London · Case study for filmmakers, photographers and fashion brands
“Underwear is sold on skin and fit. The light has to flatter both without looking lit.”
DRT Bodywear wanted a men's underwear commercial filmed in London: two models, a real home rather than a studio, and a range shown in three colours with the brand on every waistband. Here's how a bodywear shoot like this is planned and filmed, with frames from the finished DRT films: why a flat beats a studio for underwear, how two models change the shot list, and how one day of filming became a main film and a set of vertical cuts for social.
DRT Bodywear commercial, London
01 · The brief
What an underwear commercial has to do
An underwear advert has less to work with than almost any other fashion film. There is no outfit, no accessory and very little product on screen, so the film has to sell three things at once: the fit, the fabric and the brand. For DRT Bodywear the answer was a campaign filmed in a London flat in spring 2025, with the brand name on every waistband doing the branding and the models doing everything else.
| Role | Who |
|---|---|
| Cinematographer | Joshua Swain (SwainUK) |
| Producer | Charl Marais |
| Models | Ariyan Akaltun and Marcus Law |
| MUA | Roberto Muroni |
| Client | DRT Bodywear |
02 · Location
Why a flat beats a studio for underwear
The set: grey curtains, a white sofa, a mirror and a lamp. A real room, not a cyclorama.
A white studio makes underwear look like a catalogue page. A home makes it look like something you'd wear. Look at the wide above: grey curtains, a white sofa, a mirror, a lamp and brick outside the window. None of it competes with the product, because everything in the room sits in the same soft greys and whites, and the only strong colour in the frame is the underwear itself.
Neutral room, coloured product
Pick a location whose walls, fabrics and furniture stay in one quiet palette. The navy, grey and nude colourways read instantly against it.
Big windows
Soft side light from a window is kind to skin and shows muscle shape without hard shadows. Blinds let you shape it through the day.
A sofa and a bed
Furniture gives the models places to lie, lean and sit, which is how you get variety without changing the set.
Room to step back
You need distance for a full-length two-shot. Check the room is long enough for a wide with both models before you book it.
03 · Two models
What a second model adds
Two colourways in one frame: the range explains itself.
With one model, every colourway needs its own set-up. With two, the range sits side by side in a single frame: grey marl next to navy, both with the same white D·R·T waistband. It also changes the energy of the film. Ariyan Akaltun and Marcus Law have different looks, so pairing them shows the underwear on more than one body type in the same shot, which is what a buyer wants to see.
1. Plan the shot list in pairs: who wears which colour in each set-up, so every colourway gets a two-shot and a solo.
2. Shoot the two-shots first while energy is high, then break into solo detail and portrait work.
3. Keep the models' heights and positions consistent between takes, so the edit can cut between angles on the same moment.
04 · Detail and fit
Selling the fabric and the waistband
The waistband close-up and the full look, both framed for vertical.
Two kinds of shot do the selling in an underwear film. The detail: tight on the waistband, so the logo is legible and the knit of the fabric shows. And the full look: head to thigh, so you can see how the cut sits on the body. Everything else in the film, the portraits and the movement, exists to make those two shots feel like a campaign rather than a product page.
Hands at the waistband draw the eye to the logo without a title card.
05 · Skin
Grooming and skin for bodywear
Skin is most of the frame, so it gets as much attention as the product.
In most fashion films the clothes cover the body. In underwear, skin is most of the picture, so grooming is part of the production, not an extra. Roberto Muroni was on set as MUA for DRT. The frames show what that buys you: an even tone across face and body, and a light, healthy sheen that catches the window light along the muscles without turning shiny.
Book an MUA for the body
Plan for body work, not just faces: evening out tone, covering marks, and keeping the sheen consistent between takes.
Check in close-up
Look at skin on the monitor at the tightest framing you'll use. What looks fine in the room can show in a 4K close-up.
06 · Deliverables
One shoot, a main film and vertical cuts
Frames from the vertical cuts made for phones.
The DRT shoot was delivered as a main horizontal film, mastered in 4K, plus separate vertical cuts for mobile and a second wide edit. They aren't crops of the main film. Each one was cut for its screen, which is only possible if the shoot plans for both from the start: wide frames with room either side for 16:9, and tighter, centred frames that survive a 9:16 crop. The vertical-first guide explains how to frame for both in one day.
A low angle past the sofa: foreground depth makes a small room feel bigger.
07 · Checklist
Before you shoot underwear
1. Choose a location in one neutral palette with large windows, and check it is long enough for a full-length two-shot.
2. Book an MUA who will work on the body as well as the face.
3. Write the shot list per colourway: waistband detail, full look, portrait and a two-shot.
4. Bring several pairs in each size and colour; fit matters more here than in any other product.
5. Plan the horizontal and vertical deliverables before the day, not in the edit.
6. Get signed releases from every model before you start. See the model release guide.
More guides
Keep reading
FAQ
Common questions
How do you shoot an underwear commercial?
Choose a neutral location with soft window light, cast models whose bodies show the fit, book an MUA for body grooming, and plan two kinds of shot for every colourway: a tight detail on the waistband and fabric, and a full look that shows how the cut sits.
Should an underwear shoot be in a studio or on location?
A studio gives control but tends to look like a catalogue. A real home, like the London flat used for DRT, makes the underwear look like something you'd wear, as long as the room stays in one quiet palette so the product is the strongest colour in the frame.
What lighting works best for men's underwear?
Soft side light, usually from a large window, shaped with blinds or curtains. It shows muscle definition without hard shadows and keeps skin looking natural rather than oiled.
Can one shoot cover both a main film and social cuts?
Yes, if you plan it. Shoot wide frames for the horizontal film and tighter, centred frames that survive a vertical crop, then cut each version for its own screen. DRT was delivered as a 4K main film plus separate vertical cuts for mobile.
Written by Joshua Swain, who films fashion and commercial work in London and Dubai. See the DRT Men's Underwear Commercial project.