Ready For Your Close-Up? How To Look Great On Camera
A lot of us during this past year have probably spent more time in front of a camera than we had previously thought possible. While some of it has been to accommodate the rules of social distancing and staying in touch with friends and relatives, creatives have discovered new platforms to use online technology and green screens for audition reels, interviews, Zoom meetings, and performances of theatrical material. How you look within the frame of a video close-up, however, is worlds apart from how you’re perceived in person (and full-length) when an entire room is your staging arena.
The bright lights of the stage when the curtain goes up are not the same as the light that turns on when your HD webcam tells you your event has begun and that other people are now watching. It is as different an experience for you as it is for your audience. But following some basic steps can make the digital stage as rewarding as the theatre you stood upon a year ago.
Playing to a Silent House
From the time we first learned to talk, we’ve been conditioned to expect visual and verbal reactions from our listeners. A camera, however, is an inanimate object. If you tell it a humorous story that normally elicits chuckles, it’s not going to respond. This, in turn, will impact your timing, increase your stress and cause you to push harder to get a laugh that’s just not going to come. Absent the emotional support a live audience brings to a solo performance or speech, the best thing you can do is simply pretend you are talking to your best friend. Even better, invite that best friend to stand behind the camera. The nods and smiles will be all you need to feel comfortable and relaxed. Working in isolation? Tape 8x10 headshots of your besties to the wall facing you or wallet-sized images to the top and side edges of your monitor and pretend they are there to cheer you on.
Dialing It Down
When I went to work for United Tribune Cable as a production assistant and on-camera interviewer, I quickly learned that all of the habits I picked up from community theatre were going to be a liability. Specifically, I was accustomed to moving around a lot, using broad gestures and projecting my voice so that the back of the house could hear me. None of these work for close-ups. The first several times I kept moving off of my mark (and out of the frame), looking very melodramatic and causing the microphones to buzz. A word to the wise is that the closer you are to the camera, the more controlled and precise your movements need to be. Blinking, licking your lips, running a hand through your hair, or even reaching for a glass of water becomes a fuzzy blur if you do these too fast. Consider studying the thoughtfully measured movements of news commentators seated at a desk and how their body language and vocal intonations are never in over-drive.
What To Wear, What To Wear
Who among us doesn’t have a lucky tee-shirt or a favorite jacket? If you feel comfortable, you’re going to look comfortable. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always translate to a professional look on camera. Anything that is wrinkled, shiny, stripy, or has a “busy” pattern will be a distraction from whatever you have to say. Likewise, it’s best not to wear something with a name or logo; if your close-up is tightly cropped, viewers will be spending half the time trying to figure out what it says. Dark clothing and warm colors are preferable to outfits that are light pastels. And, of course, if you’re using a green screen backdrop, don’t wear green or you will look like a disembodied head.
All That Glitters
The wrong jewelry can be as much of a distraction for video as it is for sound. Large, metallic earrings and pendants will be catching the light at every turn and becoming as dizzying for viewers as a disco ball. Jangling charm bracelets will likewise be a nightmare for audio.
Putting Your Best Face Forward
If you’re not accustomed to wearing makeup every day, applying some for a video shoot can create an additional layer of squirmy unfamiliarity. It’s essential that any makeup you’re wearing never looks like makeup. In order to put forth your genuine self for the camera, you must absolutely be comfortable with any liquid, color, or powder enhancements you choose to embrace. This is where the advice of a professional photographer can come in handy. The right application of makeup can even out skin tones, reflect light in favorable ways, and help hide flaws. Keep in mind that overly bright lighting will either wash you out or make you look like a human lobster—neither of which is probably the look you’re going for. A makeup primer in a matte finish is lightweight and easy for even a novice to apply. And, with or without makeup, blotting paper is essential to minimize a shiny face and reduce oil if you spend a lot of time under hot lights.
Eye Line Essentials
If you’re setting up a photoshoot with a laptop, try to keep the camera lens just above your eye line and angled down rather than straight across or below. Such placement creates a more flattering angle for you and helps eliminate a double chin and “raccoon eyes.” It also goes without saying that most people believe they have a “good” side of their face and they like to show it. Video is no exception to this. Always play to your strengths.
A Word About Lighting
Lighting is one of the trickiest elements to master and it’s highly recommended you do some practice runs before the actual shoot. If the only lighting in the room is directly above your head, you’ll either need to turn that light off or physically move so as not to invite harsh shadows or dark circles under your eyes. Ideally, your lights should be placed in front of the camera, angled and slightly above your eye line. Natural light through an open window is always a bonus. Just be aware that what looks stellar at 10 in the morning will look completely different at 4 in the afternoon.
Don’t Be Upstaged By Your Own Backdrop
The advent of green screens has made it possible to project any background you’d like depending on the nature of your presentation. Stained glass, government buildings, seashores, elegant interiors—the sky is the limit. A word of caution, however: your backdrop should never be more fascinating than you are. If your audience is trying to guess where that exotic locale is or how you happened to capture the brooding Collinwood foyer and staircase from the original Dark Shadows, you will have lost their attention. Nor should your ensemble compete with whatever is behind you. Wear dark clothes against a light backdrop and light clothing against a dark one.
You and your computer need the bandwidth to make computer-staged presentations a success. While your computer’s abilities are measured in gigabytes, your success will come from a combination of preparation, focus, and hitting your digital marks.
Meet the Author, Christina Hamlett
Former actress and theatre director Christina Hamlett is an award-winning author whose credits to date include 43 books, 209 stage plays, and squillions of articles and interviews. She is also a script consultant for stage and screen and a professional ghostwriter.