A guide to being in front of the camera in your crowdfunding video
Mar 21, 2019
The following article has been written for IdeaSquares by Torstein Jacobsen, Producer at Speeding Films.
Are you about to shoot your pitch video?
One of the most important aspects of your pitch video is YOU. If you’re going to be in front of the camera you have to be prepared. You can spend thousands on hiring an incredible production team, but if you deliver your lines without enthusiasm, that doesn’t really matter.
Here are some useful tips that you can use to make sure you’re on top of your game when presenting your pitch.
1. Practise your script and performance
Unless you're an incredibly talented performer (and even then), you need to be practising whatever it is that you will be doing on camera. Practise your script. Just do it! Read it out loud in front of the mirror, then read it out to someone else. You need to get used to being watched. If you are preparing for your own video, where you have the power to change the script, make sure it is written in a way that's natural for you. Usually reading the script out aloud will reveal any words or phrases that are a bit odd to say. When you’re talking to the camera, the language has to be conversational.
Simple steps to take:
- Perform your script out loud to yourself.
- Read it to someone else.
- Make changes in wording to sound natural.
- Memorise the script.
2. Don't be stiff
Before you go on camera, do some jumping jacks, push-ups, stretches - get the blood flowing in your body. But just enough so you don't start sweating.
It might feel weird, but it will really help to loosen up so you come across naturally. Look at it as a bit of a warm-up, if your body is energetic, it is a lot easier to perform.
Simple steps to take:
- Do some vocalisation exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc-_hoG4nec
- Yell from the top of your lungs
- Stretch.
3. Wear camera-friendly clothes
Cameras are more opinionated than you think and there are certain things that they just can't stand.
No small patterns. Camera sensors often turn them into a messy mush of confused pixels that will really distract from your top performance. And you can get some strange artefacts from them. You want to avoid this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXEgnRWRJfg
Keep it simple. Wear clothes that are plain coloured. That doesn't mean that you have to look boring, just pick nice colours that match and don't confuse the cameras. Wear your brand colours, or something that complements your skin tone, eyes or your other favourite features.
Pro tip: cameras love teal and orange colours. Especially together.
4. Understand the shot.
Ask to see the frame so you understand the space you are working with.
Check how much space you have around, so you can control your body language, especially, if you're an active person who likes to move and talk with your hands a lot.
Simple steps to take:
- Check your shot framing.
- Make sure you don't come out of the frame.
- Don't swing back and forth towards the camera too much as you will go out of focus!
Bonus tips:
-Get a good night's sleep! No resolution or camera tricks can save the video from a tired subject.
-Hydrate. Make sure you're drinking enough water to keep yourself looking and feeling healthy. Water also helps your mouth not to dry out. So have a sip, it will help!
Speeding Films produced crowdfunding videos for a few of our clients recently. For examples of their work, check out Helpfulpeeps and savvy navvy.
