Don’t be alarmed if you’ve done this in the past. There’s always time to start remedying these mistakes—starting now.
ONE - CLEAN THE BACON GREASE OFF YOUR CAMERA LENS
Especially if you’re recording video with your phone or your laptop—clean your camera lens.
Us, your audience, shouldn’t have to squint—HARD—to see your blurred frame. If you do, you’re making us do too much work.
And there’s a good chance we’ll click off your video quicker than you’d prefer.
And no, the video editor can NOT "clean it up" in post.
They have other work to do.
You saw how you looked on camera.
You could've paused the video or interview and cleaned your camera lens.
But no—you decided to continue recording looking like you got caught up in a London fog in your apartment.
So, clean your lens before recording.
Microfiber towels are the best, of course. But trust me when I say that I’ve used my t-shirt or even my sock to get the job done, when I’m in a bind.
TWO - THE LIGHT SHOULD BE ILLUMINATING YOUR FACE, NOT THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD
DO NOT stand or sit in front of a window, and then point your camera TOWARDS the window. The background will be blown out and you’ll be lit like Gollum. Not a good look for you, squirrel.
Instead, stand or sit in front of the window, and point your camera towards YOU. You will be lit BEAUTIFULLY!
And if the sun is coming in too harshly, grab a white sheet or a curtain, hang it over the window and it will filter the light onto you, and into the room, beautifully.
In fact, every single one of MY videos are shot this way.
It’s kind of a hassle for me to set up my lighting kit.But who needs it when we have FREE LIGHTING, folks!
Even on overcast days!
THREE - NO ONE WANTS TO SEE YOUR NOSE CAVITY. BRING THE CAMERA TO EYE LEVEL
If your team sets up your recording station for you, and you then come into the studio, put the camera or laptop on your lap—and then hit record…🙄
That’s just disrespectful.
They are setting you up for success and you're...we have no idea what you're doing...
If it’s just you & you're doing that—know that we don’t want to be distracted by counting your nose hairs or wondering if that’s a cavern in your nostril or a booger.
Ergo—If you’re using a DSLR camera, get a tripod. If you’re shooting on mobile, they have mini tripods too. If you’re shooting from your laptop—grab a stack of books or boxes and place your laptop at eye level.
How do you know it’s at eye level?
Start a meeting in Google Meetup where you can see yourself. Adjust the book stack as necessary.
Think of this as a practice run before you go live.
If you can do these three things, you’ll be in a good spot when you hit record. And as an audience member, I thank you in advance!
⬇️⬇️⬇️
If you want more tips on how to FINALLY start shooting video in 2024 & you don’t want to do it alone (you’ve got questions!) - join the Charisma on Camera [Dirty Beta Edition] Cohort!
We’re offering it at a 50% discount (!!!) for anyone who signs up before we close it!
Watch THIS VIDEO so you get a good idea of what you’ll be getting yourself into (outside of taking steps to meeting your future self😏):
Spots are currently available until November 27th, 2023 at 11:59pm PST // November 28th, 2023 at 2:59am EST
And when I say that my co-collaborator, Nathan Collier, and I are hell BENT on providing as much value to you as possible—we mean it.😤
To get more details about what you could be doing at the end of this cohort—if not–where you could be at the end of 2024 with this knowledge in practice, check out our website.
We have a LOT to offer.
Hope to see you there & thanks for reading this far. 🙌🏾
