A look at the production decisions, agency collaboration, and on-set problem solving behind a multi-day food and lifestyle campaign.
Some shoots start with a simple creative ask. Then production turns that ask into a real-world plan.
For the Starbucks Summer shoot, the goal was clear: capture the new summer drinks menu and make it feel warm, bright, and inviting. The campaign, created with Leo Burnett and photographed/directed by Suech and Beck, centred on one familiar idea: that first sip feeling.
That sounds easy enough until you remember this was Canada in March.
The production took place over three days, from March 25 to 27, across multiple locations. The team shot at a Starbucks store at York Mills, Les Mills, outdoors in King City, and at Suech and Beck Studio. The work sat between food and lifestyle, which meant the final images needed to do two things at once. The drinks had to look fresh, and the world around them had to feel like summer.
A bright Starbucks Summer campaign image featuring a pink Refreshers drink, warm outdoor light, and seasonal beverage storytelling.
From Agency Brief to Production Plan
When an agency brings a photographer or director into a campaign, the creative is already carrying a lot of strategy.
In this case, Leo Burnett had a clear campaign need: introduce the Starbucks summer drinks menu in a way that felt seasonal, sensory, and easy to understand. From there, the production team had to translate that idea into locations, crew, timing, talent support, usage needs, and a shoot structure that could actually work.
That is where production becomes more than logistics.
A strong production partner protects the creative idea while building the conditions to make it happen. That includes bidding, pre-planning, scheduling, crew sourcing, location planning, permits, on-set support, licensing and usage guidance, post coordination, and final delivery.
Each piece matters because each piece affects the final image.
If the schedule feels rushed, talent looks tense. If the location does not support the season, the frame breaks. If the food styling does not hold, the drink loses its appeal. Good production catches those problems early, so the final work can feel effortless.
The Challenge: Make -20°C Feel Like Summer
The biggest challenge on this Starbucks Summer shoot was weather.
The outdoor scenes had to suggest heat, ease, and warm seasonal energy. Meanwhile, the crew was working in roughly -20°C conditions. That meant every frame needed to hide the reality of the day.
Bare trees could not give away the season. Winter textures had to stay out of frame. Talent needed to look relaxed in summer wardrobe. Drinks had to feel refreshing, not absurdly out of place.
So the team had to solve the problem shot by shot.
They composed frames to avoid winter tells. They used warm light and careful blocking to hold the summer mood. They also kept heaters and hand warmers close on the outdoor location day, so talent could reset between takes.
That kind of work rarely shows up in the final campaign. However, it is exactly what makes the final campaign believable.
Why Food and Lifestyle Shoots Need Both Control and Flexibility
Food and beverage work depends on details. The product needs to look precise, but the moment around it still needs to feel natural.
For this campaign, the drinks were the hero. Still, the story was not only about the menu. It was about how the drink fits into a summer day.
That is why the lifestyle layer matters. A hand reaching for a cup, a face reacting to the first sip, or a warm location cue can carry the feeling faster than copy. These details help the viewer understand the product through mood, not just information.
At the same time, lifestyle work needs room to breathe. The best frame may come from a small reaction, a shift in body language, or a moment between takes. A good production plan creates enough structure for the team to stay on schedule, while leaving enough space for those human details to happen.
What Brands and Agencies Can Take Away
The biggest lesson is simple: the final image is only one part of the work.
A campaign like this depends on alignment between the agency, creative team, production, styling, locations, crew, and post. Everyone has to protect the same feeling.
For brands and agencies, this matters because seasonal campaigns often happen out of season. Summer gets shot in winter. Holiday gets shot in August. Outdoor warmth gets built in cold weather. The production team has to know how to create the illusion without making the final work feel fake.
The Starbucks Summer shoot is a good example of that balance. The creative asked for warmth. The production reality delivered cold. The team still built a world that felt bright, inviting, and easy to step into.
That is the job: make the strategy feel natural.
Key Takeaways
- A simple campaign idea still needs a detailed production plan.
- Agency collaboration works best when creative goals are clear early.
- Seasonal work often requires hiding the real conditions on set.
- Food and lifestyle campaigns need both polish and human energy.
- Production support protects the creative from bid to delivery.
Credits
Photographer/Director: Suech and Beck
Agency: Leo Burnett
Producer: Lindsey Rebeiro
Line Producer: Jacob Locking
Food Stylist: Melanie Stuparyk
Hair/MUA: Grace Lee
Prop/Set: Christina Yan
Wardrobe: Jillian Vieira
Production: United Assembly
Equipment: Ontario Camera
Need production support for a food, lifestyle, or seasonal campaign? Explore United Assembly’s roster and get in touch to build the right team for the brief.