Real Food vs. Fake Food
Have you ever been disappointed in real life because food just looks so much better in commercials? Everything about them always looks so perfect - drinks are always bubbly or frothy, pizzas have that perfect cheese pull, and fruit always looks so ripe. We're here to tell you don't be fooled by what you see on screen. There are a lot of secret techniques that advertisers use to get these stunning results. Here are 20 of them that will seriously surprise you!
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1. Drinks Often Use Fake Ice
Ever wonder how the ice cubes in drink advertisements always look so perfect and refreshing? Well, that's because they're not real! As you've probably guessed, real ice melts, turning into a watery mess that doesn't look so great on screen. That's why using plastic cubes works so much better - they hold their shape!
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2. Whipped Cream Is Usually Shaving Cream
Every dessert lover out there knows that whipped cream can hold its shape for maybe 30 seconds or so. It melts quickly, leaving behind a sweet puddle that doesn't always look the most appetizing. And when you're trying to film something delicious and beautiful, that's definitely the last thing you want. That's where shaving cream comes in; it has a similar consistency and appearance, and best of all, it doesn't melt on you.
3. Lipsticks Are Used To Perfect Berries
How come strawberries always look so red and ripe in ads? They certainly don't look that vibrant in real life! If you're questioning your strawberry picking decisions at the grocery store, you'll be happy to hear it's not you. In food advertisements that have strawberries, they'll often touch up the fruit with red lipstick to make them look perfect. Goodbye imperfections, hello beautiful and bright red.
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4. It's Glue, Not Milk!
We all know cereal becomes mushy within a matter of minutes when it's dropped into milk. So why does the cereal in ads look so perfect despite being drenched? Well, turns out it's actually glue. That thick, luscious consistency makes the cereal look more delectable, and there's a hidden bonus too. It allows the director to stick and place the cereal however they want it so that it looks more appetizing!
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5. Using Motor Oil Instead of Syrup
Do your pancakes look different from the ones you see in ads? If you're questioning why the stack on TV looks so much better, don't worry. They use motor oil instead of syrup, meaning you definitely don't want a bite of that. While syrup in real life absorbs quickly, motor oil looks a lot more glossy and glides over the pancake. So while it is inedible, it does look pretty good on camera.
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6. Spraying Fruit With Water To Make Them Look Fresh
Fruit in commercials have a way of looking so ripe and natural. But as you know by now, never trust what you see on TV! By spraying the fruits with water and creating droplets, the camera zooms in to capture that "natural" look they're going for. Little does the audience know, that just came out of a bottle!
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7. Using Cardboard For The Perfect Stack
When you stack pancakes on top of one another in real life, they tend to look a bit floppy and saggy. There's nothing wrong with that, but when you're trying to get a beautiful shot for a commercial, floppy and saggy aren't exactly what you want to go for. To make the pancakes look fuller, fluffier, and more upright, advertisers will sneakily add in cardboard in between each cake. Voila, now you've got the perfect looking stack.
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8. Mashed Potato Ice Cream
Do you remember how refreshing, creamy, and smooth the ice cream always looked in commercials? Well, you've certainly been fooled because that's not actually ice cream - it's mashed potatoes! Yup, turns out ice cream tends to melt, meaning they're not great for filming. As a replacement, mashed potatoes are able to recreate that nice creamy look that advertisers are trying to sell in their ice cream anyway.
9. Froth Made Out Of Dish Soap
The foamier the beer, the more refreshing and delicious it looks. At least, that's what advertisers think! As you're probably familiar, the foam you get from beer eventually fizzles out in real life. But to make sure it doesn't disappear while filming, advertisers have come up with this clever trick - they pour in some dish soap to make the beer look extra frothy.
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10. Chicken Stuffed With...Toilet Paper?
Have you ever noticed that roast chickens on TV always look so plump, juicy, and large? To get that effect, advertisers have been able to trick audiences by stuffing the chicken with a toilet paper roll. This simple step makes the chicken look much fuller and ready to be devoured.
11. Glue For That Perfect Cheesy Pull
Commercials never disappoint with their cheese. Whether its mozzarella sticks, pizza, or nachos, they always show off an impressive cheese pull that makes the audience drool. Yet, when you try to recreate the same look in real life, the result is always unsatisfactory. Why? Turns out, the cheese you see on screen is usually mixed with some glue, giving it that nice, sticky pull that everyone wants from their melty cheese.
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12. Marbles In Soup
Did you know the popular brand, Campbell's, once got into big trouble for deceiving audiences with their soup commercials? Turns out they used marbles at the bottom of their bowl to push all the vegetables and goodies to the top for everyone to see. Let's just say people weren't happy when they found out about it.
13. Burgers With A Side Of Toothpicks
Have you ever been curious about how burgers look so well put together in food ads? It almost seems as if they're standing up straight! Well, the secret is hidden deep inside. Advertisers commonly use toothpicks to arrange the burger in a way that looks best for the camera. That way, nothing moves, nothing falls, and everything looks perfectly in place.
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14. Shoe Polished Burger Patties
It's safe to say everyone can agree burgers always look 10x better on TV than they do in real life. From the bun to the toppings to the patty, everything looks like perfection when it's in a commercial. But one trick that might shock you has to do with the meat. To get that perfectly grilled, brown color, advertisers actually use shoe polish on their patties.
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15. Fake Bubbles?
The key selling point of any soft drink is its fizziness. After all, if you're drinking soda, you're likely craving the bubbles! And to make that even more prominent when filming a commercial, many advertisers will drop something like an antacid or something that can create a reaction to get those bubbles really showing up. It makes the drink look way more refreshing!
16. Nails In Your Pizza
Most pizza commercials will always show one person grabbing a slice, giving the perfect opportunity to showcase that beautiful cheese pull. And while we've already talked about the trickery behind the cheese, did you know there's more tricks involved in pizza commercials? Apparently, the rest of the pizza is typically nailed down so that it stays flat and doesn't move when a slice is being pulled away.
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17. Steaming Cotton Balls
Advertised food always looks like it's steaming hot and ready to eat, doesn't it? Surprisingly, it's not actually the food that's hot. Prepare yourself to be shocked - it's actually microwaved cotton balls hidden behind the food that's producing that steam!
18. Fake Grill Marks
Did you think we were finished talking about burgers? There's more to the patties than just shoe polish. Because as it turns out, it's not just the color of the patty that's fake in burger commercials, the grill marks are too. Whether it's painted on with edible food dye or some other means, just know that the meat probably never touched a grill at any point.
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19. Waxy Sauces
We can all agree that sauces filmed on camera always look much thicker and irresistible than they do in real life. There's just something mysterious about its glossy sheen and consistency that makes it look much better in an ad. Today, we're revealing that secret - it's wax! Many advertisers add in some melted wax to make the sauce look shinier and have a less chunky texture.
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20. Glossy Fruit
While spraying water onto fruit gives it that wet, fresh from the outdoors look, many advertisers don't just want "wet". They want "shiny" too. And to get that immaculate, glossy look, there's nothing they trust more than hairspray. A quick spray over the fruit is all you'll need to make it look extra plump and ripe.
