# Our counter before and after bottle season got sorted

**Edition:** DTC & E-commerce · **Angle:** Before / after · **Vertical:** Baby & kids · **Length:** 15s, 9:16 · **Best on:** Seedance 2.5

> A dad shows a kitchen worktop buried in drying bottles, swipes the lens, and the same counter is clear with one compact vertical rack in the corner.

Online: https://gethookchain.com/library/our-counter-before-and-after-bottle-season/

## Example product (fictional)

- **Brand:** Drypod
- **Product:** Compact vertical bottle-drying rack with fold-down pegs and a drip tray
- **Audience:** Parents washing six or more bottles a day in small kitchens

## Creator

- **Archetype:** Dad of a newborn in a small flat, 40
- **Look:** Man, 40, Indian, short black hair, short greying beard, maroon henley with sleeves pushed up, tea towel over one shoulder
- **Setting:** Compact galley kitchen in the morning, window over the sink, white subway tiles, wooden worktop, kettle and toaster

## Variables

| Variable | Example | What to put |
|---|---|---|
| `{{PRODUCT_NAME}}` | Drypod | Your product's name |
| `{{OFFER}}` | free 30-day returns | Your current offer |

## Timeline

| Beat | Time | Title | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOOK | 0–3s | The bottle swamp | Before: the bottle swamp |
| DEMO | 3–8s | The swipe | After: one corner |
| PROOF | 8–12s | Toast again | we got our counter back |
| CTA | 12–15s | Tap and tag | {{PRODUCT_NAME}} · {{OFFER}} |

## 1. HOOK · 0–3s · The bottle swamp

**Line:** "This was our counter. Every single day."

**On-screen text (add in edit):** Before: the bottle swamp

**Audio:** Dripping tap, no music

**Shots**

- `0.0–1.5s` **Top-down WS** — Bottles cover the worktop
- `1.5–3.0s` **MCU** — Tilt up to deadpan face

**References:** creator, setting

### Seedance 2.5 (recommended)

```text
The bottle swamp. Vertical 9:16 UGC clip, 3 seconds, one continuous handheld take unless timecodes say cut.
References: @Image1 = creator reference; @Image2 = setting reference. Keep the person, wardrobe and room identical to the references.
0–2s: Top-down WS. Bottles cover the worktop.
2–3s: MCU. Tilt up to deadpan face.
Vertical 9:16 top-down handheld shot that tilts up to his face. A 40-year-old Indian man with short black hair, a short greying beard, a maroon henley with sleeves pushed up and a tea towel over one shoulder, in a compact galley kitchen in the morning with white subway tiles and a wooden worktop. The whole wooden worktop is covered edge to edge with baby bottles, teats and lids drying on a soggy tea towel. He leans into frame over the mess and looks at the lens, completely deadpan. Top-down, then a quick tilt up. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage.
Dialogue (Dad of a newborn in a small flat, 40): "This was our counter. Every single day."
No subtitles. No on-screen text. No logos. Natural voice, no background music.
```

- **duration:** 4 s
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **resolution:** 1080p (720p where the API caps it)
- **generate audio:** true
- **references:** @Image1: creator, @Image2: setting
- **first frame:** creator reference

### Kling 4.0

```text
Subject: Man, 40, Indian, short black hair, short greying beard, maroon henley with sleeves pushed up, tea towel over one shoulder.
Setting: Compact galley kitchen in the morning, window over the sink, white subway tiles, wooden worktop, kettle and toaster.
Vertical 9:16 top-down handheld shot that tilts up to his face. A 40-year-old Indian man with short black hair, a short greying beard, a maroon henley with sleeves pushed up and a tea towel over one shoulder, in a compact galley kitchen in the morning with white subway tiles and a wooden worktop. The whole wooden worktop is covered edge to edge with baby bottles, teats and lids drying on a soggy tea towel. He leans into frame over the mess and looks at the lens, completely deadpan. Top-down, then a quick tilt up. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage.
[Creator: Dad of a newborn in a small flat, 40, natural and conversational]: "This was our counter. Every single day."
```

- **duration:** 5 s (trim to 3 s)
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **mode:** Pro / 1080p
- **cfg scale:** 0.5
- **negative prompt:** subtitles, captions, on-screen text, watermark, logo, distorted hands, extra fingers, warped phone screen, morphing face, plastic skin, studio lighting
- **elements:** creator, setting
- **native audio:** on (voice reference optional)

