Camera shy? No problem!

I’ve lost count of the times people have told us how great “X” would be on camera, only for them to freeze when the moment comes. As a video production agency, we at Blueberry Pictures, understand that even chatty, confident people who ‘hold court’ on frequent occasions can find themselves lost for words when the camera starts rolling. We have developed techniques over the years to coax answers out of the ‘talent’.

We start by create a relaxing environment and engage off camera enabling the interviewee to ‘warm-up’. Making sure that we have enough time to set up the sound and lighting along with chatting to the interviewee is essential. We find that time constraints increase the pressure and in turn, nerves.

When it is imperative that the content is 100% accurate (think AGM or investor film), we recommend using an autocue. They’re much easier to use than people think, they allow you to prepare everything you want to say in advance and provide confidence that you won’t forget key information.

Some videos work better when the questions are not provided in advance. We discuss general topics ahead of the shoot, but then we just let the camera roll and treat the process like a conversation that flows. We encourage the interviewee to include the question in their answer as this gives the brain time to catch up.

Ultimately, most people end up forgetting the camera is there and relax into the shoot within no time. Our job is done when they leave happy and relaxed knowing that they have given their best performance, often stating how much easier it was than they were expecting.

If feeling uncomfortable about being on film is deterring you from creating the most powerful marketing tool for your business, then please get in touch and experience our gold standard production for yourself.

Blueberry Pictures, re-inventing corporate video