Video Production
Talking On Camera
There are some specific things you need to keep in mind (and common mistakes to avoid) when talking to the camera, so in this lesson we'll go into detail about what they are.
Jason Aaron Wood
Lesson instructor:
Professional guitarist, teacher & music education entrepreneur. Teaching since 2008.
Talking On Camera
It can feel very unnatural talking to a camera. And as a result, YOU can come off very unnatural and even off-putting when doing so, until you've practiced enough.
Not only that, but even when you're totally comfortable talking to the camera, WHAT YOU SAY can still turn off the viewer if you approach the delivery of your message the wrong way.
So let's break these two things down and go into what NOT to do, and what to do INSTEAD.
Who You're Actually Addressing in Every Video
Ultimately, when you're creating a video, you're envisioning lots of people watching it over time. That is the goal, after all.
But that might make it seem natural to start the video off with saying something like "Hey YouTube," "Hey Guys," or "Hey Everyone." Which is exactly the WRONG thing to do.
Remember: they're not all going to watch it together at the same time from a crowded audience. Each viewer is going to be watching it one at a time.
This is why addressing them in the PLURAL is not only wrong, but worse, it's IMPERSONAL.
Instead, the key is to always address the ONE PERSON watching it. "You," singular.
Record the video as if you're having a 1-on-1 chat with a friend. THAT connects with viewers, and makes them feel special. "You guys" or other plural ways of addressing them reduces them to just "one of many," which is far less personal and doesn't resonate with them.
Getting Good at Talking on Camera
There are really only 3 options when you're going to talk on camera, and one of them sucks:
Either of the first 2 options are recommended.
Which one you decide to go with depends on:
* However, you can always do what I do when following a script, which is to have my script on the screen just next to the camera, open up OBS Studio and just press record and film one long video of myself saying each line — however many times it takes to get the wording & delivery right — and then I just delete everything except the "keeper" footage afterwards in the editing stage.
Why "Winging It" Sucks
"Winging it" leads to aimless, rambling videos, increases the chance that you're going to accidently forget to say something OR that you're going to say the same thing too many times or dwell on it too long (beating a dead horse). Plus you're far more likely to stray off topic, end up losing your train of thought, inserting "umm..." and "uh..." and other placeholders that make you sound like you don't know what you're talking about. So yeah, avoid winging it.
Out of the 2 other options (Script vs Bullet Points), whichever way you do go, there are 2 things you need to do:
Nothing turns off a viewer like someone who comes off like a deer in headlights talking awkwardly into the camera. And let's face it — it's WEIRD talking to an inanimate object as if it's your friend. You need to keep doing it over and over for a while before you're able to do it smoothly. You have to "FIND" that mental zone and visit it over and over before you can just go there immediately at will. So practice talking to the camera every day (and yes, DO record yourself, so you can watch it later from a "viewer" POV). This doesn't have to go on forever, but the more you do it, and the more often you do it, right in the beginning, the sooner you'll get past the awkward stage that nearly everyone faces.
The video recording should NOT be the first time you've ever said whatever you're going to say.
You're trying to convey expertise, so stumbling through what you're saying for the first time ever, ON CAMERA, will only undermine that. This gets even worse if there are loads of "um..." and "uh..." throughout the video as you try to think of what you're going to say next.
Essentially, when you're talking to the camera while making videos, you're a public speaker. Public speakers rehearse their speeches, even when they have them (or bullet points) right in front of them, because HOW they say it is at least as important as WHAT they say.
The only real difference is that your "speech" is directed to an audience of ONE, so you'll speak in the 2nd person singular, not 2nd person plural.
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Subscription vs. One-Off Lessons
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Talking On Camera
All Things Green Screen
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