### Gemini Omni Flash

```text
Vertical 9:16 top-down handheld shot that tilts up to his face. A 40-year-old Indian man with short black hair, a short greying beard, a maroon henley with sleeves pushed up and a tea towel over one shoulder, in a compact galley kitchen in the morning with white subway tiles and a wooden worktop. The whole wooden worktop is covered edge to edge with baby bottles, teats and lids drying on a soggy tea towel. He leans into frame over the mess and looks at the lens, completely deadpan. Top-down, then a quick tilt up. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage. He says: "This was our counter. Every single day." No captions or on-screen text.
```

- **duration:** 3 s
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **resolution:** 720p · 24 fps
- **audio:** always on — normalise to −14 LUFS in the edit
- **image urls:** creator, setting (guides look, doesn't lock frame 1)

## 2. DEMO · 3–8s · The swipe

**Line:** "Now it's this. One corner."

**On-screen text (add in edit):** After: one corner

**Audio:** Whoosh on the swipe, upbeat light percussion starts

**Shots**

- `3.0–5.5s` **Transition** — Hand wipe across lens reveals the clear counter
- `5.5–8.0s` **CU** — Peg snaps down, lid hung

**References:** creator, product, setting

### Seedance 2.5 (recommended)

```text
The swipe. Vertical 9:16 UGC clip, 5 seconds, one continuous handheld take unless timecodes say cut.
References: @Image1 = creator reference; @Image2 = product reference; @Image3 = setting reference. Keep the person, wardrobe and room identical to the references.
0–3s: Transition. Hand wipe across lens reveals the clear counter.
3–5s: CU. Peg snaps down, lid hung.
Vertical 9:16 handheld match-cut transition. The same 40-year-old Indian man with a greying beard, a maroon henley and a tea towel on his shoulder, in the same small galley kitchen. He swipes his open hand across the lens; on the other side of the swipe the same worktop is clear and a compact white vertical drying rack with fold-down grey pegs and a clear drip tray stands in the corner with bottles upside down on its pegs. He snaps one peg down and hangs a lid on it. Hand-wipe transition, then a slow push-in on the rack. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage.
Dialogue (Dad of a newborn in a small flat, 40): "Now it's this. One corner."
No subtitles. No on-screen text. No logos. Natural voice, no background music.
```

- **duration:** 5 s
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **resolution:** 1080p (720p where the API caps it)
- **generate audio:** true
- **references:** @Image1: creator, @Image2: product, @Image3: setting
- **first frame:** —

### Kling 4.0

```text
Subject: Man, 40, Indian, short black hair, short greying beard, maroon henley with sleeves pushed up, tea towel over one shoulder.
Setting: Compact galley kitchen in the morning, window over the sink, white subway tiles, wooden worktop, kettle and toaster.
Vertical 9:16 handheld match-cut transition. The same 40-year-old Indian man with a greying beard, a maroon henley and a tea towel on his shoulder, in the same small galley kitchen. He swipes his open hand across the lens; on the other side of the swipe the same worktop is clear and a compact white vertical drying rack with fold-down grey pegs and a clear drip tray stands in the corner with bottles upside down on its pegs. He snaps one peg down and hangs a lid on it. Hand-wipe transition, then a slow push-in on the rack. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage.
[Creator: Dad of a newborn in a small flat, 40, natural and conversational]: "Now it's this. One corner."
```

- **duration:** 5 s
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **mode:** Pro / 1080p
- **cfg scale:** 0.5
- **negative prompt:** subtitles, captions, on-screen text, watermark, logo, distorted hands, extra fingers, warped phone screen, morphing face, plastic skin, studio lighting
- **elements:** creator, product, setting
- **native audio:** on (voice reference optional)

### Gemini Omni Flash

```text
Vertical 9:16 handheld match-cut transition. The same 40-year-old Indian man with a greying beard, a maroon henley and a tea towel on his shoulder, in the same small galley kitchen. He swipes his open hand across the lens; on the other side of the swipe the same worktop is clear and a compact white vertical drying rack with fold-down grey pegs and a clear drip tray stands in the corner with bottles upside down on its pegs. He snaps one peg down and hangs a lid on it. Hand-wipe transition, then a slow push-in on the rack. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage. He says: "Now it's this. One corner." No captions or on-screen text.
```

- **duration:** 5 s
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **resolution:** 720p · 24 fps
- **audio:** always on — normalise to −14 LUFS in the edit
- **image urls:** creator, product, setting (guides look, doesn't lock frame 1)

