Photo by CoWomen
By: Nick Gambino
There’s nothing more unnatural in the world than trying to act naturally on camera. There’s something about that moment when the video production kicks in that we just freeze or act awkwardly. It doesn’t even have to be a professional video production. Just tapping record on a selfie video is enough to punch the throttle, full speed on The Fast and The Anxious.
While acting awkward on personal videos isn’t that big a deal, when it’s a corporate video meant to represent a brand, you kind of have to muster up the innate performer inside you and deliver the goods. All the top-notch video production in the world can’t make up for wooden delivery or a full-on case of the nerves. But don’t worry, we’re going to give you some tips for being the best interview subject you can be on camera. If you can’t avoid being in the next corporate video, especially if you’re the face of the company, then keep these in mind.
RELY ON YOUR SHOOT TEAM
If you’ve got an internal video production team or are hiring an outside company like NWT Media, then you’ve got video production professionals who know what they’re doing. They’re going to work with you to get the best they can and they’ll edit it to remove any bits that are none too flattering. If the team lives, breathes, and eats corporate videos, then they know what flies and what sells. They’ll let you do multiple takes and make all the mistakes you need or want while recording your corporate video. That means you’re free to try just about anything. When they, and you, feel confident you got something they can work with, you’ll move on.
BE PREPARED
If you’ve been chosen to be on camera for a corporate video by video production professionals like NWT, then that means you probably know your stuff. Just rely on what you know. If it’s going to be a Q & A style corporate video, ask for the questions ahead of time so you can ensure you have succinct and informative answers ahead of time. In line with being prepared, make sure you don’t over-prepare. If you rehearse too much you risk coming off wooden and, well, rehearsed. Video production professionals like those at NWT will provide anything you need ahead of time and will ensure the location and makeup is of the quality to sell your brand.
TREAT IT LIKE A CONVERSATION
I know it’s tough, but if you can manage it, forget the camera is there and just speak with the NWT interviewer off-camera. Treat it like a conversation that nobody but the two of you will ever be privy too. Take any necessary pauses. If you are inclined to throw um’s and uh’s in your speech, try and take pauses instead. And if that fails, just let them fly, the corporate video production team will do their best to edit them out. NWT or any corporate video production company crafts these videos day in and day out. They’ll get you to the end of it with an awesome promotional video to show for it. When all else fails, rely on their expertise.
