Coffee shops have what most businesses don’t: a drink that looks good being made, a room people want to sit in, and regulars who come back every day. Here are the ideas we filmed for two Yemeni coffee houses, Qahwah House and Azal Coffee.
The pour
At Qahwah House’s café in Astoria, Queens, one drink is built in front of the camera: a pink base, then milk, then a green layer on top. We shot it close on the counter, with the café’s lights behind, so each pour has the frame to itself.
The room
In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, we filmed Qahwah House with the room full: from the street window to the espresso machine, the baristas at work and guests at every table. A full room tells a stranger what no caption can: people like it here.
One joke per film
Our films for Azal Coffee are short, each built around one joke and set in Azal’s own café. A Spanish latte comes back half empty: “What the heck? Who drank this?” The answer walks in behind the barista, in an Azal apron and a foam moustache. In another, six seconds long, a guest takes a photo of his coffee and the baristas strike a pose to be in it.
Some are made from above, on Azal’s marble and its blue cups: coffee beans spell “off” and “on”, and a cup of plain milk switches to a finished latte.
Every café, its own films
A coffee house grows one neighbourhood at a time, so that’s how we filmed Qahwah House: each café with its own street, its own room and its own crowd. In Manhattan, the film goes from the street to the counter and back out. In Astoria, the camera walks from the front door, past the bar, to the seats.
More ideas to try
- The regular’s order, made before they reach the counter.
- A new drink’s first pour, start to finish.
- The first hour, from the lights coming on to the first cup.
- The photo everyone takes, and the team photobombing it.
- The pastry case, filled tray by tray.
The same ideas suit bakeries: the oven door, the first cut, the case filling up.
Let us film it
We plan the month, film at your café and post on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Shorts, with the views guaranteed. If your team would rather film, DIY gives them the plan, with 20 complete post scripts, with references, captions and storyboard, for $1,750 a month. See the plans.
Questions owners ask
What should a coffee shop post on Instagram?
The pour, the room when it’s full, and short jokes set in your own café. Close up, with the café’s own light.
How do cafés use TikTok?
The same way: drinks made in front of the camera, the room, and one joke per film. The same video can go on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Shorts.
I have more than one café. Do I need different videos?
Give each its own: its street, its room and its crowd, so each neighbourhood sees a café of its own.
How do I start?
Book a free thirty-minute video consultation with a partner: a few quick questions, then pick a time. Book a consultation