5 tips for feeling more confident on camera.
Right now, due to the current circumstances, everyone is online.
And whether you’re comfortable with it or not - we’ve all had to get used to being in front of a camera. It might be for your Zoom work meeting or you're upping your IG stories and FB Lives. And for many small biz owners, this may be something you've never done before, or don't always feel comfortable doing.
We'd love to help you to feel more confident on camera and give you a heap of free content creation tips!
Tip #1. Scripting: what the heck are you going to talk about?
Before you begin, you need to sit down and think about WHY you are making the video?
What do you want your audience to take away from it?
How long do you want it to be ?
Remember, all videos have 3 things:
-An introduction- who you are, what you’ll be talking about
-The middle- which holds all the main bits and information you want to get across to your audience.
-The end- this is your sign off, where you would put your call to action, which is directing your audience to your website or to purchase your product. All ways have a strong out, so the video doesn’t just fade off into the distance. Write your end line so you have a strong finish.
Always write a script before you go and shoot anything, even if the video will be as simple as talking to the camera- like many people are doing right now with Instagram Stories or Facebook Lives.
Always have a list of jumping off points in front of you. This helps you stick to your key messages and stops the waffle! Or you could completely script it to help you feel more confident, but this may make the audience feel like they’re just getting a monologue read to them rather than it being a genuine interaction of information.
Think about where you want it to live? Is it going to be on FB live/ Instagram stories/ IGTV/ Youtube…? All of these platforms require different formats, for example will it be seen in portrait or landscape? And all the platforms have different durations. So consider these things before you begin filming your video. To find out all this extra info, just hit up google.
Tip # 2. Location: where should I be filming this thing?
What’s going to be in the background of your shot when you’re filming? Is it a lovely clean white wall or a dingy dark corner where you’re hanging your washing out to dry?
The background is important and will make your video look either professional or unprofessional.
When you’re choosing a place to do your interview look at what’s in the back of the shot. Is the background interesting? Is it too distracting? Does it have signs or logos that can’t be used due to copyright? Does the background suit the story that you’re telling?
We suggest clean backgrounds, for example a bright wall with minimal things on it.
To help you understand what your background will look like on camera, get someone to sit in for you so you can look at the framing of the shot and rearrange things if they look strange. Don’t be afraid to remove things out of the shot entirely. Like if a picture on the wall isn’t looking great right behind a person's head, just take it down.
Make sure you don’t have anything in shot you wouldn’t want the world to see- like documents, whiteboard information or pictures.
Try and get rid of any distractions, that might cause noise or for you to be distracted. Kids and dogs always seem to know when you’re doing something important and walk in at the right moment to spoil your recording. Try and limit your distractions by filming in a closed off space (in a controlled environment), even better if it’s got a lock on the door!
If you can create a permanent space that is set for you to film this is ideal. That way you always know the background is set, you know how to light it and you know it looks good.
Tip # 3. Lighting: I don’t have a fancy light setup. What do I do?
You want people to be able to see your lovely smiling face on your live stream and the best way to do that is with good lighting.
Unless you're Kim Kardashian you’re probably not going to have a fancy lighting setup, so the best way to light yourself without a fancy lighting rig is to face into natural light.
Natural light: Position near a window, with the light pointing towards your face. You want to be looking into the light NOT have it behind you, turning you into a silhouette. Which is very arty and a good nod to true crime, but not so helpful if you want people to actually see you.
Lamps: you can use desk lamps or floor lamps if there is no natural light.
Overhead lights aren’t great. They create down shadows on your face making you look more like Voldemort than your gorgeous self. So if you can, turn off those overhead lights in your space and use natural lights or point some lamps at yourself.
Tip # 4. Audio: can you hear me?
The audio in your video is really important. There is nothing more distracting than poor audio.
Check that the location you are planning on doing your video is not noisy or too echoey. So sit down quietly in the location you want to film in for a minute and listen out for any weird sounds that might affect the video. For example, a loud AC, street noise, a weird hum that is totally annoying. If the sound annoys you enough for you to notice it, it will be picked up on the video. Best to find another spot or try and reduce the noise.
Always make sure you test the audio before beginning your video. Check that the levels are not peaking, and make sure you monitor the audio with headphones. This is the best way to make sure there is no distortion or other interference.
If you don't have a mic and the audio levels aren’t great, use your headphones. Most headphones have an in-built mic and will pick you up clearly... and you get to look a bit like madonna.
Tip # 5. Delivery: Looking and sounding good on camera
What to wear: You might be in isolation but you want to look good, god damn it!
Make sure you wear something that you're comfortable in and something that suits the audience you’re speaking to. Something that doesn’t have a massive toothpaste stain down the front of it, unless that’s your thing.
Keep it short and sweet: this comes back to your preparation, your scripting and jumping off points. It’s hard for the audience to take in huge swathes of information in one go, so stick to short sentences as much as you can.
Energy levels: As much as you might feel goofy about it, it’s important to have good energy when you’re speaking to the camera. Otherwise your audience will be falling asleep and switching over to something else.
Energy boosting tips: Movement - lots of presenters you see on the telly will move as they talk, this really helps with lifting energy. Don’t be afraid to use your hands when speaking to add some energy to your body. This will transfer to your words.
Walk and talk: this is another good way of creating energy, and a good one for insta stories. It can be more engaging for the audience, and again helps to lift your energy.
Move: Often in long interview sessions, we will literally get people to stand up and do star jumps to get the blood pumping and energy flowing.
Basically, low energy equates to low engagement - if your delivery is monotone it can be a snooze fest… so go get that coffee, move around, and get pumped up before getting on camera.
That’s it from us - if you have any questions you’d like to ask get in touch at hello@clotheslinecontent.com or follow us on insta for more tips on video production @clotheslinecontent
There’s never been more people online than there are now - so get creating video content confidently!