## 3. PROOF · 8–12s · Toast again

**Line:** "I can make toast again."

**On-screen text (add in edit):** we got our counter back

**Audio:** Percussion continues, toaster pop SFX

**Shots**

- `8.0–12.0s` **WS** — Clear counter, board and mug go down, proud gesture

**References:** creator, product, setting

### Seedance 2.5 (recommended)

```text
Toast again. Vertical 9:16 UGC clip, 4 seconds, one continuous handheld take unless timecodes say cut.
References: @Image1 = creator reference; @Image2 = product reference; @Image3 = setting reference. Keep the person, wardrobe and room identical to the references.
0–4s: WS. Clear counter, board and mug go down, proud gesture.
Vertical 9:16 handheld wide shot. The same 40-year-old Indian man with short black hair, a short greying beard, a maroon henley with sleeves pushed up and a tea towel over one shoulder, in a compact galley kitchen in the morning with white subway tiles and a wooden worktop. The camera pulls back to show the clear worktop with a compact white vertical drying rack with fold-down grey pegs and a clear drip tray in the corner; he slides a chopping board and a mug of tea into the free space and gestures at it with both hands, mock-proud. Smooth pull-back. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage.
Dialogue (Dad of a newborn in a small flat, 40): "I can make toast again."
No subtitles. No on-screen text. No logos. Natural voice, no background music.
```

- **duration:** 4 s
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **resolution:** 1080p (720p where the API caps it)
- **generate audio:** true
- **references:** @Image1: creator, @Image2: product, @Image3: setting
- **first frame:** —

### Kling 4.0

```text
Subject: Man, 40, Indian, short black hair, short greying beard, maroon henley with sleeves pushed up, tea towel over one shoulder.
Setting: Compact galley kitchen in the morning, window over the sink, white subway tiles, wooden worktop, kettle and toaster.
Vertical 9:16 handheld wide shot. The same 40-year-old Indian man with short black hair, a short greying beard, a maroon henley with sleeves pushed up and a tea towel over one shoulder, in a compact galley kitchen in the morning with white subway tiles and a wooden worktop. The camera pulls back to show the clear worktop with a compact white vertical drying rack with fold-down grey pegs and a clear drip tray in the corner; he slides a chopping board and a mug of tea into the free space and gestures at it with both hands, mock-proud. Smooth pull-back. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage.
[Creator: Dad of a newborn in a small flat, 40, natural and conversational]: "I can make toast again."
```

- **duration:** 5 s (trim to 4 s)
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **mode:** Pro / 1080p
- **cfg scale:** 0.5
- **negative prompt:** subtitles, captions, on-screen text, watermark, logo, distorted hands, extra fingers, warped phone screen, morphing face, plastic skin, studio lighting
- **elements:** creator, product, setting
- **native audio:** on (voice reference optional)

### Gemini Omni Flash

```text
Vertical 9:16 handheld wide shot. The same 40-year-old Indian man with short black hair, a short greying beard, a maroon henley with sleeves pushed up and a tea towel over one shoulder, in a compact galley kitchen in the morning with white subway tiles and a wooden worktop. The camera pulls back to show the clear worktop with a compact white vertical drying rack with fold-down grey pegs and a clear drip tray in the corner; he slides a chopping board and a mug of tea into the free space and gestures at it with both hands, mock-proud. Smooth pull-back. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage. He says: "I can make toast again." No captions or on-screen text. (Generates 5 s — trim to 4 s in the edit.)
```

- **duration:** 5 s (trim to 4 s)
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **resolution:** 720p · 24 fps
- **audio:** always on — normalise to −14 LUFS in the edit
- **image urls:** creator, product, setting (guides look, doesn't lock frame 1)

## 4. CTA · 12–15s · Tap and tag

**Line:** "{{PRODUCT_NAME}}. Link's below."

**On-screen text (add in edit):** {{PRODUCT_NAME}} · {{OFFER}}

**Audio:** Percussion button ending

**Shots**

- `12.0–15.0s` **CU** — Taps rack, smiles; end card on the last second

**References:** creator, product, endcard

### Seedance 2.5 (recommended)

```text
Tap and tag. Vertical 9:16 UGC clip, 3 seconds, one continuous handheld take unless timecodes say cut.
References: @Image1 = creator reference; @Image2 = product reference. Keep the person, wardrobe and room identical to the references.
0–3s: CU. Taps rack, smiles; end card on the last second.
Vertical 9:16 handheld close-up. The same 40-year-old Indian man with short black hair, a short greying beard, a maroon henley with sleeves pushed up and a tea towel over one shoulder, in a compact galley kitchen in the morning with white subway tiles and a wooden worktop. With one finger he taps twice on top of a compact white vertical drying rack with fold-down grey pegs and a clear drip tray, then looks up at the lens and smiles. Steady close-up, slight tilt up to his face. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage.
Dialogue (Dad of a newborn in a small flat, 40): "{{PRODUCT_NAME}}. Link's below."
No subtitles. No on-screen text. No logos. Natural voice, no background music.
```

