Whether you are an aspiring YouTuber, a TikTok live streamer or a host in a documentary or film, speaking in front of a camera is an important skill to have. However, if you’ve never talked in front of a camera before, here are some tips to get you started:
1. Know your main points by heart
It’s crucial for your audience to sense your authenticity when you’re being filmed on camera. In some situations, scripting out what you want can make your on-camera performance seem, well…scripted.
Reading from a script (let’s say, from a teleprompter) may be easy and provide good results if you already have a strong on-screen presence or are an expert at appearing on camera. Otherwise, for those who aren’t experts on camera, familiarising yourself with your topic, writing out the bullet points you’d like to make, and then speaking freely as if you were speaking to an old friend produces better results.
2. Be lively and animated
This one is quick and to the point: be lively and full of life when speaking or acting on camera for better results. As far as your subject matter allows, you need to sell your performance, come across as sincere, and be energetic and passionate.
3. You can’t go wrong with a smile
This one is relatively easy to understand: smiling increases opportunities and fosters positive attitudes in human interactions, as has been amply demonstrated. Of course, the tone we aim for the subject matter must also be considered. However, giving out a friendly vibe to your audience will generally be nice
4. Assume your power posture
The importance of maintaining proper posture should be ingrained in your camera performance. You should constantly aim to maintain proper posture to improve your overall on-camera presentation. Maintaining a confident body language, such as keeping your shoulders back and your back straight, will make you appear more knowledgeable and increase the perceived importance of your words.
5. Don’t fear the bloopers
Be willing to make mistakes when recording on camera. When not performing live, one of the biggest benefits of recording is that we can edit out all of the faults and only use the strongest parts of the performance. When the time comes, and you do slip up or want to clarify or retake something you’ve said, you’ll need to pause, centre yourself, step back a bit, and then pick up where you left off.
6. Speak slowly and concisely
Similar to public speaking, there is occasionally a natural tendency to speak too quickly while giving your performance on camera – this can come off as nervous energy to your audience. Therefore, be sure to speak more slowly and enunciate your words clearly.
7. Have brief pauses in between sentences
Having points to cut in and out of within someone’s speech patterns is extremely helpful when editing a video of someone speaking on camera. These ‘edit points’ aid in the process of piecing the entire video together during editing.
What adjustments can we make to our presentation? By getting into the habit of taking little breaks between each sentence and paragraph or course. Changing the video to begin at one of these brief pauses or edit points would be simpler than starting all over again if a mistake is made.
8. Pretend you are talking to a friend
When speaking to the camera or in an interview setting, acting like you’re conversing with a friend may be helpful. Address the camera as if it were a person, show emotion as if it were a person, and act as though you’re trying to establish a connection with that person through your words.
9. Record yourself to see what needs improving
Making a video of yourself and playing it back afterwards to see how you appear on camera is one of the best things you can do. You can then concentrate on any areas that require work and get used to how you appear on camera.
The content that will be said on camera can be practised, which is more crucial. In the contemporary world, almost everyone has a camera on their phone that they may use to hone their on-screen persona. Take advantage of this: the more prepared you are before the shoot, the more smoothly it will run and the better the outcome.
10. Keep a glass of water handy!
One of the best tips for recording vocals, whether singing or giving an interview, is to stay hydrated. Have a sip of water before recording, and you’ll be able to speak for longer and pronounce your words more clearly. Additionally, staying hydrated will help to lessen ‘sibilance’ – also known as the sharp hissing sounds used when pronouncing T, S, H, and Z.
Conclusion
Speaking in front of the camera and getting good at it may take a bit of practice but don’t worry, you’ll get better soon enough! Most importantly, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. If any, being able to laugh at yourself will make your performance more endearing and enjoyable than a perfect performance ever will. Just have fun and take it slow! Need help producing a quality video while you hone your video-producing skill? Get in touch with us for a quote!
