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Our company has been doing a lot of work lately with speakers, trainers, and experts in various fields; individuals who want us to produce videos that showcase their expertise and abilities. One of the concerns I hear a lot from our clients, especially the ones new to being in front of a camera, is about how attractive or appealing they will appear. It's a common and very understandable worry; no one wants to produce a promotional video that shows them in a negative light, whether it's their personal appearance or misspeaking in some way. These are common concerns, and I always tell people in these situations something like this: "It's our job to make you look good. You can trust us to present you in the most positive way possible."
Of course, it is only natural to worry about your appearance and how your audience will perceive you. After all, you have the most at stake when the video being produced is going to represent your persona and your business to the public. But video production companies doing this kind of work have their reputations at stake as well. This is why trust in the production company you're working with is very important. You have to have a high level of trust that the company has the judgment to shoot you in the most flattering way (with good lighting, good make-up, good shot composition, good audio) and that they pick the most flattering takes and edit them together in such a way that you appear your best; competent, engaging, and likable.
Having trust in the people you are working with is important in another, not as obvious, way as well. It allows you to be relaxed in your performance. The more relaxed you are, the more confident and personable you will appear on the screen. I can't overestimate how much a difference this makes. We've all seen cheaply produced local commercials that feature stifled, awkward sound bites from employees or leaders of the company (and I'll admit I was responsible for putting some of these on the air in my early days of local commercial production). Someone who is not relaxed in front of the camera is not going to come across well, and anyone who's been in front of a camera a few times figures this out quickly.
There are so many small subtle secrets to getting people relaxed and smiling in front of the camera that it could possibly be the subject of an entire book and I won't go into it here. But you should know that experienced interviewers/videographers have learned these tricks (some of them unconsciously) and that amateurs/beginners just don't have these skills. It is the reason you see so many awkward talking heads on cheaply made video productions.
When a good production company has you in the studio, their perception of you should be uppermost in their minds. They should shoot you from your best angle. They should light you in the most flattering way. They should ply you with refreshments and beverages and funny jokes to make sure you are comfortable. If your old speech impediment starts to come back, we won't use that take. If you've suddenly contracted elephantiasis and now have a huge fleshy protuberance coming out of your shoulder, they should find a way to shoot around that (unless it is a promotional video for a circus or HBO series.)
To sum up, it is important that you look your best in front of the camera, but part of looking your best is feeling your best. If you don't feel at ease during a video production, you should ask yourself why. Has the production team not done a good job of setting you at ease? Do you not trust their skills to make you look good? Have you maybe drunk too much coffee? Whatever it is, you should try to figure it out and attempt to address it. Having a good video production team is the first step in making you look your best in your media productions.
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