- **duration:** 4 s
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **resolution:** 1080p (720p where the API caps it)
- **generate audio:** true
- **references:** @Image1: creator, @Image2: product
- **first frame:** —

### Kling 4.0

```text
Subject: Man, 40, Indian, short black hair, short greying beard, maroon henley with sleeves pushed up, tea towel over one shoulder.
Setting: Compact galley kitchen in the morning, window over the sink, white subway tiles, wooden worktop, kettle and toaster.
Vertical 9:16 handheld close-up. The same 40-year-old Indian man with short black hair, a short greying beard, a maroon henley with sleeves pushed up and a tea towel over one shoulder, in a compact galley kitchen in the morning with white subway tiles and a wooden worktop. With one finger he taps twice on top of a compact white vertical drying rack with fold-down grey pegs and a clear drip tray, then looks up at the lens and smiles. Steady close-up, slight tilt up to his face. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage.
[Creator: Dad of a newborn in a small flat, 40, natural and conversational]: "{{PRODUCT_NAME}}. Link's below."
```

- **duration:** 5 s (trim to 3 s)
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **mode:** Pro / 1080p
- **cfg scale:** 0.5
- **negative prompt:** subtitles, captions, on-screen text, watermark, logo, distorted hands, extra fingers, warped phone screen, morphing face, plastic skin, studio lighting
- **elements:** creator, product
- **native audio:** on (voice reference optional)

### Gemini Omni Flash

```text
Vertical 9:16 handheld close-up. The same 40-year-old Indian man with short black hair, a short greying beard, a maroon henley with sleeves pushed up and a tea towel over one shoulder, in a compact galley kitchen in the morning with white subway tiles and a wooden worktop. With one finger he taps twice on top of a compact white vertical drying rack with fold-down grey pegs and a clear drip tray, then looks up at the lens and smiles. Steady close-up, slight tilt up to his face. Bright soft morning daylight from the window over the sink, handheld, shot on iPhone, natural skin texture, unpolished home footage. He says: "{{PRODUCT_NAME}}. Link's below." No captions or on-screen text.
```

- **duration:** 3 s
- **aspect ratio:** 9:16
- **resolution:** 720p · 24 fps
- **audio:** always on — normalise to −14 LUFS in the edit
- **image urls:** creator, product (guides look, doesn't lock frame 1)

## Hook variants to A/B test

- "Bottle season ate my kitchen."
- "If your counter looks like this, I'm sorry. Watch."
- "Every new parent's kitchen, before and after."

## Reference images

- **creator** — Front-facing photo of the creator, shoulders up, in the exact wardrobe: Man, 40, Indian, short black hair, short greying beard, maroon henley with sleeves pushed up, tea towel over one shoulder. Neutral expression, even soft light.. *How:* Generate once with your image model (or shoot your real creator) and attach as the character/subject reference on every beat; use it as the first frame of the hook so the face and outfit lock in.
- **product** — The rack alone on a white background and loaded with six bottles and lids, front and side angles. *How:* Photograph your real product on a plain surface in daylight, front and three-quarter angle. Attach as the product/object reference on every beat it appears in. Models garble logos and small print, so keep labels turned slightly away and patch the logo in edit if needed.
- **setting** — The empty location with no people: Compact galley kitchen in the morning, window over the sink, white subway tiles, wooden worktop, kettle and toaster.. *How:* Attach as a scene/background reference on every beat so all four clips share one room, one light direction and one time of day.
- **endcard** — Drypod logo, a clean product cut-out and the offer line on a plain background in your brand colour.. *How:* Overlay in your editor for the final 1–1.5 s; never ask the video model to render logos, prices or URLs.

## Why it works

Before/after is strongest when the before is instantly recognisable, and a counter drowning in bottles is a shared new-parent image. The hand-wipe gives a satisfying one-cut reveal, and 'I can make toast again' turns tidiness into a feeling.

## Production tips

- Shoot the before and after from the exact same top-down spot; mark the position with tape.
- Keep this one at 15 s; the reveal is the whole ad and it loops well.
- Test a version with the before clip held for a full second longer; mess sells the fix.

**Caption style:** Big bold black sans on white label boxes, top of frame, 'Before' and 'After' as the only words on the first two beats