Once upon a time it was only broadcast journalists – and recovering broadcast journalists like me – who needed to talk down the lens of the camera.
The internet has changed this forever.
Now there are loads of people who need to get it right when they’re seen and heard in video footage on their website, in electronic “town hall” meetings, on Skype calls and other webcasts.
Original photograph by Lucinda Dodd
This could include you!
The encouraging news is that coming across better on the screen is a learnable skill. With training and practice you can make a big difference to how you are perceived by your viewers.
Here’s a word from our sponsor…
The number one trick with talking to the camera is to pretend “it” is a real person. In fact, some say you should treat the camera like a highly desirable sexual being and seek to seduce it. It could be Marilyn Munroe, it could be George Clooney, it could be someone resembling James Bond… It depends on your taste. But you don’t have to go that far!
Treat the camera as your friend
If you can look at the camera lens and chat to it as if it were a friend then it becomes a whole lot easier. Planning, preparing and practicing is the key.
In the sessions I run on talking to the camera, one of the key things is looking back on the footage after your original shoots and critiquing it. This way we can see what to change in terms of content and structure. You can see what to alter in the way of your vocal delivery and your facial expressions as you deliver your script.
Talking to the camera is a performance.
And in the sessions I run with colleagues we can show you how to maximise that performance. Some sessions are just run for training purposes – and then you can go away and think about what you want to record for real on your website.
But you can go a step further and we make your little web movie in the same session. In this way we use the footage where you are at your best – and edit this for maximum impact. It allows you to leave the session with a ready-made item which can go on your website on the same day.