Wondering if you’re making some über rookie mistakes when it comes to using your camera in your DIY videos?
Well here is the low down.
I’ve been paying close attention to what my fellow entrepreneurs have been putting out there, and first and foremost, I have to say “yay you” for diving into this arena. Video can reach people in a way that the written word simply doesn’t.
So good for you for getting started on this adventure.
Now, one of the reasons that I started this biz is I just couldn’t sit back any longer and watch extraordinary people making video mistakes that could be fixed.
You deserve to put your best foot forward in all aspects of your biz.
So these “camera sins” are things that you may be doing, but they all have a super easy fix. (wooo!)
Check out the video below to find out the top 5 camera sins that fab-preneurs make as they dive into the land of video, and to up your camera-bility!
Oh and be sure to leave a comment below to tell me which of the sins you’ve been guilty of. Buwahahaha.
I’m stoked to hear what your biggest takeaways are.
And if you’re ready to rock it out with a tripod, here are my suggestions:
Forget trying to steady your camera on a stack of books. I highly recommend that you pick up a simple tripod to give your videos that professional touch.
I personally use a pro tripod because it is extra sturdy and gives me peace of mind that my camera won’t get easily knocked over. If you want to go this route, I suggest this Manfrotto 2-Way Kit.
A mid-range tripod that I highly recommend is this bad boy by Magnus.
If you’re looking for a beginner tripod that’s under $100, I suggest picking up this tripod by Dolica.
If you’re using an smartphone, you’ll need an additional attachment to add to your tripod, so that the phone will fit on top.
I recommend the Joby GripTight Smartphone Tripod Mount (XL) with Cleaning Kit.
And as always…
Dream up,
Sarah Michelle Brown
Your Virtual Video Director
Really helpful! Do you recommend a way to “teleprompt” scripts? When there’s a lot to say and things are typed out beforehand, it’s so obvious that we’re looking at the paper and not the screen.
Hi Erica! Yep, there are times when you’ve got a lot to say, and simply speaking off the cuff with talking points won’t do.
Some quick tips:
– position the teleprompter as close to the camera lens as possible, to give your eyes the illusion that you’re looking into the lens. The best ones have an adaptor that can go right over the lens.
– write the text as conversational as possible. Include little sayings, ums, ahs, or other quirks that you do when speaking naturally.
– bring a fun friend into the room to stand behind the camera, and use their energy to keep your tone personal and approachable.
– play music, or dance or do something else that makes you feel alive as you’re setting up, to get help set your own energetic tone, and do your best to carry that through to filming.
– practice reading the text to an actual person, and practice making it feel as though it’s part of the conversation.
– Super important: read it aloud while creating it to see how it sounds. Make changes to the actual writing to give it a more conversational feeling.
– Before filming: figure out what question you could ask yourself (or the friend in the room could ask you), that your video is the answer to. Then as you’re rolling, ask that question of yourself or have your friend ask it, and use the script to answer it.
Lol, yep, there are lots of ways to approach using teleprompters and expressing your own voice while reading.
Fyi, I simply use talking points and editing to create my videos. I prefer that method as it’s easier to speak from the heart. Of course, for longer videos, I’ll likely bring teleprompters into the mix. If teleprompters are your best solution, then consider the methods I gave you above. Let me know which ones speak most to you, and then give them a try. 🙂
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for this! I am guilty of every single one. I just can’t seem to figure out how to stop looking at myself and into the camera. Do you have any tips on how to make urself look into the lens? I’ll start for a moment then look back at my hair or something on the screen…hahah
Hi Casie~ My pleasure!! I’m so excited to help raise your camera-bility. Yep, the looking at yourself one is a big one, and it can become a bit of a security blanket. One quick suggestion is to simply stick something over the screen, so it blocks your view of your image. This may feel uncomfortable at first, so decide if you can go cold turkey or not. You may want to try one take with it covered, one with it uncovered, if you need the reassurance. You can do it lady! Give it a try today if you can, and let me know how it goes. 🙂
You’re so cute! I absolutely love when you were talking about keeping a small amount of space about your head, then you ducked out of the frame and peeked up from the bottom. I was cracking up! Thanks for making this useful AND entertaining!
Hehe that’s fantastic Cecile! Yep, I’m a bit fan of making things fun whenever possible. Thanks for watching! What was your biggest takeaway? 🙂
These are so good! I always thought you were supposed to be perfectly in the middle, so interesting that just to one side is good. Thanks!
My pleasure lovely Marsha! Yep, the right side is considered the “heroic” position in cinematography. The middle is actually considered the weakest position and the left side is often where surprises happen in films. Having said that, you can use the psychology of these to your advantage. Even the middle. It’s a great place to give a more levelling feeling if that’s what’s needed. Play around and see how you can make the different positions work for you. xoxo
Thanks for all of the info Sarah! I like the idea of playing and music and dancing beforehand. 🙂
I’m guilty of all five of these on-camera errors. I’m glad these are easy to fix. Thanks for helping out!
Happy to help Kris! Indeed, these are super simple fixes. Looking forward to seeing your next video. 🙂