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How to Dress and Act on Camera

Guest post by: Edward Primeau

Article Overview: If you are going to be on camera giving a speech or being interviewed by a television station, this is a great brief article of some do's and don'ts of how to dress and act on camera.

How to Dress and Act on Camera





Whether giving a speech or creating a video cast, there are several things to keep in mind as you deliver your message.

Eye contact: When delivering a speech that is direct-to-camera - without an audience present or on stage giving a presentation - treat the camera as if it were an audience member. Speak to the camera as if it was a person or audience member. When making eye contact with the camera, you are making eye contact with the viewer of your video.

Conversely, when presenting and a live audience make eye contact with the audience members one by one like a pro and also make occasional eye contact with the camera (s) in the room. Maintain natural eye contact with audience members throughout your presentation to connect and at the same time, make eye contact with the camera and audience at home.

Of course, it's different again when acting for the camera. Actors rarely look directly into the camera; it's quite intentional if they do. Actors maintain eye contact with other actors, focusing on the scene being played and the individuals they are interacting with. As a presenter, maintaining proper eye contact is very important. Just think of the camera as an on-looking audience member to establish contact with. Address the camera directly when you want to speak one-on-one with the video viewer at home.

Wardrobe is very important. If you do not have a wardrobe consultant, follow these tips:

Consider clothing colors that compliment you and contrast well with the background. Curtain or staging that will be behind you should blend nicely with your outfit. I have seen videos where presenters blend in with the background. Their outfit of choice is black (because everyone looks good - and thin! - in black), but the setting background is also black. In this scenario, there is no depth of field in the footage. The presenter blends in, no matter how good the lighting is. To make matters worse, when the lighting is bad, the presenter looks like a set of teeth and eyeballs floating across the stage.

Stay away from small tight prints/patterns. These styles cause the video camera to distort those outfits, which is very distracting to the viewer and could potentially ruin the footage. Also, do not wear red. Even though with digital video, red is a difficult color to reproduce. Red should be considered a "video-unfriendly" color. Often times, red is washed out on the video playback and can be hard to manage from one TV monitor to another. Red never looks the same as it did in person.

You should always look your best when performing for a video taping session. As a rule, you should wear the outfit that looks great on you, yields the most compliments and looks good on camera. Looking your best lets you feel you're best and perform your best. You will be more confident and less distracted when you look good.

People who say they never look good on camera have a subliminal message playing which causes them to never look good on camera.

Do you know anyone who hates having their picture taken? I bet they are the same people who do not have a good head shot. Good directors and photographers know how to loosen us their customers so they look good on camera.

If doing multiple presentations and taping sessions, do not wear the same outfit for two consecutive shoots unless, of course, the shooting is a planned "continuation" (i.e., a two-day shoot where the footage is supposed to represent the same day).

If you are trying to get a "two separate programs" look from a single shoot, ladies can change outfits or accessories and men can change ties, sport jackets and suits.

As part of your wardrobe and appearance considerations, use makeup sparingly for video speaking engagements. Consider that, on video, you do not want the camera to "wash out" your features, so some minor pancake makeup powder will help. Use caution with makeup however because too much power is worse than no powder. You do not want your audience thinking you'd look better with your face "washed!"

Lightly apply powder to shinny spots to dull the light reflection. This works great if you have oily skin. Bald men, yes powder your head as well as face.

Almost everyone gets nervous when being video taped. Take deep breaths and relax before you begin your presentation. It is very helpful to meditate and use visualization exercises to help you focus on a positive outcome. Professional golfers do not think they are going to miss hitting the ball before approaching the green. Instead they picture the ball going exactly where they want.

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Article Tags: digital video camera, on camera interview, recording, taping, video production, video recording
Referred by: http://www.rgrondeauenterprises.com



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