You’re not alone making home made videos - we're here to help!
It’s all well and good following tips for recording videos in a structured environment with professional equipment in professional hands, but many people reading this will be at home or at an office alone with their video-making!
So we thought we’d focus on a few tips for recording a polished and effective edge to your home made videos, concentrating specifically on your screen presence.
Everything Says Something
Everything in the video frame says something either about you or your business product or service. This means it’s ultra-important to think about what’s in the background, if you’re recording from your home or office rather than outside.
Of course some people just prefer a plain background created by a sheet of fabric, so that nothing distracts from the message; but you might like to add something that says something about you as a person, about your business or that attracts the eye of your customers – something you know they will like and appreciate; a simple example would be to include flowers or soft colours if you’re marketing more to females than males.
Look Them In The Eye!
Eyes are very important when you are recording your video. Make sure that you are confidently looking into the camera with steady eye-contact; that way it will appear that you are looking directly into your viewers’ eyes and this is one of the first rules of sales – make and maintain eye contact throughout the meeting.
This is as close as you’ll get to meeting many of your customers face to face, so make the most of it and avoid looking away repeatedly as this will only unnerve your viewer.
Treat The Camera Lens Like A Person
You don’t have to shake hands with the camera (!) but, in every other way, treat the camera as if it is a potential buyer that you are presenting to. It will depend on who your intended customer is, but knowing that and treating the camera as a potential customer will affect your dress, your tone and your content, as well as your body language. This will keep things more natural in your video than just talking to an inanimate lens.
Consider Where You Place The Notes
The last thing you want is your video to lose impact by making it obvious that you are reading a script or by your eyes being diverted by badly-placed notes.
If you must use notes keep them near the camera lens – directly behind or above it usually.
If you are keeping your videos short, then try to practice reading enough so you don’t need a script and can work off memory or just a few bullet points. Reading scripts can sound “wooden” much like bad acting – and this will detract from the main marketing message of your video, which you are trying to convey.
Take A Look In The Mirror
Many amateur video makers benefit from practicing first in front of a mirror. That way you can iron out anything that doesn’t look or sound right; then by the time you are ready to record you are no longer fretting whether this or that aspect is right. It will help you to build confidence.
Remember – there’s no rush to recording home made videos; use as many takes as you need!
These few tips on screen presence when making your internet marketing videos are expanded upon greatly in the Lights, Camera, Profits! workshop. Find out more about it here today.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Treat the camera lens like a person – I agree with this. Some speakers tend to act and speak like a robot in front of the camera. I find it inviting to watch videos where in the speaker talks naturally with all the appropriate facial expression. Thus, I find the video message more believable.
There is something very impersonal when the talking head is not looking at the camera/audience. There seems to be no connection at all. And I really don’t like it when the presenter is just reading either from a screen or script, he might as well had done a voice over instead.
I believe making these videos at home also gives the presenter the liberty to really warm up and practice his spiels, something that can be extra stressful when you are in the office doing this in the presence of your other staff.
Agreed, that’s very straightforward to say, MJ
That’s a good suggestion, Nhil. But in time, I guess, you must have enough confidence talk in front of many people too 