These are some of the expressions and feelings you might have before you turn on the camera.
How can I be more natural on camera so I don't have to do a million takes?
Stay tuned to find out. In this video, you'll learn how to be more comfortable on camera
so your viewers can just sit back, relax, and enjoy your message.
We'll look at how to prepare before you go on camera, your mindset, your posture, your voice,
your delivery, et cetera. Subscribe and click the bell notification icon if you want to
be notified about how to generate traffic, leads, and sales on autopilot from YouTube.
How can you be more natural when you're just talking to a camera and not to a real person?
Being in front of the camera can be intimidating at first, but with the right skills and practice,
you're not only going to be more natural but to be able to connect more deeply with your audience.
It's not natural to talk to a camera. If we have to visualize it, you're talking to just one person
instead of millions of people. Imagine you're having a conversation with your
best friend or your wife on the phone. When you imagine or visualize you're
talking to your best friend or your wife on the phone, you'll be more relaxed. One way
to overcome the fear of talking on camera and be more natural is to stick a picture of your
wife or your best friend on the flip screen of your camera. Before you start filming,
take a look at the picture and imagine you're having a conversation with that person.
Another mindset tip is to focus on your message instead of yourself. Don't worry about how you
look or how you sound because the viewer is more interested in the value of your content.
Another mindset tip is to be relaxed. When you film, you don't want to be in a rushed
state of mind or nervous because you come across as stressed and not relaxed. Your
audience and viewers want you to relax so they can sit back, relax, and enjoy your content.
Make sure you have plenty of time for filming and a dedicated space for filming.
If you have a dedicated space, you don't have to set up a new backdrop,
lights, et cetera. I usually film a test clip before I film a whole video
so that I can make sure the lights, the mic, and the video quality is all correct. There's
been many times where I've spent hours filming a video then discovered later that I didn't have
the mic turned on. Let me know in the comments below if you had any accidents while filming.
Some things you can do to relax before you start filming is to do mouth exercises.
You can also go for a walk outside. Go for a run,
especially if you're feeling stressed or a bicycle ride. Jump around a bit.
Listen to your favorite song. Play the guitar. [music]
If you're filming standing up, you want to look directly into the camera lens,
have your shoulders back and down. You definitely want to avoid looking at the flip screen because
then you won't connect with your audience, instead look directly into the lens. When you're standing
or filming, make sure your feet are about a hip apart and keep your knees bent. When
you're sitting, don't lean back to be relaxed, instead, lean forward a bit with chin up and
shoulders back. If you're in a hunched position, it'll give the appearance that you're insecure.
Another thing to keep in mind is to smile between each take. Before you film a clip, you can smile,
hold it a few seconds, and then start talking. This helps keep your face more relaxed as you
convey your content. At the end of your take, you should also pause. Do the same for all the
different clips that you need to film. Typically, I'll film in sections so it be easier to edit
afterwards. For example, if I make a mistake for a particular section, I can just go back to that
particular section and edit out the mistake. Let's talk about voice. Whenever you speak
on camera, keep in mind that the camera takes away some of your energy, so you want to raise
your energy level. If you speak in a monotone or low energy like this or look down at your notes,
it's not going to be very interesting for your audience. Therefore, you want to make sure that
you're smiling, raise your energy level, and you're enthusiastic about your topic.
Another tip to make sure your voice comes across smoothly is to make sure
you breathe between sentences. Typically, I'll memorize a sentence or two, take a deep breath,
and then speak the content. This will help you to relax and avoid speaking too fast. If you're
nervous, you also speak faster than you normally would when speaking with a friend. Another tip
it is to end your sentences on a low note. If you raise your voice in the final syllable, it'll come
across as insecure, instead, you want to end on a low note. I know it's going to take some practice,
so just give it a shot next time you start filming. Another tip with your voice is to be
confident in the topic that you're talking about. If you're not entirely familiar with your content,
make sure you do the research beforehand so you can come across with great confidence. Oh,
by the way, you should also stay hydrated because your mouth often gets dry as you're filming.
When you frame yourself correctly, you want to appear clear, steady,
and flattery. You want to appear as natural as possible to the other person watching you from
the other side of the frame. You don't want to be too close like this or too far away like this,
instead, you just want to have the top part of yourself in the frame like the head and shoulders.
That's why I recommend filming a test shot of yourself before you film the whole video.
When filming yourself, it's best to position yourself to one side of the frame
rather than in the middle of a frame. When you move to the side of the frame,
it allows you to place text on the other side. When you're doing a talking-head video,
I recommend changing positions once in a while. I might start off on this side, and then when I
do another take, I'll start off on the other side like this. It just breaks up the monotony of doing
a talking-head video. You also want to make sure you have a little bit of space above your head
in the frame. You don't want to have too much space above your head in the frame like this
or be too close to the camera and so your head is chopped off like this.
If you happen to be interviewing someone while they're on camera, make sure you look at them
while they're speaking just like you would in a normal conversation. You can also do this with
regular talking head videos where most of the time you might be looking directly at the lens, but
other times, you might be looking away pondering just like you would in a regular conversation.
Here are some best practices to be natural on camera when filming videos for YouTube. Number
one, write a script. This will help you to keep on track and mention all the points that you wish to
cover. If I know the topic really well, I'll write down several bullet points so I can stay on track.
Number two, film on small sections. This will speed up your editing because it means you can
just go back to that particular section and edit out the mistake. Number three, avoid distractions.
There's been many times where the phone has rung, I've got notifications on my phone or my computer,
or my wife has walked in while I'm filming. Distractions interrupt the flow of the content
that you're trying to convey. I usually find that once I get into the groove of filming,
it's easy to keep going. Therefore, sometimes I'll film multiple videos because I'm into the flow of
things. Number four, don't dwell on perfection. It's easy to obsess over every little mistake that
you make while filming. The beauty of the editing process is that you can edit out all the mistakes.
Number five, intonate your voice. You want to appear enthusiastic about your topic, therefore,
you don't want to drone on in a monotone voice that looks like you're a robot. Number six,
practice, practice, practice. The more you film, the easier it'll get to be more natural on
camera. If you look at some of the first videos that I filmed for YouTube, it makes me cringe.
Hello, my name is Herman Drost. I'm the owner of the marketing tips newsletter,
but then if I look at the videos that I'm filming now, then I can see how far I've progressed over
the years. Keep in mind that all big YouTubers have been filming for years so avoid comparing
the beginning of your journey with where they are in their journey. Number seven, have fun.
If you're not enjoying the process of creating videos for YouTube, it'll be easier to give up
when you don't get many views and subscribers on your videos. Therefore, you need to stay motivated
even when you want to give up. [music]
Watch the video on the screen right now on seven ways to stay
motivated while growing a YouTube channel. You'll be glad you did.