Sharp's Brewery Adverts & Commercial Video Production
Product Videography for Sharps Brewery
‘Cold River Cider’ Promotional Videos & Commercial Adverts
Sharp’s Brewery is a well-known brewery located in Padstow, Cornwall, that has been producing high-quality beers and ales for over 25 years. Recently, the brewery launched a new product called Cold River Cider, a refreshing drink inspired by the natural beauty of the Cornish landscape. The cider is a new step for the client, as it is a collaboration with Aspall cider house in Suffolk. It’s fantastic to see a local Westcountry business delve into a brand new product line.
To help promote this exciting new product, Sharps Brewery commissioned Rowe Films to produce a series of product videos showcasing Cold River Cider in all its glory. This video production project was also an exciting opportunity for Rowe Films. Not only is Sharp’s a fantastic brand to be working with, but product videography itself is somewhat of a new experience for us, and yet another line of work we are able to offer.
At Rowe Films, our approach to video production often involves a very artistic and stylised approach. We believe that filmmaking is not just about capturing footage, but rather, about creating something that is truly visually stunning and emotionally engaging.
When Sharp’s commissioned us to produce product videos for Cold River Cider, they were drawn to our unique approach. Our ability to create beautifully stylised visuals, coupled with our love for compelling storytelling, made us a perfect fit for the job. We’d like to thank Sharps for trusting us with the project.
One of the main inspirations for Cold River Cider was the location of the brewery itself. It’s located on the estuary in Padstow, where the River Camel meets the sea. This unique location was a key inspiration for the drink, and we worked closely with Sharp’s marketing team to ensure this inspiration was clearly visualised in the product videos. The client also had very specific branding requirements, as any brand worth their salt does, and we were quite happy to work with their team to ensure all of the content produced was strictly ‘on brand’. Everything from the colours used, to the specific fonts and typefaces had to be in keeping with their wider branding and marketing materials.
To capture the essence of Cold River Cider, we travelled to key locations around the Padstow area to capture the beauty of the surrounding natural landscapes. We focused on capturing the movement and flow of the river and the powerful crashing waves of the sea, which are key elements that inspired the new drink. From a production and camera operation perspective, this even involved using under water housings on our cameras. This allowed us to actually get in (and under) the water to really capture the feeling of breaking water. We wanted the footage to be truly immersive, and this was a great way to achieve that. The footage captured in these locations formed the backbone of the video, bringing to life the natural inspiration behind the product. We wanted the visuals to be a bit abstract, and we are very pleased with the results.
To complement the outdoor location footage, we also captured footage in the studio, showcasing the product itself. Unlike shooting out in nature where you are often at the mercy of things like weather, this approach allowed us to capture the footage in a dedicated controlled environment, giving us complete control over all aspects of the shoot. We were able to play with lighting to a borderline obsessive degree and experiment with different camera techniques to achieve the look we were going for. We filmed the unique glass Sharp’s had designed specifically for this product, and the drink itself being poured in a way that perfectly highlighted the crisp and refreshing taste of the cider. One of the many aspects of executing these shots was lighting the liquid product in a way that really emphasised its unique colour, to really communicate its light and refreshing flavours. The shoot also involved using macro and ‘probe’ lenses to capture the bubbles up close, even filming inside the liquid itself for an incredibly unique and immersive perspective. Finally, we carried out some visual effects techniques such as green/blue screen photography, to provide additional assets and graphics to the client.
Throughout the entire production process, we worked closely with Sharp’s to ensure that the final videos accurately portrayed the essence of the product. They are rightly very proud of the product they have developed, so we wanted to make sure that we truly did it justice. Every aspect of the videos, from the visuals to the sound design, needed to convey the refreshing and invigorating nature of the drink. If you watch a video of the drink being poured, and can almost taste it, then we consider that a job well done!
We delivered a number of videos to the client on this project. Primary promotional adverts (two different cuts of varying lengths), as well as shorter sequences provided in different formats, optimised for online/social media use. The deliverables have allowed the client to share the content across a wide range of platforms; from commercials on broadcast television, to Instagram reels, and everything else in between.
Product videography was actually a new experience for us here at Rowe Films because up to this point, it's not something we had done much of. However, we found the process and nature of the work a lot of fun. One of the things we love the most about video production more generally is that you never know where it will take you, or what subject matter will come your way next. There’s just such a wide range of possible applications that every job you take on is different to the last, and that’s always so exciting.
As filmmakers, we love the challenge of telling stories through stunning visuals and engaging narratives. In this case, creating adverts for a physical product that had fantastic inspiration behind it allowed us to take our skillsets and apply them in a new and exciting context. The process of creating product videos also allowed us to push our creative boundaries and explore new techniques and technologies. From capturing stunning underwater footage, to experimenting with lighting and camera techniques in the studio, we were able to showcase our versatility, talent and expertise in new ways.
Overall, our experience working on this project with Sharp’s Brewery was an incredibly enjoyable one, and we are pleased to hear that they love the videos we have produced. We really hope to work with them again in the future on new and exciting projects! More widely, Product Videography as a service is definitely something we look forward to doing more of in the future.
Product Videography by Rowe Films
If you’re looking for product videography services for your business, get in touch with Rowe Films today. We’d love to chat with you and see how high-quality product videos can help you reach a wider audience and increase sales!