Whether reluctantly or enthusiastically, you want to present your best when you find yourself in front of camera. Here are our team’s answers to the top questions we get from people who are appearing on camera for corporate videos, presentations and interviews.
What do I do with my hands?
The reality is, the less you think about it the better, because it’s a form of expression that we aren’t usually conscious of. If it comes naturally, hand movement helps communicate authentically. Forcing yourself to move your hands (or not to) projects an obvious and unnatural discomfort.
However, it is good to bear in mind that hand movement can look a little odd if the video frame only captures part of your hands. So it is a good idea to ask ‘How wide is the frame?’ (i.e how much of your body is in shot).
Where do I look?
This is a great question to ask. Some video formats are designed to have the presenter speaking straight to the camera, while others have the person looking at an interviewer off to the side. Both formats have their place, the important thing is that you stick to whichever format has been chosen.
Because it’s polite to acknowledge everyone in a conversation, people naturally tend to glance at everyone in the room when they are speaking. However, when doing this in front of the camera, it appears to viewers like your eyes are darting around randomly, giving the impression you’re nervous, or even untrustworthy. Likewise, if you start looking at the camera when the video is not intended to have that format, it will break the feeling of authenticity.
How do I sound?
Have a glass of water or tea on hand so your voice is not dry. Breathe deeply, mind your posture and relax. Following these tips will help you deliver a great vocal performance. It’s also good to avoid touching your microphone or placing your hands on a surface loudly (if one is nearby).
Keep volume to a natural, comfortable level. Like everything else, don’t overthink it. If you need to speak louder the crew will let you know.
What do I say?
When differentiating between scripted and unscripted content — think about the difference between having a genuine, candid one-on-one conversation versus delivering a presentation. The worst thing you can do is try to memorise word-for-word what you want to say, unless you are actually reading from an autocue.
Our golden rule is: never ask the interviewer or director to hold up your notes so you can read them. This simply doesn’t work. Some people are better than others at referencing or reading notes, but no one is good at it because the eye-line is always off, and so are the tone and pacing.
You can either request a fully formed script in advance with an autocue to display it, or embrace candid content and don’t feel pressured to deliver verbatim responses.
How do I look?
You probably look great! But also, you’ll be under bright lights, in an unfamiliar setting, in high definition, and you will have many more eyes on you than you might be used to. So, if you’re filming corporate video content, here are a few specific tips for looking your best on camera:
- Hair: Wash your hair. Minimise frizz and shine with a little product, because video lighting will highlight any excess oil and stray hairs.
- Face: Stay hydrated and get a good night’s sleep. This this will keep you looking fresh. Have a tissue or powder on hand, as any shine will be intensified by the lights.
- Makeup: If you’re a regular makeup wearer, put a comfortable amount on. Ask someone to check that there’s no lipstick on your teeth, eye smudges, etc. before recording.
- Outfit: Freshly wash and iron your clothes. Always bring a back-up outfit, and avoid sheer fabrics. Dress with two things in mind: firstly your style, comfort, and confidence; secondly the subject matter, video style, and target audience. You can find more details on what (not) to wear on camera in this previous video and article from the Rocket team.
Can you ‘photoshop’ me?
This surprisingly common (and semi-serious) question used to be a hard ‘no’, but these days the answer is more like ‘kind of’. Colour grading can assist somewhat with ensuring flattering looks. Cropping can often hide things like a tummy bulge or an open lower shirt button. There are also filters available that will smooth out wrinkles or skin imperfections if that’s a path you want to go down.
But there’s an old adage in video production: never rely on ‘fixing it in post’. This basically means, get things looking as close to the way you want them on the shoot day (accepting and embracing limitations), so that you are not relying on manipulating too much in the edit.
All in all…
As a general rule – be yourself, put in the effort, but don’t overthink things. The Rocket team will always make sure you look your best on camera, and remember, nothing comes across better than genuine warmth, calm, and confidence.