Brands selling Chinese-origin products to global markets face a constant tension: lean into the cultural story, or play it safe with a neutral, "international" aesthetic? More and more, our clients want to own their heritage rather than hide it. This project was a great example — a beverage brand wanted a 60-second creative video and supporting stills, distinctly Chinese in feeling but premium enough to run alongside Western competitors on Amazon, TikTok, and Instagram.
The fastest way to ruin this kind of project is to lean on clichés — gold dragons, ostentatious red and gold, calligraphy nobody can read. We did the opposite. The mood board referenced Wong Kar-wai film stills, contemporary Chinese ceramic studios, and Song-dynasty still-life painting. The visual language locked on three things: deep lacquered red, raw natural materials, and slow contemplative pacing.
We built the hero set over two days in our largest studio:
Unlike still product photography, video lighting needs to work across multiple camera moves. We used three large LED panels — an Aputure 600d as the main key, two 300d's as fill and back light — all dimmed to 40% to keep the mood low and contemplative. A small practical light inside one of the paper lanterns added warmth in the background. We shot 4K at 50fps on a Sony FX6, which gave us crisp slow-motion sections in post.
Three movement styles, intercut:
The video featured a single performer's hands — opening a fan, pouring tea, placing the product. We cast specifically for elegant hand shape and steady movement, then rehearsed each gesture six or seven times before rolling. Hand work is its own discipline; rushing it shows immediately on screen.
The final cut went through three colour-grading passes — first technical balancing, then a film-emulation LUT, then targeted secondary corrections to deepen the lacquered red and warm the practical lights. Sound design used a mix of Foley (fan opening, ceramic cup placing) and a custom guzheng track licensed from a local musician. Total edit time: about a week.
The video performed strongly in both Chinese and Western markets — the cultural specificity was a feature, not a bug. The brand reported that engagement on the video creative was 3x their previous best-performing asset, and the supporting stills carried their seasonal campaign for an entire quarter.
If you'd like to produce a culturally grounded campaign without slipping into kitsch, talk to our team. We've shot for export brands across food, beverage, beauty, and fashion since 2008.
