar on a table in evening light — answers it without a word.

The coffee bag

Pour shot: beans tumbling out of the bag onto slate, top-down, 6 seconds, for the product page.

Here the doubt is "are these real whole beans, and is the bag the one in the listing". Top-down, hands open the bag, beans spill onto stone. Six seconds is plenty.

The keyboard

An 8-second product hero clip, vertical, dark desk, light sweeping across the case and keycaps, a hand typing a few keys, ending on the full front view.

A keyboard is bought on feel. Light moving over aluminum and keycaps, then a hand typing with the sound kept, sells the feel better than a spec table.

The pattern

Name the doubt, describe one camera move, say the length and the shape. Leave lighting, pacing and continuity to the agent. If you want it to check with you before rendering, say so — otherwise a clear request goes straight to a clip.