One of the most common issues we come across at The Social Adviser is the fear of being in front of the camera. Similar to public speaking, being filmed seems to trigger the parts of our brain that make us feel awkward, embarrassed and unnatural.
Having filmed in excess of 1,000 videos for ourselves and our clients, there are a few tricks we have developed over the years to not only relax you in front of the camera but also improve the quality of videos you produce.
Today, we would like to share some of the best ones with you. Hopefully they come in handy not only when filming yourself, but also filming your staff or clients.
- Don’t look straight down the camera (unless you are preparing a video specifically for a client). When talking about yourself or a ‘concept’ on video, it is best to be looking at a 45 degree angle away from the camera lens. Looking straight down the camera (unless it is a direct message) can be somewhat confronting for the viewer.
- Make sure someone is sitting directly in front of you when you are being filmed. This will make sure your eyes don’t wander, and viewers will notice the difference between someone who is making eye contact with a real person as opposed to a wall. Maintaining eye contact throughout the video will make it feel far more authentic.
- Pretend you’re going to delete the first 10 takes. Filming a quality video isn’t a race, nor do you have to get there in one take. Taking the pressure off the first few takes will relax you and make sure you look as natural as possible (and the chances are, you’ll end up using one of those takes as the finished product!)
- Practice Practice Practice! Like anything in life, the more you do it, the better you are at it. Being on video doesn’t come naturally to most of us, so make sure you practice as many times as possible before filming an important video. Use your team mates, family members or friends to practice on. I promise you will get better at it over time!
At the end of the day, you need to remember that everyone’s eyes are camera lenses, and their memories are video recorders. Speaking on video should be no different to speaking in everyday life. It’s all just a matter of changing your perspective…
Until next time, have fun, take care and be social,