Tips for Speaking in Front of a Camera

To improve your on-camera performance, keep the following tips in mind:

1. Eye Contact: Maintain eye contact by looking directly into the camera lens as if you're speaking to a person. In documentary-style films, look just to either side of the lens to address the interviewer; this creates a more relaxed and natural conversational feel. Looking directly at the interviewer in a documentary film context can feel overly scripted. For scripted performances, looking directly into the camera establishes a connection with the audience. The nightly news and most personal testimonials are delivered by looking into a lens. Think of the camera lens as the person you're conversing with to sound as natural as possible.

2. Pace and Clarity: Speak slowly and clearly. A moderate to slower pace allows for better enunciation and provides opportunities for pauses for emphasis.

3. Tone: Use an exciting and engaging tone of voice, if appropriate. Avoid sounding listless or low on energy. Varying your vocal tone adds energy and interest, which a monotone delivery lacks.

4. Body Language: Smile to project an approachable and welcoming demeanor. Maintain good posture and use hand gestures to emphasize key points. Avoid fidgeting or shuffling. Be mindful of your hands; touching clothing or rubbing your arms can be picked up by the microphone. If you're not accustomed to using your hands while speaking, keep them at your sides. Adopt appropriate poses and facial expressions as needed.

5. Practice: Thoroughly familiarize yourself with your topic. Write a script and practice delivering it in front of a mirror or an audience of friends or family. Practicing aloud helps refine your performance and builds confidence.

6. Attire: Choose comfortable and confidence-boosting clothing. Avoid narrow-striped shirts with closely spaced stripes, as they can create a shimmering "Moire" effect on camera due to the way video captures pixels.

7. Teleprompter (Optional): If using a script, a teleprompter can help maintain eye contact. Be mindful of excessive eye movement; standing farther back from the teleprompter can minimize this.

8. Authenticity: Recording in front of a camera can be intimidating, making you self-conscious. Resist the urge to alter your personality unless the role requires it. Be yourself.

9. Lighting: Ensure even lighting to eliminate harsh shadows on your face. A two-point lighting setup, using a brighter light on one side and a softer light on the other, can achieve this. Ring lights, while effective for frontal lighting, can create shadows directly behind the subject. Moving the ring light further from the wall can diffuse these shadows.

10. Sound Quality: Check your microphone to ensure clear and audible sound. Always review your recordings, preferably with headphones, to verify sound quality. Avoid recording above 0 decibels to prevent audio clipping and distortion.

11. Staging: Remove or block any unwanted objects from the background. Avoid objects that appear to be emerging from your head or that distract from the subject. Be mindful of foreground objects that might be too large in the frame or diminish the focus on the subject. Avoid cluttered backgrounds. A shallow depth of field (bokeh) can help blur the background and minimize distractions.