Looking good and being natural in front of the camera for a small number of people comes with ease but most of us who haven’t been blessed with that “natural ease”, we actually learned how to do it. There are many things that goes into the podcast production and being aware of the process actually makes it easier for you to comprehend what is expected of you when you step in front of the camera. However, in this text we will focus on little things you can adopt that will improve your“camera appearance” and help you look like a natural.
Let’s talk about appearance first:
1. Dress for success
What you wear is going to reflect the image the viewer is creating about you. Thatis why you should dress as you usually do for a normal work day. If that includes a more casual style, feel free to do so.
Solid colours, especially natural tones will always look good on camera.
For a man, the recommendation is a light blue dress shirt. This colour usually is associated with confidence, success and trust.
For a woman, the recommendation is a dress shirt worn with a blazeror suit coat. The colour of the dress shirt should be a lighter shade than the suit coat.
Avoid wearing tight, clingy or too revealing clothes. Also, do not wear all black or all white outfits and avoid loud clashing colours with bold patterns or stripes.
Logos of sports teams or brands should also be avoided unless you want to promote them through conversation.
Keep hair and jewellery simple (i.e. studs for earrings); remove all other jewellery and piercings (i.e. nose rings, etc.)
Above everything, wear comfortable clothing. Shooting takes time. When the camera rolls on you want to focus on what you’re saying. You don’t want to think about your clothes.
Don’t change your appearance during a recording. It will look odd.
2. Work on your decor
Finding a comfortable place to film is a great asset. It doesn’t matter if you are recording a conversation or you are just talking to a camera, having a familiar and quiet ambience is a good place to start.
Choose a space that is minimally affected by external noise, like rooms that are on the opposite side of the street or spaces that don’t share walls with common,noisy areas.
Add some sound treatment. Every step you take to improve the sound quality ofyour recordings means more quality and less editing. Rugs, curtains or any soft,thick material furniture is a good way to go.
The fewer flat surfaces-the better. For example, bookcases without doors are an excellent solution for diffusing sound. Books arranged a little chaotically form araised surface and turn into a beautiful diffuser. Racks with memorabilia, vinyl, collectable toys, and other items, as well as blinds on windows, work in a similar way if it was not possible to get thick curtains.
Light yourself well. Search out a location that has great natural light if possible. Too bright and you will be washed out, too dark and the shadows will prevail.
Finally, if thinking about décor isn’t something you want to ponder about,call Poddster team. We will be more than happy to assist you with your vision with unique setups and professional approach.
3. Behaving in front of the camera
The main thing here is to act naturally. Use smaller gestures. Assume you’ll be inclose-up the whole time because you usually will. Feel freeto talk with your hands as they can make you look more animated and personable, but be sure to keep them underneath your chest as you don’t want them to distract from orcover your face.
When speaking to the camera, keep an open body posture with both of your shoulders square to the camera.
Look at the person you are speaking to. Losing eye contact could make you appear uninterested.
If you’re sitting, sit up straight. Do not roll around or swing left-right if you’re sitting on a chair with wheels.
Don’t chew gum or candy and avoid sweet drinks before and during recording.
You can always call our team of podcast professionals who can arrange for you aquick one-on-one training session which will help you to learn more about improving a posture in front of the camera.
4. Let’s chat for a bit
Practice, practice, practice… Start with a scripted text and then gradually, overtime, you’ll get the confidence and routine to improvise.
During a conversation, it is OK to have a script (a tablet is a great option) but you should avoid sounding too scripted and rigid.
Make topics of the conversation bold in the body of your script. You don’t havetime to look thoroughly into your script during a conversation. Important bolded topics will help you follow the script more easily.
Listen to your guest/host and repeat or summarize their conclusions. You canmake that as an introduction to the next topic of the conversation.
Speak a bit louder than you usually speak. Deliver your lines with clarity and confidence. Make sure you are heard.
Be concise. Fight the compulsion to ramble on and over-explain topics.
End your sentences on a downward inflexion versus an upward inflexion.
Make a pause for a few seconds when you want to make a point. When you doso, you give your audience an opportunity to pay more attention to this particular part.
Have a light smile on your face whenever is appropriate.
If you mess up, pause, relax and say the word or sentence repeatedly. Usually,mistakes can be edited out of theconversation so do not panic.
Don’t rush. Speak a little slower and with intention.
In the end, develop your own rhythm and pace that suits your persona. It is yourmost natural and best voice
In the end, the most important thing is what you speak. So be sure that you are familiar with the subject of the conversation and with the guest’s background.
