10 Tricks to Look Good in Videos

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Talk Show with Bettina Atala and Sheila Donovan at Centre Pompidou, Paris

Video is a great way to tell a story. You may agree that this is also the reason why the number of vlogger (video blogger) are getting so popular. People can tell their story in a simple, practical way and of course more appealing than just a writing. But, telling story or speaking in front of the camera may not be as easy as it seems. Sometimes our posture may not look good on camera or the most common thing is we are too nervous, which are results in a bad quality video.

Here are 10 tricks that will help you to look good in videos:

Stand up

It may sound simple, it’s always better to stand. When standing, you’ll have more energy on camera, your breathing will be better and can frame a nice shot on your face as you talk.

Avoid wearing stripes and small plaid pattern

Small stripes and plaid pattern are a big NO to be worn in front of camera. These cause aliasing on many cameras, where the stripes and plaids fool the sensor and resulting on flicker and lines that can move in the background of your image. However, large stripes and plaid are still acceptable. Or you can play in ‘safe’ area by sticking to strong simple colors.

Blazers are friendly aids

For corporate interviews, wearing blazers will make you look better on camera. You also look more professional and more authoritative. The shoulder-pads on blazers also create nice silhouette to your body.

Keep your verbal delivery

Pausing for effect can work well in a stage/live presentation, but when presenting on video you need to keep your viewers engaged. Long pauses, or labored delivery can frustrate or test your viewer’s patience level. Don’t forget to speak in a deep voice, as this makes you sound calmer.

No over emoting

Use facial emotions and voice inflection to communicate your emotions, but don’t pull exaggerated faces. The camera captures every nuance, twitch, eye glint—so you need to learn to communicate through your eyes. You can do this by knowing what you are going to say, having a strong point of view, and matching your emotion to the messages.

Chin up

Keep your head and chin level. The moment you drop your chin into your chest while speaking or begin to slouch or relax, your onscreen presence and energy will be negatively impacted. Keep yourself ‘alert’ on-camera rather than “relax” on-camera.

Move then speak

If you want to move around, place marks on the floor to make sure you stand/stop in the right place for lighting and camera. You can discuss it with the cameraman and lighting persons about where you need to stop or walk. Put marks on the floor using duct tape or markers. Remember to move first (as you will grab your viewer’s attention with movement) and then start speaking. To highlight a point, pause or stop your movement.

Stop the fidget

If you are not gesturing on purpose to emphasize your message whatsoever, keep your fingers still. Avoid touching your face, scratching, itching, rubbing, or hand clasping and fiddling with objects. If seated, don’t swivel or rock in your chair. When standing, avoid rocking from side to side or shifting your body weight as you talk. On-screen movement catches the viewer’s eye—random or anxiety driven movement can be highly distracting your viewer. Keep your body relatively still, but not too rigid.

Learn your lines

You need to know your content well to avoid common glazed over facial expression when you try to recall your lines. You don’t need to memorize the text word by word, just make sure you know your material well.

CONFIDENCE

Last but not least, have confidence. This is the most important thing. All of those tricks boil down to be confident or pretending you are. When you are in front of the camera, pretend that you are talking to your closest and most supportive friends. And don’t forget to smile!

Have you made videos? Do share your youtube links with us…